Description
Examines a diverse range of house types in an effort to understand how people imagined and articulated their place in the Roman world, from Britain to Syria. Shelly Hales considers the nature and role of domestic decoration and its role in promoting social identities. From the Egyptian themes of imperial residences in Italy, to the viticultural designs found in the rock-cut homes in Petra, this decoration consistently appeals to fantasies beyond the immediate realities of their inhabitants. Hales contends that fantasy served a key role in allowing individuals and communities to meet expectations and indulge aspirations, to confirm and to compete within the diverse empire. Employing a wide range of approaches to the study of the house and acculturation in the Roman Empire, her book serves as the first synthesis of Roman domestic architecture and offers new insights into the complexities and contradictions of being Roman.
Examines house types from Britain to Syria to understand how people imagined and articulated their place in the Roman world.
About the Author
Shelley Hales is a scholar of Roman art and architecture. She is Lecturer in Art and Visual Cultural in the Department of Classics at the University of Bristol.
Reviews
'The author ... explores the way in which many such paintings were fantastical manipulations of nature, and were not so much pale imitations of reality, but actually surpassed reality.' JACT
'... sound and well-argued ...' Architectural Review
'The volume constitutes a brave attempt to do something new and distinctive with the evidence provided by Roman housing.' Society of Architectural Historians
'Shelley Hales takes her reader on a witty tour of social identity as constructed by Roman housing.' Art History
'An important contribution to the study of domestic architecture in general and ... to our understanding of the politics of identity in the Roman Empire ... Thoughtful and well-conceived.' CAA Reviews
Book Information
ISBN 9780521735094
Author Shelley Hales
Format Paperback
Page Count 308
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 650g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 17mm
Examines house types from Britain to Syria to understand how people imagined and articulated their place in the Roman world.
About the Author
Shelley Hales is a scholar of Roman art and architecture. She is Lecturer in Art and Visual Cultural in the Department of Classics at the University of Bristol.
Reviews
'The author ... explores the way in which many such paintings were fantastical manipulations of nature, and were not so much pale imitations of reality, but actually surpassed reality.' JACT
'... sound and well-argued ...' Architectural Review
'The volume constitutes a brave attempt to do something new and distinctive with the evidence provided by Roman housing.' Society of Architectural Historians
'Shelley Hales takes her reader on a witty tour of social identity as constructed by Roman housing.' Art History
'An important contribution to the study of domestic architecture in general and ... to our understanding of the politics of identity in the Roman Empire ... Thoughtful and well-conceived.' CAA Reviews
Book Information
ISBN 9780521735094
Author Shelley Hales
Format Paperback
Page Count 308
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 650g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 17mm
