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Neglected architectural decoration from the late antique Meditteranean city : public porticoes, small baths, shops/workshops, and 'middle class' houses

Kamani, Solinda (2014) Neglected architectural decoration from the late antique Meditteranean city : public porticoes, small baths, shops/workshops, and 'middle class' houses. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. (doi:10.22024/UniKent/01.02.47906) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:47906)

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Abstract

This thesis examines the neglected architectural decoration from the late antique Mediterranean city (ca. 300-650 A.D.). It aims to address the omission in scholarly literature of any discussion about the decoration of non-monumental secular buildings, namely porticoes flanking streets, agorai, macella and ornamental plazas, small public baths, shops/workshops and ‘middle class’ houses.

The decoration of non-monumental secular buildings has been overlooked at the expense of more lofty buildings and remains thus far one of the least known aspects of the late antique city. Considering that public porticoes and their associated structures (shops and workshops), along with small public baths and

‘middle class’ houses were crucial elements and accounted for the large part of any urban built environment starting from the Hellenistic period, the examination of their architectural decoration in this thesis represents the first attempt to redress this imbalance.

Drawing upon an array of archaeological evidence, written sources, and depictions this thesis attempts to reconstruct how public porticoes, small public baths, shops/workshops, and ‘middle class’ houses might have looked on a daily basis. The geographical area entailed in this study presents more challenges than when focusing on a single site or province. Such a cross-regional approach of the topic allows to consider the decoration of public these structures as both as part of the history of individual cities and as part of Mediterranean-wide trends, guiding as such toward a more reliable visualisation of the late antique built environment.

The picture conveyed in the Mediterranean cities is inevitably not the same. It is argued that as much as they shared similarities on the decoration of these structures, so did they also vary. The topic of this thesis is broad and definite answers cannot be given, nevertheless, it is hoped that a preliminary synthesis can be

offered as a basis for future work.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
Thesis advisor: Lavan, Luke
DOI/Identification number: 10.22024/UniKent/01.02.47906
Additional information: The author of this thesis has requested that it be held under closed access. We are sorry but we will not be able to give you access or pass on any requests for access. 18/01/2022
Uncontrolled keywords: late antiquity, decoration, public porticoes, public baths, shops, houses, mosaic, plaster, fresco
Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CB History of civilization
C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
D History General and Old World > DE The Greco-Roman World
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Users 1 not found.
Date Deposited: 09 Apr 2015 11:00 UTC
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2022 12:43 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/47906 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Kamani, Solinda.

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