Multidisciplinary essays on early villa culture and architecture in Republican Italy

This volume offers a comprehensive survey of Roman villas in Italy and the Mediterranean provinces of the Roman Empire, from their origins to the collapse of the Empire. The architecture of villas could be humble or grand, and sometimes luxurious. Villas were most often farms where wine, olive oil, cereals, and manufactured goods, among other products, were produced. They were also venues for hospitality, conversation, and thinking on pagan, and ultimately Christian, themes. Villas spread as the Empire grew. Like towns and cities, they became the means of power and assimilation, just as infrastructure, such as aqueducts and bridges, was transforming the Mediterranean into a Roman sea. The distinctive Roman/Italian villa type was transferred to the provinces, resulting in Mediterranean-wide culture of rural dwelling and work that further unified the Empire.

In Gardens of the Roman Empire, the pioneering archaeologist Wilhelmina F. Jashemski sets out to examine the role of ancient Roman gardens in daily life throughout the empire. This study, therefore, includes for the first time, archaeological, literary, and artistic evidence about ancient Roman gardens across the entire Roman Empire from Britain to Arabia. Through well-illustrated essays by leading scholars in the field, various types of gardens are examined, from how Romans actually created their gardens to the experience of gardens as revealed in literature and art. Demonstrating the central role and value of gardens in Roman civilization, Jashemski and a distinguished, international team of contributors have created a landmark reference work that will serve as the foundation for future scholarship on this topic. An accompanying digital catalogue will be made available at: www.gardensoftheromanempire.org.

The J. Paul Getty Trust presents an architectural drawing of a Roman villa as it appeared during the time of the Roman Emperor Trajan (53-117), who ruled from 98-117. The J. Paul Getty Trust provides the drawing as part of ArtsEdNet.

A new reading of the portrayal of Greek myths in Roman art, revealing important shifts in Roman values and identities.

A Companion to the Archaeology of the Roman Republic offers a diversity of perspectives to explore how differing approaches and methodologies can contribute to a greater understanding of the formation of the Roman Republic. Brings together the experiences and ideas of archaeologists from around the world, with multiple backgrounds and areas of interest Offers a vibrant exploration of the ways in which archaeological methods can be used to explore different elements of the Roman Republican period Demonstrates that the Republic was not formed in a vacuum, but was influenced by non-Latin-speaking cultures from throughout the Mediterranean region Enables archaeological thinking in this area to be made accessible both to a more general audience and as a valuable addition to existing discourse Investigates the archaeology of the Roman Republican period with reference to material culture, landscape, technology, identity and empire

This book explores how public space in Republican Rome was an unstable category marked, experienced, and defined by multiple actors and audiences.