These case studies provide an interdisciplinary reassessment of the function, impact, and significance of architecture within local cultures and the dynamic relationship between periphery and center of the Roman Empire.
This book brings together an international team of scholars to re-evaluate Roman-period architecture outside Rome and the Italian Peninsula, looking at the regions that formed part of the Roman Empire over a broad time frame: from the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Moving beyond traditional views of ‘Roman provincial architecture’, they highlight the multi-faceted features of these architectures, their function, impact and significance within the local cultures, and the dynamic discourse between periphery and centre. Architecture is intended in the broad sense of the term, encompassing the buildings’ technological components as well as their ornamental and epigraphic apparatuses. The geographic framework under examination is a broad one: along with well-documented areas of the ancient Mediterranean, attention is also paid to the territories of north-west Europe. The discussion throughout the volume focuses on three interrelated themes – models, agency, and reception. The broader scope of these essays gives a reinvigorated impetus to the scholarly debate on the role and influence of ancient architectures beyond the centre of Empire. The book has a strong interdisciplinary character, reflecting the authors’ diverse expertise in the fields of archaeology, architecture, ancient history, art and architectural history.