The Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies, in Venice, organised with the Department of History and the Centre for Local History and Genealogy / Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Split, the international conference THE LEVANT AT THE TIME OF LEPANTO on 20 and 21 of September 2021, in the city of Split, Croatia.

The conference offered new insights into the history of Levant at the time of the Battle of Lepanto (1571) through scientific presentations and discussions. It focused on relevant topics of political, military, social, economic, and cultural history. Scholars presented, in four sessions, studies and research projects from a variety of topics ranging from cartography and depictions of the naval battle, fortress architecture, up to the social groups and networks, the slave trade of prisoners and the organization of the defense. A special topic was the diplomatic and military developments on the Cyprus front, the one most directly concerned by the preparation of the naval battle, whose outcome was not justified in the diplomatic field. The two academic institutions promoted the combination of archival sources and field testimonies as a first joint exercise with the aim of promoting future collaborations.

Papers presented at the conference will be published in the volume of the Conference Proceedings.