Roman architecture (Archaeology)

Review of Di Vita (ed.), I tre templi del lato nord-ovest del Foro Vecchio a Leptis Magna and De Miro and Polito, Leptis Magna: dieci anni di scavi archeologici

by Josephine Crawley Quinn

Published in Journal of Roman Studies 99 (2009), 288-290.

MARBRES LOCALS A HISPÀNIA. ESTAT DE LA QÜESTIÓ AL BIENNI 2008-2009

by Isabel Rodà de Llanza

published in 'TARRACO: CONSTRUCCIÓ I ARQUITECTURA D’UNA CAPITAL
PROVINCIAL ROMANA. ACTES DEL CONGRÉS INTERNACIONAL EN HOMENATGE A THEODOR HAUSCHILD (Tarragona 2009). Butlletí Arqueològic d ela Reial Societat Arqueològica Tarraconsense núm 31, 2012, 227-240.

We present a synthesis of the knowledge and latest findings in marbles and other stone materials in Antiquity, focused... more We present a synthesis of the knowledge and latest findings in marbles and other stone materials in Antiquity, focused in the roman territory of Hispania in 2007-2009. These findings were produced by field archaeology as well as scientific publications and specialized congresses. We analyze the results
of all this research that allow us to determinate better the origin of some materials and the exploitation areas, as well as the local uses and spread of hispanic marmora. This subject has experienced a dramatic growth in our country with a continuous application of interdisciplinarity.

Abitare a Brescia in età flavia

by Francesca Morandini

published in "Divus Vespasianus", pomeriggio di studio per il Bimillenario della nascita dell'imperatore Tito Flavio vespasiano imperatore romano (Brescia, 8 dicembre 2009), Ateneo di Scienze Lettere e Arti di Brescia, a cura di F. Morandini e P. F. Panazza, 2012, pp. 83-109.

Description of Brixia (northern Italy) in the 1st century A. D, with special attention to private dwellings and... more Description of Brixia (northern Italy) in the 1st century A. D, with special attention to private dwellings and decoration system, realted with the grown of the city.

Andrew N. Sherwood, "Preliminary Report of the Humayma Excavation Project, 2002, 2004–2005: The Roman Fort: Part II: Latrine, Plaster Bins/Basins, Hydraulic Probes, Weapon-Platform/Ascensus and Defensive Ditch"

by Mouseion (Journal)

Published in Mouseion 8.3 (2008), pp. 159-183.

Les études géophysiques et les fouilles effectuées en 2002, 2004 et 2005 sur le site Nabathéen, Romain, Byzantin et... more Les études géophysiques et les fouilles effectuées en 2002, 2004 et 2005 sur le site Nabathéen, Romain, Byzantin et Abbaside de Humayma en Jordanie nous ont permis de progresser considérablement dans notre compréhension du site et de sa chronologie.

Deux saisons de relevés géophysiques ont confirmé quelques-unes des hypothèses concernant l'intérieur du fort Romain et nous ont fourni des indications quant à des caractéristiques jusqu'ici inconnues comme un système de fossés potentiel et un titulum à l'extérieur des fortifications.

Les fouilles concentrées sur l'intérieur du fort ont presque établi le plan du Praetorium avec sa décoration de mosaïques ainsi que recouvré, y attenant, un petit bain auquel on ne s'attendait pas. En continuant l'excavation dans la partie orientale du fort, on a découvert l'existence d'un Horrea d'une certaine importance et de style occidental. Finalement, l'examen des des parties moins examinées ont fourni la preuve d'un petit complexe de latrines dans le secteur sud-ouest, établi une meilleure compréhension du réservoir et du système de distribution des eaux dans le secteur nord-ouest et révélé l'existence d'un escalier ou d'une plateforme d'artillerie dans le secteur sud-est.

Forms of Cult? Temples with transverse cellae in Republican and early Imperial Italy

by Benjamin Rous

This article presents an analysis of a particular temple type that first appeared during the Late Republic, the temple... more This article presents an analysis of a particular temple type that first appeared during the Late Republic, the temple with transverse cella. In the past this particular cella-form has been interpreted as a solution to spatial constraints. In more recent times it has been argued that the cult associated with the temple was the decisive factor in the adoption of the transverse cella. Neither theory, when considered in isolation, can fully and convincingly explain the particular forms of both Republican and Imperial temples. Rather, it can be argued that a combination of pragmatic and above all aesthetic considerations has played a major role in the particular architecture of these temples.

E.Gagliano, Marmi rifiutati: i materiali architettonici delle Terme Milano. Una nota preliminare, in “LANX” n.8 (2011), pp. 149-160.

by Elena Gagliano

A Roman Wood-Earth Wall on the Kops Plateau

by Jurjen Draaisma

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.

Kimberley Cassibry, "Provincial Patrons and Commemorative Rivalries: Rethinking the Roman Arch Monument"

by Mouseion (Journal)

Published in Mouseion 8.3 (2008), pp. 417-450.

The Roman arch monument's ubiquity can make its patronage seem almost inevitable, at least from a modern perspective.... more The Roman arch monument's ubiquity can make its patronage seem almost inevitable, at least from a modern perspective. Inscriptions, however, indicate that arches were commissioned not for their own sakes, but rather to serve a particular purpose, whether religious, funerary, civic, or more broadly honorific. In none of these contexts was the arch the only available option. Unfortunately, individual patrons have not left us detailed accounts of their decision-making. Analyzing an arch monument's form—its broad surfaces primed for elaboration—may offer insight into other genres with which it was in dialogue. Looking at the alternatives pursued by a given patron's peers may also help to reconstruct the range of possibilities for specific kinds of dedications. If we can identify which monuments were rejected in favor of an arch, we may gain a better understanding of the latter's special appeal. This reconsideration of the Roman arch assumes that monuments were intended to attract the gazes of viewers and that the most successful monuments developed novel strategies for doing so.

Jeremy Rossiter & Stephen Copp, "Les thermes du Phénix: a “lost” Roman bath-house at La Malga, Carthage"

by Mouseion (Journal)

Published in Mouseion 9.2 (2009), pp. 143-158. Actually published in 2011.

The site of La Malga on the north-west edge of Carthage is dominated by a series of massive cisterns which played an... more The site of La Malga on the north-west edge of Carthage is dominated by a series of massive cisterns which played an important part in the Roman city’s water supply. In close proximity to these cisterns are the remains of a number of other Roman structures few of which have been systematically studied. One of these buildings, a mid-imperial bath-house identified as “Les Thermes du Phénix,” was surveyed by Canadian archaeologists in 2000 as part of a broader study of Roman bath buildings in Carthage. The surveyed remains include parts of the frigidarium which contained a mosaic-lined bathing pool and parts of the caldarium with evidence for flue tiles along its walls. The bath-house represents a type of mid-sized public bath building which is well documented elsewhere in Roman Africa but which is not well known in Carthage itself.

Martin Beckmann, "Survey And Excavation at Nysa on the Meander, 2009: The Gymnasium Portico and Palaestra "

by Mouseion (Journal)

Published in Mouseion 9.2 (2009), pp. 125-142. Actually published in 2011.

In July and August of 2009 a team from the University of Western Ontario undertook a five-week season of survey and... more In July and August of 2009 a team from the University of Western Ontario undertook a five-week season of survey and excavation work at Nysa on the Meander. The team’s efforts were focused on the gymnasium. Ground-penetrating radar was used to survey the area of the gymnasium; this revealed not only the course of the portico and a number of rooms bordering it, but also three large and unexpected structures in the area of the palaestra itself. Excavation then focused on identifying these unexpected structures. One proved to be an extremely large and deep cistern pre-dating the construction of the second century ad gymnasium. The other two structures were contemporary to the gymnasium and consisted of two 90 m-long elevated water channels, possibly decorative in function, running parallel to the porticoes on either side of the palaestra. Finally, two inscribed marble pedestals were discovered, one of which names a prominent citizen of Nysa, probably Titus Aelius Alkibiades, who is known to have lived in the city during the reign of Antoninus Pius. These results constitute a significant advance in our knowledge of the physical form and chronology of the gymnasium at Nysa.

Aqua Claudia: Da Roma Vecchia al Tavolato, Tor Fiscale, Presso porta Furba, Fra Horti Variani e Porta Maggiore, Porta Maggiore; Aqua Antoniniana

by Marina Marcelli

published in S. Le Pera Buranelli, R. Turchetti (a cura di), I giganti dell’acqua, acquedotti romani del Lazio nelle fotografie di Thomas Ashby (1892-1925), Roma 2007, pp. 136-142, 153-156, 211-214.

Work Notes on Etruscan Mirrors and Murals, Part I

by Mel Copeland

This is a PDF file from our website covering Etruscan Mirrors and Murals, with images compiled from the Etruscan Phrases website http://www.maravot.com/Etruscan_Phrases_a.html.

In contrast to offerings from the British Museum and University of Bologna, where their analyses, following Pallottino, are generally speculation based on guesswork relating to short funerary inscriptions, the Etruscan Phrases work is supported by a strong grammar and vocabulary based on all texts, small and large. Thus, to clear the mystery of the Etruscan language alleged by such esteemed institutions, it is imperative that the Etruscan Phrases GlossaryA.xls be audited. We mention this since the only prospect of clearing up the Etruscan Mystery is through a verifiable audit of the Etruscan Grammar recorded in Etruscan Phrases. The British Museum, University of Bologna and other "Pallottino School" works have not produced a vocabulary or grammar that can be audited, since their theory is that the Etruscan language is unlike any other known to man, not Indo-European. Etruscan Phrases claims that the Etruscan Language is similar to Latin, French, Italian and Romanian, an Indo-European language. It offers a grammar, declension patterns and regular, measurable shifts between Etruscan and these languages; ergo the work can be easily audited.

Most important to the work are the Etruscan mirrors and murals that contain known Classical stories and the names of the principle characters in the stories. The star of the mirrors is Helen of Troy who was the young daughter of King Tyndareüs of Sparta and abducted by the equally beautiful son of King Priam of Troy, thereby causing the Trojan War. While the entire story has captured the hearts and imaginations of generations since that event (Troy was destroyed ~1180 B.C.) we can presume through Etruscan mirrors that the event was part of their history – and they had a somewhat different recollection of it than the Greek version passed down to us.

Because the story is familiar and linking the genesis of Greek heroes and gods, containing their names and actions, we have comparative texts to use in analyzing the Etruscan language, its shifts from Greek and Latin to Etruscan. For instance the heroes of the story follow a regular shift, of dropping vowels and final consonants, etc. Heracles (L. Hercules) is Hercle (almost like the French, Hercule). Helen’s name declines: Helenai and Helenei, leading us to the declension of other nouns. Her father was Zeus who transformed into a swan and raped the goddess Nemesis THALNA (retribution) who had transformed into a goose. She laid an egg or two eggs, one of which was Helen which was found by shepherds near Sparta and taken to Tyndareüs and Leda to bring up. From the egg came Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world.

The most beautiful man at the time was Alexander, spelled ELCHSENTRE and he abducted Helen from her husband Menelaus, MENLE, the brother of King Agamemnon: ACHMEMNVN. His wife Clytemnestra is CLVTHVMVSTHA who murdered her husband in the bath upon returning from the Trojan War, and their son, Orestes (VRSTE) killed her and her lover in revenge. Athena (L. Minerva) is MENRFA; Hera (L. Juno) is VNI, her consort is Zeus (L. Jupiter) Etr. TINIA. Thetis is THETIS and THETHIS, she was a dangerous shape-changer and compelled by the gods to wed her husband Peleus, PELE; they produced the Greek hero of the Trojan War, Achilles who the Etruscans call ACHLE. The mother of Helen, Leda, is LATFA and her brothers, Castor and Polydeukes (Pollux) are CASTVR and PVLTVCEI. Their father Tyndareüs is TVNTLE. Aphrodite (Etr. TVRAN) was a cause of the Trojan War when she was judged by Alexander as “The Fairest” as written on an apple thrown into the wedding of Thetis and Peleus by Eris (Etr. ERIS). Aphrodite’s son was Eros (Etr. ERVS) – appearing in many texts. Another popular figure in Etruscan mirrors is Hermes (L. Mercury) TVRMS.

Apollo (APLV) and Artemis are represented frequently in the texts. Ajax Telemonos EIFAS TELMVNVS committed suicide after Achilles was killed, because he did not deserve Achilles’ armor. Apollo (APLV) and his sister the virgin huntress Artemis (ARTVMES) were highly active in the Trojan War. The Etruscans introduce a new character like Artemis called MEAN who crowns Alexander, awarding him the hand of Helen, though we understand from the Greek version that it was Aphrodite (Etr. TVRAN) that awarded Alexander the hand of Helen in the Judgment of Paris. MEAN appears to be a goddess of the hunt like Artemis from Lydia, recalling the old name of Lydia, Maionia (Μαιονία). This is just a tease, for the mirrors and murals carry amazing details never before known to modern man. The images, names and texts associated with the mirrors and murals set the baseline for understanding Etruscan Grammar and the words recorded in Etruscan Phrases GlossaryA.pdf. (The most current version available at http://www.maravot.com/Etruscan_Phrases_a.html.

We should hope, therefore, that there will be many linguists / scholars who will jump at the chance to clear up the Etruscan Mystery and rewrite the histories so clearly overshadowed by the Pallottino School theories, to help even the museums containing Etruscan artifacts explain a bit more about the items in their displays.

Etruscan GlossaryA.pdf an index to about 2,500 Etruscan words that are similar to Latin, French, Italian and Romanian. Declension patterns follow those in Latin. The 2,500 words equal the repeated words in 6,000 words of the major extant texts. The texts have been frozen in time, covering ~700-400 B.C., representing a lens to understanding the early formation of Indo-European languages, particularly the early Italic-Latin-Celtic languages, such as Italian, French & Romanian / Dacian. (By 45 BC. the language was a dead language - no one understood or could write Etruscan)

This GlossaryA works together with Indo-European Table 1 which refutes theories by the Pallottino school of thought that the Etruscan language is not Indo-European and an isolate, unlike any other language. It is very close to Latin and, curiously, Romanian, Italian and French. The Latin suffix, "us" shifts to "o" as in Italian (Titus vs Tito); first person conjugation patterns are similar to French and Romanian. This GlossaryA provides a quick look at the grammatical structure of the Etruscan language, how closely it coincides with Latin. A more detailed Declension Table can be seen on the Etruscan Phrases website. These PDF documents facilitate independent confirmation of the words in GlossaryA.xls , the Grammar and Declension Table. All words can be examined from actual images of texts on the Etruscan Phrases website. Over 150 texts, with about 6,000 words can be examined at Etruscan Phrases.

The Etruscans surfaced in Italy about 1,000 B.C., reputed to have arrived from Lydia / Phrygia. The Phrygians originated near Macedonia in Thrace, according to Herodotus. One may therefore inquire whether the ancient Thracians (Dacians, Gettae, modern Romanians), spoke a language common to the Phrygians, at the time of the Trojan War and after (~1180 B.C.). The Thracians, Phrygians and Lydians (also dead languages) were allies of the Trojans, according to the Iliad. Etruscan Phrases finds a common vocabulary among Latin, Italian, French, Romanian, Etruscan and Phrygian. While French, Spanish, Italian and Romanian are considered Romance languages, showing a similar Latin heritage, Etruscan is not, of course, a Romance language, as it preceded Latin, at least in the written form (giving Rome its alphabet).

Resolution of the Etruscan Mystery may be likened to Michael Ventris' decipherment of Linear B and Jean-François Champollion's decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphics using the Rosetta Stone - written in Egyptian hieroglypics, Demotic and Greek. The decipherment of Etruscan is a bit more challenging, since we have no multilingual Rosetta Stone, but we do have enough vocabulary and grammar to establish that Etruscan is similar to Latin, French, Italian and Romanian. (Certainly far more vocabulary and a more extensive grammar is provided in Etruscan Phrases than that used by Ventris to claim translation of Linear B as an old form of Greek)

The mirrors with the Devotional Plates may be an easy entry into an audit, for those who are hesitant to examine the larger texts, such as the Zagreb Mummy (Script Z).

Daniela De Mattia, Il tempio romano dell’Asklepieion di Kos: nuovi dati per la sua anastilosi

by Thiasos. Rivista di archeologia e architettura antica

in Thiasos, 1, 2012, pp. 61-80
ISSN 2279-7297

Il contributo ripercorre la scoperta dell’Asklepieion di Kos da parte dei tedeschi R. Herzog e P. Schazmann, le... more Il contributo ripercorre la scoperta dell’Asklepieion di Kos da parte dei tedeschi R. Herzog e P. Schazmann, le indagini svolte dalla missione archeologica italiana ed il programma di interventi dell’archeologo L. Morricone e dell’architetto M. Paolini, al fine di presentare il tempio romano della IIa Terrazza nelle sue diverse fasi, di cui l’ultima risultato della parziale realizzazione del progetto di anastilosi di M. Paolini, noto attraverso i disegni autografi. Durante le due missioni di ricerca in situ svolte dall’autrice si è potuto effettuare la catalogazione ed il rilievo dei frammenti architettonici del tempio romano, che hanno condotto alla restituzione, bidimensionale e tridimensionale, del tempio e dell’Asklepieion, anche attraverso un ampliamento ed una revisione critica delle ricerche precedentemente svolte. Si presenta infine la ricostruzione virtuale di un nuovo progetto di anastilosi del tempio, elaborata proprio grazie ai risultati della catalogazione dei frammenti, della ricostruzione grafica digitale, bidimensionale e tridimensionale, e dell’analisi tecnico-costruttiva, oltre che morfologica, utilizzata come strumento di verifica e sintesi della ricerca svolta.

The contribution retraces the discovery of the Asklepieion of Kos conducted by the Germans Rudolf Herzog and Paul Schazmann, the investigations by the Italian Archaeological Service and, above all, the restoration work made by the archaeologist Luigi Morricone and the architect Mario Paolini, in order to present the Roman temple on the second terrace. This restoration study is described in its different phases, till the last partial realization of the anastylosis, known through the original drawings. During the activity carried out on the site, the author, with new surveys and with the complete catalogue of architectural fragments belonging to the Roman temple of the Asklepieion, has been in position to make the restitution of the building in two-dimensional and three-dimensional visions, verified also through the extensive critical review of the researches previously undertaken.
Finally, the author presents the virtual reconstruction of a new anastylosis project of the Roman temple, developed on the basis of the results of the catalogue of the fragments, the reconstruction through the traditional and digital graphics, the analysis and technical construction, as well as the morphological studies, used as a verification tools and synthesis of the research.

Roma si trasforma: gli scavi di San Giovanni in Laterano e l’evoluzione della città eterna tra II e VI sec. d.C.

by Thea Ravasi

Co-authored with Haynes I., Liverani P., Turner A. Published in Forma Urbis. Itinerari nascosti di Roma antica, 17, 5, 2012.

Roman sculpture. Aesthetics and control

by Thea Ravasi

To be published in Destrée P., Murray P. (eds), A Companion to Ancient Aesthetics (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World), John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2013

Sculptures played an important role as decoration of private residences in Roman times. Subjects, themes, styles and... more Sculptures played an important role as decoration of private residences in Roman times. Subjects, themes, styles and even dimensions changed over time not just according to the aesthetic values of the Roman patrons, but also in relation to ideas of identity and status. Hadrian’s villa offers an excellent case for the study of ancient perception and display of sculptures within their architectural context. About five hundreds sculptures are said to come from this imperial estate, but until now it has been hardly possible to reconstruct their original setting within the general layout of the villa. By looking at the way sculptures were displayed, I will focus on three major notions that informed the planning of the villa’s sculptural decoration: aesthetic values, control over people’s behaviour, and the establishment of hierarchies within the diverse range of people that attended the emperor’s palace.

Pentelic marble in architecture at Rome and the Republican marble trade

by Seth Bernard

S.G. Bernard. "Pentelic marble in architecture at Rome and the Republican marble trade," Journal of Roman Archaeology 23.1 (2010): 35-54.

This article attempts to understand the nature of the market that supported Rome's earliest marble architecture in the... more This article attempts to understand the nature of the market that supported Rome's earliest marble architecture in the 2nd century BC. I begin by presenting scientific analysis of white marble from two temples in Rome (The Temple of Neptune in Circo and that probably dedicated to Mars underneath S. Salvatore in Campo) and comparing those results to data previously obtained for the first phase of the Round Temple in the Forum Boarium. All three temples show a unique provenance for their white marble of the Aspra Marmara quarry section of Mount Pentelikon in Athens. Notably, while this entailed a use of Greek material and belongs generally to the absorption of Hellenistic forms in Republican Italy, neither of the two temples discussed was built by magistrates celebrating Greek triumphs. This requires explanation, and in the second half of the paper, I highlight the importance of entrepreneurial agents active at various stages of the marble supply system who were essential in conditioning the market in architectural marble and delivering that stone to the city of Rome.

Forma i proporció en l'arquitectura paleocristiana. El cas de la basílica septentrional del Francolí de Tarragona

by Jordi López Vilar

co-authored with Josep Mª Puche, published in Achon, O. et alii (ed.), Esglesiés rurals a Catalunya entre l'Antiguitat Tardana i d'Edat Mitjana (segles V-X). Taula rodona, Esparraguera-Montserrat (25-27 d'octubre de 2007), Bologna, 2011.

Nuovi rilievi degli ambienti termali di Santa Venera al Pozzo

by Salvatore Rizza

Part of the wider study, restoration and improvement project of Santa Venera al Pozzo archaeological area, the mapping... more Part of the wider study, restoration and improvement project of Santa Venera al Pozzo archaeological area, the mapping of the thermal stations interiors 1, 2 and 3 aims at producing an up-to-date graphic documentation of the farms conditions and at localizing and analysing the decay processes. The information deduced from the mapping, in progress, will allow the resolution of some questions related to the specific function of the interiors in the thermal station, to the access system (thermal way), and to the technical solutions taken for the heat diffusion in the hypocausts and for the water draining.