Secular Architecture and the Fate of the City

With the disruptions of the Transitional Period, many Byzantine cities were reduced to villages or simply abandoned. The evidence from Ephesus, Thessalonike, and elsewhere indicates loss of the urban infrastructure, formal spaces converted to utilitarian or industrial purposes, and an emphasis on security. Constantinople continued as a major center, thanks to a radical restructuring and consolidation begun in the eighth century. The transformation of the city may be viewed through the later histories of its major monuments and spaces.