Mitteilungen zur Christlichen Archäologie 28, pp. 66-90, 2022/11/10
Following the results of D. Boulasikis and H. Taeuber, who recently presented the archaeological remains of a Christian diaconia within Insula M/1 in the current journal, this article discusses the early Byzantine charitable institution in its broader context. In comparison to medieval diaconiae, best known from Rome and Constantinople today, and the urban development of the metropolis of Ephesus at the turn of the 5th century AD, the article points to the special position of the Ephesian diaconia as probably the oldest archaeologically attested diaconia of the eastern Mediterranean – yet still scarcely noticed by the scientific community.
Keywords: Ephesus, Christian charity services, diaconia, urban development, Christian sacral topography
