Terracotta decoration elements in Byzantine architecture

The Byzantine Empire is a great state with wide geographical borders and a long historical process. The Eastern Roman Empire was established in 330 AD when the Roman Empire was divided into two regional administrations, eastern and western, and Constantinople became the capital. The state, defined as "Byzantine" by 16th century historians, grew and shrank periodically between 330 AD and 1453. The Byzantine Empire left many works, especially in today's Türkiye and the Balkan countries. The art and architectural works made during this long empire period are divided into different periods in terms of style and historical process. We clearly see a new understanding of architecture and art in the Middle Byzantine Period, especially after Iconoclasm (726/842-43). During this period, wall decoration with tiles began to be used in Byzantine buildings. This new decoration element, which started to appear in the Middle Byzantine period (717-1204), dates back to the 9th-12th centuries. It adorned the interior and exterior decoration of buildings between centuries. The fact that this new ornamental element coincided with the period considered as the Renaissance in terms of the development of Byzantine art and architecture during the Macedonian Dynasty contributed to the development of architectural ornamentation. Chines continued to be used in different techniques on the exterior surfaces of buildings in the Balkans during the Late Byzantine Period (1261-1453). In the Middle Byzantine Period, we encounter keromaplastic decoration elements, also known as ornamental pottery, on the exterior walls of buildings. Keromaplastic decorations were preferred in architectural decoration as terracotta ornaments until the end of the Late Byzantine period (1261-1453). Except for some in situ examples of Byzantine tiles in the Balkans, all of them are in museums, galleries and private collections. Keromaplastic decorative elements are seen in buildings in Anatolia, Istanbul and the Balkans. While researching the tiles within the scope of this study, many museum inventories were examined. The majority of the tiles in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums and the Veliki Preslav Archaeological Museum have been examined and catalogued. The remaining tiles are in the Walters Art Museum, Louvre Museum, Sevres National Ceramics Museum, Athens Benaki Museum, Moscow National History Museum and private collections. Almost all of these tiles include those produced in Constantinople and Nicomedia. Most of the tiles discussed in this study were examined using catalogs and inventories.