Neglected Architectural Decoration from the Late Antique City: Public Porticoes, Small Baths, Shops/Workshops, and 'Middle Class' Houses in the East ... (Late Antique Archaeology (Supplementary), 7)

This volume assesses evidence for the decoration used in non-monumental secular public and private buildings, taken from sites around the East Mediterranean. Contents Contents 6 Foreword 10 Editorial Note 11 Maps, Figures and Tables 13 Introduction 20 1 State of Research 22 2 Sources 23 3 Organisation of the Book 25 1 Decoration in Late Antiquity: Imperial Palaces and Elite Houses 27 1 Decoration of Late Antique Imperial Palaces 27 1.1 Decoration of Walls 28 1.2 Decoration of Floors 30 2 Decoration in Late Antique Elite Houses 32 2.1 Decoration of Walls 33 2.2 Decoration of Floors 35 2 Urban Case Studies: Ephesus 38 1 Decoration of Public Porticoes 39 2 Decoration of Shops / Workshops 49 3 Discussion 56 3 Urban Case Studies: Ostia 61 1 Decoration of Public Porticoes 61 2 Decoration of Small Public Baths 67 3 Decoration of Shops / Tabernae 72 4 Discussion 77 4 Public Porticoes 81 1 Finishing of Façades: Archaeological Evidence 82 1.1 Asia Minor 82 1.2 The Levant 87 1.3 Greece 89 2 Finishing of Floors: Archaeological Evidence 89 2.1 Asia Minor 89 2.2 The Levant 98 2.3 Greece 111 2.4 Western Balkans 112 3 Discussion 114 3.1 Veneer and Plaster Decoration: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 114 3.2 The Repertoire of Painted Plaster 117 3.3 Decoration of Ceilings 118 3.4 Paving: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 118 3.5 The Repertoire of Mosaic and Opus Sectile Paving 121 3.6 Roofs and Lighting 123 3.7 Exterior Wall Decoration 126 5 Small Public Baths 127 1 Finishing of Interior Walls: Archaeological Evidence 128 1.1 Asia Minor 128 1.2 The Levant 130 1.3 Greece 133 2 Finishing of Floors: Archaeological Evidence 140 2.1 Asia Minor 140 2.2 The Levant 141 2.3 Greece 144 3 Discussion 146 3.1 Plaster and Veneer Decoration: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 146 3.2 The Repertoire of Painted Plaster 148 3.3 Paving: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 149 3.4 The Repertoire of Mosaic Paving 151 3.5 Hierarchy of Decoration According to Its Spatial Setting 152 3.6 Exterior Decoration 153 6 Shops and Workshops 156 1 Finishing of Interior Walls: Archaeological Evidence 156 1.1 Asia Minor 156 1.2 The Levant 162 1.3 Greece 165 2 Finishing of Floors and Thresholds: Archaeological Evidence 165 2.1 Asia Minor 165 2.2 The Levant 171 2.3 Greece 175 3 Discussion 175 3.1 Plaster Decoration: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 175 3.2 The Repertoire of Painted Plaster 176 3.3 Paving: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 177 3.4 The Repertoire of Mosaic Paving 179 3.5 Interior Structural Furniture and Textile Furnishings 180 3.6 Exterior Decoration 180 3.7 Decoration of Shops / Workshops: An Individual or Collective Enterprise? 184 3.8 Did the Decoration Match with the Value of Sale Items? 184 3.9 Decoration Conveying Symbolism 185 7 ‘Middle Class’ Houses 187 1 Finishing of Interior Walls and Ceilings: Archaeological Evidence 188 1.1 Asia Minor 188 1.2 The Levant 191 1.3 Greece 194 1.4 Egypt 195 2 Finishing of Floors and Thresholds: Archaeological Evidence 200 2.1 Asia Minor 200 2.2 The Levant 203 2.3 Greece and the Western Balkans 204 2.4 Egypt 208 3 Discussion 209 3.1 Plaster Decoration: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 209 3.2 The Repertoire of Painted Plaster 210 3.3 Paving: Chronological and Geographical Distribution 213 3.4 The Repertoire of Mosaic and Opus Sectile Paving 214 3.5 Floor Tapestries, Wall-Hangings, and Lighting 215 3.6 Exterior Decoration 217 3.7 Interior Decoration as an Instrument of Architectural ‘Hierarchy’ 220 3.8 Decoration as a Protective Instrument 221 3.9 Domestic Decoration as Symbol of Social Status 223 Conclusion 225 1 Why were Public Porticoes, Baths, Shops / Workshops, and ‘Middle Class’ Houses Decorated? 225 2 Regional Similarities and Variations in the Decoration of Public Porticoes, Small Baths, Shops / Workshops, and ‘Middle Class’ Houses 227 3 Limitations 235 Tables 236 Bibliography 264 Primary Sources 264 Modern Sources 264 Thematic Index 283 Index of Decoration, Architectural Elements and Furniture 286 Index of Building Types and Function 292 Index of Materials 294 Index of Objects 295 Index of Persons 296 Index of Places 299 "This book examines neglected architectural decoration from the late antique city of the East Mediterranean. It addresses the omission in scholarship of discussion about the embellishment of non-monumental secular buildings (public porticoes, small public baths, shops/workshops, and non-elite houses). The finishing of these structures has been overlooked at the expense of more lofty buildings and remains one of the least known aspects of the late antique city. The book surveys the archaeological evidence for decoration in the region, with the maritime sites of Ostia and Ephesus selected as case studies. Drawing upon archaeological, written, and visual sources, it attempts to reconstruct how such buildings appeared to late antique viewers and investigates why they were decorated as they were"-- Provided by publisher This book examines neglected architectural decoration from the late antique city of the East Mediterranean. It addresses the omission in scholarship of discussion about the embellishment of non-monumental secular buildings (public porticoes, small public baths, shops/workshops, and non-elite houses). The finishing of these structures has been overlooked at the expense of more lofty buildings and remains one of the least known aspects of the late antique city. The author surveys the archaeological evidence for decoration in the region, with the maritime sites of Ostia and Ephesus selected as case studies. Drawing upon archaeological, written, and visual sources, it attempts to reconstruct how such buildings appeared to late antique viewers and investigates why they were decorated as they were.