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A detailed case-study of the Liguria region of Italy, using the insights gained there to illuminate events at the end of Roman imperial rule.
Core tourist sites for the classical world are the ruins of those many and scattered examples of 'lost' and abandoned towns - from Pompeii to Timgad to Ephesus and Petra. Usually studied for their peaks and growth, rarely are their ends explored in detail, to consider the processes of loss and also to trace their 'afterlives', when they were often robbed for materials even if still hosting remnant populations.This volume breaks new ground by examining the phenomenon of urban loss and abandonment from Roman to medieval times across the former Roman Empire. Through a series of case studies two main aspects are examined: firstly, the sequences and chronologies of loss of sites, roles, structure...
Few empires had such an impact on the conquered peoples as did the Roman empire, creating social, economic, and cultural changes that erased long-standing differences in material culture, languages, cults, rituals and identities. But even Rome could not create a single unified culture. Individual decisions introduced changes in material culture, identity, and behavior, creating local cultures within the global world of the Roman empire that were neither Roman nor native. The author uses Northwest Italy as an exemplary case as it went from a marginal zone to one of the most flourishing and strongly urbanized regions of Italy, while developing a unique regional culture. This volume will appeal to researchers interested in the Roman Empire, as well as those interested in individual and cultural identity in the past.
Territory, Time and State is a study of long term archaeological history in the remote and beautiful upland valley of Gubbio within the Umbrian Apennines of Italy. The aim of the work is well defined by the natural constraints of this mountainous region. The authors have developed a multi-disciplinary approach to study the human and physical characteristics of the valley from the paleolithic to the medieval period. They integrate the analysis of a unique text (the Iguvine Tables) with excavation, field survey and environmental reconstruction to provide a synthesis of current knowledge. They break boundaries of time and tradition which are normally compartmentalised between different scholars. Although the linkage is sometimes controversial, it is always stimulating. The book has two major focuses: the first is on the Bronze Age landscape where spectacular sites and finds have contributed very significantly to our knowledge of pre-state Italy; and the second is on the identity and character of the early city state of Gubbio and its incorporation into the Roman world.
From the lakeside encampment of Stone Age scavengers three-quarters of a million years ago to the problems facing modern-day farmers, A Mediterranean Valley documents the long-term settlement history of the Biferno Valley in central-southern Italy, analysing the symbiotic relationship of its landscape and its inhabitants. Integrating the techniques of archaeology, history and geography, this volume traces the history of human settlement in the Valley and shows how it is inextricably linked to the parallel story of landscape development. Unique in its geographical and historical time-scale, the Biferno Valley project is widely cited within the archaeological community and is considered the best example to date of the importance of human settlement in shaping the Mediterranean landscape.
This volume presents almost 100 papers deriving from the 6th International Conference on Late Roman Coarse Wares, Cooking Wares and Amphorae in the Mediterranean. Themes comprise sea and land routes, workshops and production centres, and regional contexts (western Mediterranean, eastern Mediterranean, Sicily and the Mediterranean islands).
Although there are many studies of certain individual ancient Italic groups (e.g. the Etruscans, Gauls and Latins), there is no work that takes a comprehensive view of each of them—the famous and the less well-known—that existed in Iron Age and Roman Italy. Moreover, many previous studies have focused only on the material evidence for these groups or on what the literary sources have to say about them. This handbook is conceived of as a resource for archaeologists, historians, philologists and other scholars interested in finding out more about Italic groups from the earliest period they are detectable (early Iron Age, in most instances), down to the time when they begin to assimilate in...
The articles in Naked Truths demonstrate the application of feminist theory to a diverse repertory of classical art: they offer topical and controversial readings on the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean. This volume presents a timely, provocative and beautifully illustrated re-evaluation of how the issues of gender, identity and sexuality reveal 'naked truths' about fundamental human values and social realities, through the compelling symbolism of the body.
The research studies included in this Special Issue highlight the fundamental contribution of the knowledge of environmental history to conscious and efficient environment conservation and management. The long-term perspective of the dynamics that govern the human–climate ecosystem is becoming one of the main focuses of interest in biological and earth system sciences. Multidisciplinary bio-geo-archaeo investigations into the underlying processes of human impact on the landscape are crucial to envisage possible future scenarios of biosphere responses to global warming and biodiversity losses. This Special Issue seeks to engage an interdisciplinary dialog on the dynamic interactions between nature and society, focusing on long-term environmental data as an essential tool for better-informed landscape management decisions to achieve an equilibrium between conservation and sustainable resource exploitation.