Architectural restoration and the concept of built heritage in Imperial Rome
This study examines the practice of restoring public buildings in ancient Rome and attendant attitudes towards them in order to develop an understanding of the Roman concept of built heritage. Drawing on a combination of archaeological and textual evidence and focusing primarily on six decades from the Great Fire of AD 64 to the AD 120s, a period of dramatic urban transformation and architectural innovation, it explores the ways in which individual structures and the cityscape as a whole was rebuilt. With specific reference to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, it is shown how buildings developed through successive reconstructions and that the prevailing approach was to modernise the aesthetic and materiality of structures, rather than to restore them to their original appearance. Furthermore, by recognising the importance of religion as a potential agent in the restoration process, a new interpretation of the exceptional treatment of the casa Romuli is proposed. With the intention of uncovering attitudes to built heritage in society more widely, the study goes beyond analysing the physical treatment of buildings to consider also how changes to the urban fabric were received by those who experienced them firsthand.
Siwicki, Christopher Stephen
Architectural Restoration ; Built Heritage ; Ancient Rome ; Nero ; Domitian ; Hadrian ; Casa Romuli ; Jupiter Capitolinus ; Tacitus ; Martial ; architects
Architectural restoration and the concept of built heritage in Imperial Rome. This study examines the practice of restoring public buildings in ancient Rome and attendant attitudes towards them in order to develop an understanding of the Roman concept of built heritage. Drawing on a combination of archaeological and textual evidence and focusing primarily on six decades from the Great Fire of AD 64 to the AD 120s, a period of dramatic urban transformation and architectural innovation, it explores the ways in which individual structures and the cityscape as a whole was rebuilt. With specific reference to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, it is shown how buildings developed through successive reconstructions and that the prevailing approach was to modernise the aesthetic and materiality of structures, rather than to restore them to their original appearance. Furthermore, by recognising the importance of religion as a potential agent in the restoration process, a new interpretation of the exceptional treatment of the casa Romuli is proposed. With the intention of uncovering attitudes to built heritage in society more widely, the study goes beyond analysing the physical treatment of buildings to consider also how changes to the urban fabric were received by those who experienced them firsthand.
architectural restoration concept build heritage imperial_rome study_examines practice restore public_building ancient_rome attendant attitude_towards order develop roman concept build heritage drawing combination archaeological_textual evidence focus_primarily great fire period dramatic urban transformation architectural innovation explore_way individual structure whole rebuilt specific_reference temple show building develop successive reconstruction prevail modernise aesthetic materiality structure rather restore original appearance furthermore recognise importance religion potential agent restoration process new_interpretation exceptional treatment propose intention uncover attitude build heritage society widely study beyond analyse physical treatment building consider also change urban fabric receive experienced