Virginia Sommella

Virginia Sommella is a PhD candidate in history at the Bilkent University, Ankara. She holds a BA degree in the archaeology of the Roman provinces from the University of Naples L’Orientale and a MA degree in Byzantine archaeology from the University of Siena.

The research she is conducting as an ANAMED fellow focuses on the Byzantine frontier along the river Tigris—with particular regard to the mountainous region of the Tur ‘Abdin, located in the southeastern corner of modern Turkey—in a period extending from the fourth century to the 640s. Her study investigates the links between local monastic patterns and the Limes Orientalis’ administrative and defensive system as a key to understanding such a resilient human and material landscape.