Imperial Rome

MUSEUMISATION OF THE PRESENT

by Suresh Pillai

Villa dei Quintili

by Massimiliano Munzi

Co-authored with L. Asor Rosa, published in S. Le Pera, R. Turchetti (eds), Sulla via Appia da Roma a Brindisi. Le fotografie di Thomas Ashby 1891-1925 (Monografie della Carta dell’Agro Romano, 1), Roma 2003, pp. 56-76.

Adventures in Architectural Symbolism: The Use and Misuse of Rebuilding Programs in Ancient Rome

by Brian Sahotsky

The Propaganda of the Emperor Maxentius: An Expansion of Roman Architectural Topography

by Brian Sahotsky

The figure of Maxentius emerged through interesting circumstances during the Late Tetrarchy, and his status as... more The figure of Maxentius emerged through interesting circumstances during the Late Tetrarchy, and his status as ‘usurper’ of the title of emperor was criticized and despised by the other leaders, namely the Augustus Galerius. Rome’s Praetorian Guard brought Maxentius into power from imposed retirement primarily to become the conservator urbis suae, which was further emphasized by his coinage and architecture. But Maxentius remained a usurper, as his position was not officially recognized, and he instead sought to legitimize his reign through political propaganda, and through an elaborate building program he instituted in Rome. This program was situated mainly at the eastern end of the Forum Romanum, and was marked most prominently with the Basilica of Maxentius. The massive Basilica was combined with the newly constructed Temple of Romulus and the refurbished Temple of Venus and Roma to create a ‘Forum of Maxentius’ in the pattern of prior emperors Augustus, Vespasian, and Trajan.

The Basilica solidified the presence of Maxentius in this section of the Forum, a fact reiterated by the existence of a Republican-era tie to the Velian Hill that it punctuates. I contend that the Basilica’s placement and spatial referencing attempt to change the political and architectural topography of the most visible area of Rome, and that its distinctive construction and material technique was used to enhance and reinforce the status of its creator, thereby legitimizing Maxentius’ status as Rome’s true Emperor. This thesis combines the elements outlined above to create a picture of Maxentius’ hopes for a new and more powerful Rome. I investigate the ability of Maxentius’ program to influence the power of his illegitimate reign in Rome, and how he used allusions to previous Roman monuments to increase their validity, including the basilica building type, and its new attachment of bathhouse concrete vaulting technologies.

Regional trajectories in the growth of Roman maritime infrastructure

by Katia Schorle

Regional trajectories in the growth of Roman maritime infrastructure by Damian Robinson, Candace Rice and Katia Schörle RAC 2012 - To be published in JRA Supplements more info soon.

The Roman period witnesses an enormous growth in both the construction de novo and the redevelopment of ports and... more The Roman period witnesses an enormous growth in both the construction de novo and the redevelopment of ports and their associated infrastructure. While much focus has been placed on large-scale ports such as Portus and Caesarea Maritima several medium and small sized urban ports and in some regions even villa ports were also built during this era of expansion in maritime construction. In addition, the capacities of existing trading centres such as Alexandria are enlarged, presumably to cope with the increased volume of maritime traffic that they served. This phenomenon is undoubtedly linked to the same great boom in the maritime economy that is also apparent in the rise in the numbers of recorded Roman shipwrecks. Yet, the apparently simple picture of an overall increase in maritime infrastructure during the Roman period is somewhat deceptive and may well overshadow important localised patterns of development. Detailed analyses of the patterns in ship wrecks have revealed that regional and local dynamics, such as the increasing export-orientated wine and olive oil production of Spain and Gaul, the decline in Italian wine exports to these regions and the adoption of different forms of container technology in the western Mediterranean, are clearly observable when the data are analysed at smaller scales. Recent research is beginning to reveal similar trends in the eastern Mediterranean. Consequently, it is the aim of this paper to take three case study regions – Italy’s Tyrrhenian coastline, southern Turkey and southern France - and systematically analyse all of the ports within them to look at the spatial and temporal development of infrastructure. This will enable a more subtle and nuanced approach to the understanding of the development of ports during the Roman period that is tied into both regional and empire-wide narratives of the maritime economy.

The Roman Invasions of Germania Magna: Trial and Error in Augustus' German Policy

by James Mitchell

Poison: Nature's Argument for the Roman Empire in Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia

by Molly Jones-Lewis

Forthcoming in CW.  The contract is signed and I'm just waiting for the release date.

Abstract: In Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia poisonous plants and animals are intimately associated with their... more Abstract: In Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia poisonous plants and animals are intimately associated with their countries of origin.  Moreover, Pliny often focuses on those poisonous substances found in lands where Rome had carried out major campaigns, particularly Egypt and Pontus.  The power and influence of poisons in these locations is deliberately emphasized in order to justify Italy (and by implication Rome) as a natural physician of the world ideally suited to subdue untamed poisons and make them over as powerful and life-saving medicines.  In this way Pliny structures his view of natura to justify the existence and rule of the Roman Empire.

Visibility and Violence in Petitions From Roman Egypt

by Ari Bryen

Judging Empire: Courts and Culture in Rome's Eastern Provinces

by Ari Bryen

Tradition, Precedent, and Power in Roman Egypt

by Ari Bryen

Call for abstracts/Imperialism and Identities - news

by Marko Jankovic

Patria Potestas and the stereotype of the Roman family

by Scott O'Hara

Le rôle des prétoriens dans les changements d'empereurs de Tibère à Pertinax

by Sébastien Chazaud

Mémoire de master

Ce travail étudie le rôle joué par les prétoriens durant les changements d’empereurs de Tibère à Pertinax,... more Ce travail étudie le rôle joué par les prétoriens durant les changements d’empereurs de Tibère à Pertinax, c’est-à-dire depuis leur regroupement dans un camp unique jusqu’à un épisode qui voit la garde se vendre au plus offrant, près de deux siècles plus tard. Chargés de la sécurité du prince, les prétoriens ont-ils été de fidèles protecteurs ou des hommes peu fiables ? A l’aide des sources antiques, nous avons examiné le comportement de la garde durant ces transitions, afin de déterminer si ses actions ont révélé une certaine constance.

The city of Rome in late imperial ideology: The Tetrarchs, Maxentius and Constantine

by Olivier Hekster

Published in Mediterraneo Antico 2 (1999), 717-748

Imperial Spaces: I, Claudius and Constructing The Eternal City at White City

by Douglas McNaughton

Presented at MeCCSA-PGN conference, Glasgow, 31 June-1 July 2010

I, Claudius (BBC 1976) has long been considered a monument of British television drama, currently number 12 in the... more I, Claudius (BBC 1976) has long been considered a monument of British television drama, currently number 12 in the BFI’s TV Top 100 list (BFI 2009). Drawing on archival material and an original interview with director Herbert Wise, this paper explores the aesthetic of 1970s studio drama and argues that Wise challenged conventions and extended the normal vocabulary of that aesthetic through camerawork and use of space. It will consider the conventions of the historical epic in cinema and ask how I, Claudius negotiated with cinematic conventions of spectacle in representing Imperial Rome. And it will argue that the television adaptation sought to adapt Graves specifically for the television studio and that the conventions and resources of the studio system at that time shaped the choices made in adaptation.

Obrzędy pogrzebowe we wczesnochrześcijańskich katakumbach w Rzymie [in:] Tarczyńska O.(eds.) (2008) Oblicza śmierci. Perspektywy badawcze, Poznań: Koło Naukowe Studentów Archeologii Instytut Prahistorii UAM, pp. 277-243

by Julia Chyla

Co-authored with Paula Jaszczołt

Luigi Moretti al Foro Mussolini: la palestra del duce e altri inediti.

by Piero Cimbolli Spagnesi

In: Luigi Moretti architetto del Novecento. Atti del convegno di Roma (24-26 settembre 2009), a cura di C. Bozzoni, D. Fonti A. Muntoni, Roma, Gangemi, pp. 331-338. ISBN 978-88-492-2200-5

Falling Stars and Rising Smoke: Imperial Apotheosis and Idolatry in Revelation.

by Robyn Whitaker

in M. Labahn & O. Lehtipuu (ed.) "Imagery in the Book of Revelation" Peeters, Leuven, 2011.

Geografia architettonica dell’antica Colchide fino al primo secolo d. C. [Architectural Geography of Ancient Colchis up to the I Century A.D.]

by Piero Cimbolli Spagnesi

In: Il vello d’oro. Antichi tesori della Georgia. Catalogue of the exibition (Roma, 17 novembre - 5 febbraio 2012). T. D’Acchille editor. Roma: Palombi; pp. 35-57, 147-156. ISBN 978-88-6060-383-8

Grecità augustee: architetture ateniesi al tempo di Vitruvio. [Augustan Greek Characters: Athenian Architectures in the Age of Vitruvio]

by Piero Cimbolli Spagnesi

In: Vitruvio nella cultura architettonica antica, medievale e moderna. Atti del convegno internazionale (Genova, 5-8 novembre 2001). G. Ciotta editor, with M. Folin and M. Spesso. Genova 2003. Vol. 1°, pp. 115-123, 321-324.