The Afterlife of the Roman City: Architecture and Ceremony in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages by Hendrik W. Dey
David K. Pettegrew
Reviewed by: The Afterlife of the Roman City: Architecture and Ceremony in Late Antiquity Early Middle Ages by Hendrik W. Dey David K. Pettegrew Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015 Pp. 296. $99.00. This is a bold, ambitious, innovative work. In just 250 pages text, offers wide-ranging survey transformation ancient city persistence late antique urban forms from third to ninth centuries. He does so presenting vast array evidence regions as distant Arabia Germany that shows centrality colonnaded avenues processional ceremonies post-antique centers. Porticated streets, argues, were common stages for expressions civic authority antiquity, their development, elaboration, maintenance well into early middle ages point continuity habit civilization itself. Dey’s argument built on recognition three predominant patterns cities: patronage, ceremonies, linear architectural schemes—which together came form an essential expression topography antiquity. As emperors multiplied after establishment Tetrarchy created new capitals, they increasingly sponsored construction staging such adventus. Ceremonial processions gate palace along crowd-lined functioned create distance, awe, between potentates acclaiming publics (Chapter Two). Other agents power adopted this pattern fourth sixth centuries constructing embellishing porticated streets symbolic monuments or them, gates, commemorative arches, palaces, baths, circuses, theaters. Ecclesiastical authorities especially partnered with secular powers commission episcopal residences, cathedrals, significant extramural churches, stage liturgical translation relics Three). architecture persisted most former Empire, including western Germanic kingdoms, even murky seventh eighth centuries, when cities materially poorer, smaller, less connected, concentrated among smaller class ecclesiastical political elite. Despite sharp decline investments, colonnades continued be maintained public procession; presents encroachment demonumentalization date century later Four). Indeed, makes case monastic centers palace-centers Carolingian Francia (e.g., Centula Aachen) dating modeled still prominent Christian capitals Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople Five). remained important far (and long as) emperors, kings, bishops, patrarichs, state officials needed express through ceremonial processions. City compelling because its integration multiple diverse sources (textual, material, iconographic) creates broad [End Page 162] consistent picture persisting topography, ceremony, authority, despite very real gaps evidence. author’s extensive coverage gives him liberty pivot detailed, technical descriptions colorful stories about specific discussions image idea cities. Swept lucid presentation reader can easily forget that, apart few cases like fascinating inscribed acclamations Ephesus, (a avenue) ceremony adventus) rarely aligns same contemporary context. general persistence, moreover, raises number questions differences contexts across space time. For example, how did subtle speak distinct evolutions over six centuries? What absence indicate those centers? And development relate (distinctly linear) Christian...
Journal of Early Christian Studies