The archaeology of Roman Macedonia : urban and rural environments

Macedonia is a region that provides its own intriguing questions due to its position on the fringe of the classical Greek world. It is also an area which is of special interest to students of history and archaeology of Roman period Greece since it was the first to be incorporated in the Roman state. Macedonia shared a similar path of development with Achaea during the imperial period. As provinces far from productive zones and frontiers, both played a minor role in the imperial administrative structure. Beneath this similarity, however, lie many differences: in Macedonia's proximity to the Balkans, its early contact with Rome, its relatively low level of urbanization, its multicultural context and its sizeable economy, which played their own role in the formation of the urban and rural environments. With a focus on elements of the built environment and human habitat, this book examines old and new archaeological evidence to present a concise overview of the archaeology of the area and develop a better perception of the region in terms of archaeology of the built environment, architecture and architectural influences, urbanization and use of land and resources from the 2nd century BCE to the early 4th century CE. Driven by a set of key questions that are addressed through the archaeological evidence, the book explores key issues in understanding the archaeology of the area, like the role of architectural tradition and innovation, the interdependency between practical bases of architecture and socio-cultural aspects, the exploitation of local resources, and the role of external influences. Special importance is given to the interaction of Greek, Roman and local cultures and the ways that the formation of the built environment eventually led to the assimilation of ideas from East and West in terms of workmanship, use of materials, design and function. Table of Contents List of illustrations Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction by D. Grigoropoulos Part I. Roman Macedonia: history, people, cities and resources 1. The historical framework: Roman Macedonia. From the revolt of Andriscus to the reign of Galerius 2. Land and Resources: Ownership and exploitation 3. Decline and continuity of settlements: urban and rural sites 4. Via Egnatia and the provincial road network Part II. Built Environment: the archaeological evidence 5. The archaeology of Built Environment. A short history of the archaeological research of Roman Macedonia 6. The transformation of old and the construction of new public spaces: Agoras and fora 7. Public and administrative Buildings 8. Buildings for commerce and industry 9. The architecture of ritual space: temples and sanctuaries 10. An architecture of entertainment: Theatres and spectacle buildings 11. An architecture of water: aqueducts, baths, latrines, fountains 12. An architecture of movement and passage: colonnaded streets and gates 13. Housing in urban and peri-urban contexts 14. An architecture of defence: the refortification of the cities 15. Deathscapes: Urban and rural burial grounds 16. Outside the cities: villas, farms and other types of rural sites Part III. Urban and rural environments in Roman Macedonia 17. Building methods – construction techniques 18. Urban Environments: The course of development 19. Rural Environments. Villas and beyond 20. Macedonia in a wider perspective: contrasts and comparisons Epilogue Bibliography "Macedonia is a region that provides its own intriguing questions due to its position on the fringe of the classical Greek world. It is also an area which is of special interest to students of history and archaeology of Roman period Greece since it was the first to be incorporated in the Roman state. Macedonia shared a similar path of development with Achaea during the imperial period. As provinces far from productive zones and frontiers, both played a minor role in the imperial administrative structure. Beneath this similarity, however, lie many differences: in Macedonia's proximity to the Balkans, its early contact with Rome, its relatively low level of urbanization, its multicultural context and its sizeable economy, which played their own role in the formation of the urban and rural environments. With a focus on elements of the built environment and human habitat, this book examines old and new archaeological evidence to present a concise overview of the archaeology of the area and develop a better perception of the region in terms of archaeology of the built environment, architecture and architectural influences, urbanization and use of land and resources from the 2nd century BCE to the early 4th century CE. Driven by a set of key questions that are addressed through the archaeological evidence, the book explores key issues in understanding the archaeology of the area, like the role of architectural tradition and innovation, the interdependency between practical bases of architecture and socio cultural aspects, the exploitation of local resources, and the role of external influences. Special importance is given to the interaction of Greek, Roman and local cultures and the ways that the formation of the built environment eventually led to the assimilation of ideas from East and West in terms of workmanship, use of materials, design and function"-- Provided by publisher

Macedonia is a region that provides its own intriguing questions due to its position on the fringe of the classical Greek world. It is also an area which is of special interest to students of history and archaeology of Roman period Greece since it was the first to be incorporated in the Roman state. Macedonia shared a similar path of development with Achaea during the imperial period. As provinces far from productive zones and frontiers, both played a minor role in the imperial administrative structure. Beneath this similarity, however, lie many differences: in Macedonia's proximity to the Balkans, its early contact with Rome, its relatively low level of urbanization, its multicultural context and its sizeable economy, which played their own role in the formation of the urban and rural environments. With a focus on elements of the built environment and human habitat, this book examines old and new archaeological evidence to present a concise overview of the archaeology of the area and develop a better perception of the region in terms of archaeology of the built environment, architecture and architectural influences, urbanization and use of land and resources from the 2nd century BCE to the early 4th century CE. Driven by a set of key questions that are addressed through the archaeological evidence, the book explores key issues in understanding the archaeology of the area, like the role of architectural tradition and innovation, the interdependency between practical bases of architecture and socio-cultural aspects, the exploitation of local resources, and the role of external influences. Special importance is given to the interaction of Greek, Roman and local cultures and the ways that the formation of the built environment eventually led to the assimilation of ideas from East and West in terms of workmanship, use of materials, design and function.

Contents 6 List of illustrations 8 Foreword 12 Acknowledgements 14 Introduction 16 Part I Roman Macedonia: history, people, cities and resources 18 Chapter 1 The historical framework: Roman Macedonia. From the revolt of Andriscus to the reign of Galerius 20 Chapter 2 Land and resources: ownership and exploitation 30 Chapter 3 Decline and continuity of settlements: urban and rural sites 42 Chapter 4 Via Egnatia and the provincial road network 50 Part II Built environment: the archaeological evidence 56 Chapter 5 The archaeology of built environment. A short history of the archaeological research of Roman Macedonia 58 Chapter 6 The transformation of old and the construction of new public spaces: agoras and fora 61 Chapter 7 Public and administrative buildings 72 Chapter 8 Buildings for commerce and industry 86 Chapter 9 The architecture of ritual space: temples and sanctuaries 92 Chapter 10 An architecture of entertainment: theatres and spectacle buildings 110 Chapter 11 An architecture of water: aqueducts, baths, latrines, fountains 121 Chapter 12 An architecture of movement and passage: colonnaded streets and gates 137 Chapter 13 Housing in urban and peri-urban contexts 146 Chapter 14 An architecture of defence: the refortification of the cities 159 Chapter 15 Deathscapes: urban and rural burial grounds 166 Chapter 16 Outside the cities: villas, farms and other types of rural sites 177 Chapter 17 Building methods – construction techniques 190 Chapter 18 Urban environments: the course of development 193 Chapter 19 Rural environments. Villas and beyond 204 Chapter 20 Macedonia in a wider perspective: contrasts and comparisons 210 Epilogue 213 Bibliography 214 Presents a detailed study of the archaeology of Roman Macedonia and Aegean Thrace, the first eastern region to be incorporated into the Empire, highlighting unique features.