Defined by borders both physical and conceptual, the Roman city stood apart as a concentration of life and activity that was legally, economically, and ritually divided from its rural surroundings. Death was a key area of control, and tombs were relegated outside city walls from the Republican period through Late Antiquity. Given this separation, an unexpected phenomenon marked the Augustan and early Imperial periods: Roman cities developed suburbs, built-up areas beyond their boundaries, where the living and the dead came together in densely urban environments. Life and Death in the Roman Suburb examines these districts, drawing on the archaeological remains of cities across Italy to understand the character of Roman suburbs and to illuminate the factors that led to their rise and decline, focusing especially on the tombs of the dead. Whereas work on Roman cities has tended to pass over funerary material, and research on death has concentrated on issues seen as separate from urbanism, Emmerson introduces a new paradigm, considering tombs within their suburban surroundings of shops, houses, workshops, garbage dumps, extramural sanctuaries, and major entertainment buildings, in order to trace the many roles they played within living cities. Her investigations show how tombs were not passive memorials, but active spaces that facilitated and furthered the social and economic life of the city, where relationships between the living and the dead were an enduring aspect of urban life.

About the Author
Allison L. C. Emmerson is Assistant Professor of Classical Studies at Tulane University.

Reviews
Throughout the book Emmerson has an eye on factors that led to the growth of Roman suburbs, such as the peace and prosperity of the Augustan era and then to their decline in the third and fourth centuries A.D. ... Recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. * F. Van Keuren, University of Georgia *
The written style is clear, accurate, and readable throughout, and the text is richly supported with well-chosen photographs and high-quality plans, both often in color. The author deserves... credit for ensuring that the city plans consistently include contour lines, which can be difficult to achieve for want of suitable source material, but does a great deal to clarify the factors governing the placement of monuments and the relationships between them once built. Here, it particularly enhances the discussions of the amphitheaters at Herdonia and Ocriculum, showing clearly how they responded to the local topography, and how and from where they were visible within the surrounding landscape. I will certainly be recommending Emmerson's book to my own students, and I expect it to become an important point of reference for all those interested in Roman Italy, funerary customs, and the organization of space. * Penelope J. Goodman, University of Leeds, American Journal of Archaeology *


Awards
Winner of Winner of the 2022 James R. Wiseman Book Award.



Book Information
ISBN 9780198852759
Author Allison L. C. Emmerson
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 630g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 162mm * 23mm