Ephesus

Ephesus remained a significant regional center and provincial capital from the sixth to the fourteenth centuries, despite experiencing shifts in settlement patterns. Paleo-geographical investigations reveal that its harbor basin was still functional until at least the twelfth century, while pollen analyses indicate an increase in pastoral farming and a decline in settlement intensity between the late seventh and tenth centuries. However, settlement activity rebounded in the eleventh century with the emergence of a second town around the pilgrimage site of St. John, which persisted under Turkish rule as Ayasoluk. The study combines archaeological evidence with environmental data to reconstruct Ephesus' dynamic evolution during this period.

Ladstätter, S. (2017). Ephesus. The Archaeology of Byzantine Anatolia, 238–248. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190610463.003.0020