Development of Regional Styles II

Abstract

The masonry architecture of Anatolia is less well preserved than that of Greece, but an analysis of the surviving buildings indicates an interaction between Constantinople and the local centers, evident in the construction techniques and decorative details. In central and eastern Anatolia, contact with Caucasian is evident. Better evidence of Byzantine daily life is provided by the rock-carved settlements in the rough volcanic highland of Cappadocia. Although they appear to replicate masonry forms, the inventiveness of the Cappadocian artisan is often evident in the willful deviations from a masonry prototype.