School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses
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ItemPublic architecture, space and identity in six poleis in Asia minor: the observer through time (from the 2nd century BC to the 3rd century AD)( 2017)Research on public architecture and its development in the poleis of Asia Minor from the Hellenistic to Roman imperial period has often tended to focus on individual building types and to regard them as a series. This approach overlooks a building's role in the overall cityscape and its intended effect on the observer. Yet studies which examine the notion of the cityscape for ancient observers often make only a passing reference to the archaeological record. The identity of this observer has also tended to be ill defined. The observer, who was either a resident or visitor to these cities, experienced public architecture as well as other objects on public display, and derived meaning from their placement, decoration and overall connection to the cityscape. This thesis will consider the social and historical context as well as the archaeological record in regard to the development of different types of public architecture and other displays in specific poleis in Asia Minor. The placement and motivations for these elements' construction, their role in the cityscape and their reception by those who experienced them will be discussed. The period discussed begins with the increased diffusion of Classical-style poleis in the 2nd century BC, and ends at the beginning of the 3rd century AD. This study will employ a number of carefully chosen case studies: Balboura, Lyrbe/Seleukia, Pessinus, Ephesus, Pisidian Antioch and Kremna; and thus will apply a specific rather than general approach. The discussion will consider the evolution and character of these poleis' cityscapes and the effect they had on ancient observers. By doing so, a greater understanding of the overall cityscapes' contemporary meaning and the impact of these public displays will be gained.
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ItemSocial, civic and architectural unity at Aspendos, Aphrodisias and Oenoanda: three Greek agoras in Asia Minor( 2011)This thesis discusses the development of the Greek agora in three cities in Asia Minor: Aspendos, Aphrodisias and Oenoanda, from the Hellenistic period to the end of new major public building work in the late Imperial period. Previous scholarship of Greek agoras in Asia Minor has tended to focus on individual buildings, using a comparative methodology to establish the extent to which any building was representative of its type. This approach has been essential in understanding the evolution of specific buildings but has at times overlooked the interplay of the architecture on the agora and its relationship with other elements which were typically found there such as honorific inscriptions, statue monuments and altars. The agora was the political and social heart of a Classical-style polis and most likely originated as a large open space for citizens to participate in public life. The agora subsequently evolved specific building types to accommodate for the increasingly wide range of activities practised there. It also came to be one of the preferred locations for local and foreign elite to practice euergetism in order to legitimise their positions of power and right to rule within the social hierarchy of the city. This thesis takes up the concept of ‘urban armature’ and focuses this approach on the agora’s role in a city as the provider of social and civic unity as well as a space for the expression of the identity of its citizens. Apart from the discussion of the architectural development of the buildings which could be found on the agora, this thesis also takes into account historical, social, political and economic factors especially in terms of their effect on the architectural development of the agoras in the three cities discussed in this thesis. By applying this approach to three case studies, new observations are made about the agora and its development in these cities.