Ceramics in plain sight: The bacini of the churches of Crete. “Reflections” of the Late Medieval and the Early Modern Material Culture of the Island. Volume II. The Regional Unit of Lasithi

This publication, the second volume of a broader project, presents the immured glazed vessels (the bacini) located on the façades of numerous churches in the regional unit of Lasithi. The research was carried out within the framework of the research programme “Immured vessels in Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches in Greece: an electronic corpus”.

The study of these ceramics sheds light on an unexplored aspect of the material culture of Lasithi during the Venetian and Ottoman periods, as well as in modern times. Since publications on ceramics from this region and chronological span are scarce, the present study provides new insights into the history of the area and its connections with other regions from the 13th to the 21st century. The ceramics are examined in relation to their respective monuments, the surrounding area, and the people of eastern Crete. Alongside detailed archaeological documentation, the study discusses aspects of ceramic diffusion and the practice of immuration. The text is enriched with a comprehensive catalogue, maps, sketches, drawings, and numerous colour photographs.

Through the systematic study and the full presentation of the material from Lasithi, this study brings to the fore the particularities of local practice: its earliest attestations in the thirteenth century and its notable revival in the nineteenth century.