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Distributed for Museum Tusculanum Press

Urban Development and Regional Identity in the Eastern Roman Provinces, 50 BC - AD 250

Aphrodisias, Ephesos, Athens, Gerasa

This carefully researched study examines the instrumental factors behind urban development in four cities of the eastern Roman Empire, providing a regionally nuanced look at the prevailing economic, political, cultural, and social forces of the time. Rubina Raja discovers a profound understanding of self-representation in the public building projects that local communities executed within the larger framework of the Roman Empire, showing how regional leaders incorporated Roman culture with their own history and traditions in their urban designs. Also examining the economic impact of liberated imperial slaves and individual philanthropy, this study offers important insights into the interactions between the built environment and culture, showing the ways they create authentic urban identities.

 

273 pages | 59 color plates, 30 drawings, 6 maps | 6 3/4 x 9 1/2 | © 2012

Archaeology


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Table of Contents

List of maps and figures
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations

1. Introduction
2. Aphrodisias

    The history and archaeology of the urban development of Aphrodisias from the late republican period to the mid-third century AD
    The development of the major public spaces in Aphrodisias
    Public spaces and regional identity in Aphrodisias
3. Ephesos
    Ephesos in the late republican period
    Ephesos from the reign of the Augustus to the mid-third century AD
    Urban development in the late republican and early imperial periods
    Urban development from the late first century to the mid-third century AD
    Urban development and regional identity in Ephesos
4. Athens
    Athens—historical outline
    General topography and the urban plan
    The Athenian agora and the Acropolis—developments of the late republican and early imperial periods
    Other developments of the imperial period
    Athens in the Hadrianic period
    The development of public spaces and regional identity in Athens
5. Gerasa
    General topography and the urban plan
    The history and urban development of Gerasa in the late Hellenistic and early imperial periods
    The history and urban development of Gerasa from the mid-first century AD to the mid-third century AD
    The architectural development of the Sanctuary of Zeus
    The architectural development of the Sanctuary of Artemis
    Regional identity and urban development in Gerasa
6. Regional Identity and Urban Development in the Eastern Roman Provinces—Synthesis and Comparison
    The cities and their development
    Agoras
    Basilicas, freestanding stoas, porticoes and colonnaded streets
    Streets 
    City walls
    The main urban sanctuaries
    Theatres
    Bouleuteria and odeia
    Baths
    Stadia, hippodromes and circuses
    Arches and gates
    Conclusion

Bibliography
Index

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