The Great Fair at Thessalonica
A Map of the Byzantine Empire. Thessalonica is Called Thessaloniki Here.
The Byzantine Empire, March 2022, Illustration, World History Encyclopedia, n.p, https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/1200x900/15330.png.
About the Great Fair:
When you enter the fair and look at it from a higher place, you will see two main long lines of stalls where most people trade. [1] The booths are all very close in proximity, and if you look past the parallel lines there are more stands outside of the lines. A variety of items are being sold here, from live animals to silk and agricultural goods such as oats and rye, as well as items from travelers coming from the East and West. [2] The imported items from surrounding areas, mainly the East and West, brought by horse, mule, or boat. [3]
This fair is very important for the trade and economic status of the Byzantine Empire, as they are very wealthy and there is currently growth in population and expansion within. [4] This is an event in which the people participate in and view, with most of the population visiting. [5] However, there are political and military issues in the government, which affect the trade outside of markets in the Byzantine Empire. [6] Due to these issues, much of the trade outside of markets has been limited. This means people living in the Byzantine Empire currently have a harder time finding certain materials such as silk, and markets such as these are beneficial to acquiring these materials. [7] In turn, the popularity of Byzantine can also affect the population in the empire, with newer districts being built and older buildings being remodeled in the empire’s territory. [8]
The popularity and wealth the Byzantine Empire gains from the Great Fair and similar events helps with the funding of churches as well as the spread of Christianity. The Great Fair is a large event in which many people from different areas joined together, helping for the spread of the dominating religion in the area to spread throughout different areas as different ideas are shared throughout markets. [9]
1.Translated by H. Tozer, Journal of Hellenic Studies 52 (1881), 244-44 as reproduced in the Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University, 2024 https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/thess-fair.asp.
2. Ibid; Angeliki E. Laiou, The Economic History of Byzantium: From the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century, (2002), as reproduced in the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine, 2024, 1153, https://web.archive.org/web/20070221221724/http://www.doaks.org/EconHist/EHB51.pdf.
3. Translated by H. Tozer, Journal of Hellenic Studies.
4. Laiou, The Economic History of Byzantium: From the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century.
5. Translated by H. Tozer, Journal of Hellenic Studies.
6. Klaus-Peter Matschke, The Economic History of Byzantium: From the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century, (Washington D.C: Dumbarton Oaks, 2002), as reproduced in the Internet Archive, Wayback Machine, 2024,https://web.archive.org/web/20070221221724/http://www.doaks.org/EconHist/EHB51.pdf.
7. Ibid.
8. Laiou, The Economic History of Byzantium: From the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century, 535.
9. Ibid.
NONA R.