This dissertation explores in the ways in which decorum, or the appropriateness of form and behavior, served as an underlying principle in the patronage, design, and construction of monumental architecture, sculpture, and inscriptions by the aristocratic elite of late antique urban environments. Throughout the dissertation, I deliberately turn my attention away from imperial buildings like Emperor Justinian's (r. 527-565) Hagia Sophia and towards those projects financed by aristocrats and elites, with a focus placed upon those associated with the gens Anicii and their sphere. It is through the discussions of the built environments of Rome, Constantinople, and Ravenna in the fourth through sixth centuries CE, that my dissertation reveals the ways in which aristocrats and elites, like members of the gens Anicii and wealthy bankers like Julianus Argentarius, were able to concretize their power in periods of political change. Their employment of a decorum of architecture, based upon Vitruvian and Ciceronian ideals, demonstrates the central role these individuals played in the shaping of the visual culture of the late antique Mediterranean. It was through the patronage of statues and buildings that were thoughtfully dedicated, strategically located, and purposefully decorated that these wealthy patrons were able to galvanize their non-imperial authority. In historical moments wracked by war, plague, and political instability, the finance and construction of large-scale statuary on prominently inscribed plinths, as well as solid, immovable buildings afforded these elites with a sense of permanence and stability that, they hoped, would last in perpetuity.
"This book examines the octagonal churches of Late Antiquity from the origins of the type in the fourth century to its sixth-century culmination in its most famous example, the church of San Vitale in Ravenna. The buildings, limited in number and many overlooked in modern scholarship, served several functions including funerary oratory, martyrium, and cathedral, though most were martyr or memorial shrines. Beyond addressing questions of function, architectural design, structural solutions, chronology, literary sources, and architectural symbolism are also studied."--
BYZANTINE AND ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE by THOMAS GRAHAM JACKSON. Contents include: VOL. II CHAP. PAGE XVIII German Romanesque r XIX French Romanesque. Aquitaine and Poitou . . 28 XX French Romanesque. Provence 62 XXI French Romanesque. Toulouse 82 XXII French Romanesque. Burgundy 90 XXIII French Romanesque. Auvergne 127 XXIV French Romanesque. Normandy .... 147 XXV French Romanesque. The Isle of France . . . 159 XXVI English Romanesque before the Norman conquest . 173 XXVII English Romanesque after the Norman conquest . 205 XXVIII English Romanesque after the Norman conquest ( cont.} 235 XXIX Conclusion 257 Chronological tables of architectural examples . . 269 Index 278 ERRATUM p. 83, line i. For i2th read nth. CHAPTER XVIII GERMAN ROMANESQUE THE history of Romanesque architecture in Germany begins with Charlemagne. We find no buildings in that country older than his time except those which the ance Romans had left behind them. Charlemagne however was a great builder. Eginhardt his secretary and bio grapher says he repaired the churches throughout his dominions, but he gives no details. A book de aedificiis in the 8th century would have been very interesting, but Eginhardt was no Procopius, nor was Charlemagne a Justinian. Two buildings however, we are modestly told, seem not unworthy of mention, the Mx-ia basilica of the most holy mother of God, constructed with ape e wondrous workmanship at Aquisgranum, and a bridge over the Rhine at Moguntiacum 1 This bridge at Mainz was only of wood, perhaps of boats, but the basilica at AIX-LA-CHAPELLE was a great work considering its age and situation. It was destined by Charlemagne to be also his tomb house, and here he was in fact afterwards buried; seated on his throne, imperially robed, and with his sceptre in his hand and a copy of the gospels on his knee, as he was found when the tomb was opened in 1165. The splendour of this church, says Eginhardt, was the ex pression of his Christian devotion. He adorned it with 1 Eginhardt, Vita Caroli Magni, cap. xvii. j. A. II. r Aix-la-Cbapelle Imitation ofS. Vitale 2 GERMAN ROMANESQUE [ en, xvm gold and silver, and lights, and with doors and screens of solid bronze. Hither he would come to the service morning and evening and even by night as long as his health permitted 1 . The building ( Fig. 63) was something of an exotic in the kingdom of the Austrasian Franks in the 8th century, AIX-JLA-CHAPOLE. original j& faru Fig. 63. and no one who has seen it and also the church at Ravenna from which it is supposed to have been imitated, can doubt its foreign origin. Eginhardt tells us that Charlemagne imported columns and marbles for the work from Ravenna and Rome 2, and he is supposed to have stripped and ruined the splendid palace of Theodoric at the former city which has now practically disappeared. But besides materials there can be little doubt he also 1 Eginhardt, Vita Caroli Magni DEGREES cap. xxvi. 2 Ad cujus structuram, cum columnas et marmora aliunde habere non posset, Roma atque Ravenna devehenda curavit Eginhardt, cap. xxvi. Plate LXXXII AIX-LA-CHAPELLE CH. xvin] GERMAN ROMANESQUE 3 imported from Italy his architect and his principal Aix-ia builders. The resemblance to S. Vitale is very strong, Chapelle and yet there is sufficient difference to show that the builders were men of originality, able to think for them selves, not tied to a simple imitation of their model, and there could have been no such men in Austrasia then. Both churches have a dome over an octagon, a surround-The plan ing aisle in two storeys, though a women's gallery was not required by the Latin use, two staircases by which to m
This book investigates the nature of 'public space' in Mediterranean cities, A.D. 284-650, meaning places where it was impossible to avoid meeting people from all parts of society, whether different religious confessions or social groups. 0The first volume considers the architectural form and everyday functions of streets, fora / agorai, market buildings, and shops, including a study of processions and everyday street life. 0The second volume analyses archaeological evidence for the construction, repair, use, and abandonment of these urban spaces, based on standardised principles of phasing and dating. The conclusions provide insights into the urban environment of Constantinople, an assessment of urban institutions and citizenship, and a consideration of the impact of Christianity on civic life at this time.
The idea that with the decline of the Roman Empire Europe entered into some immense ‘dark age’ has long been viewed as inadequate by many historians. How could a world still so profoundly shaped by Rome and which encompassed such remarkable societies as the Byzantine, Carolingian and Ottonian empires, be anything other than central to the development of European history? How could a world of so many peoples, whether expanding, moving or stable, of Goths, Franks, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, whose genetic and linguistic inheritors we all are, not lie at the heart of how we understand ourselves? The Inheritance of Rome is a work of remarkable scope and ambition. Drawing on a wealth of new material, it is a book which will transform its many readers’ ideas about the crucible in which Europe would in the end be created. From the collapse of the Roman imperial system to the establishment of the new European dynastic states, perhaps this book’s most striking achievement is to make sense of an immensely long period of time, experienced by many generations of Europeans, and which, while it certainly included catastrophic invasions and turbulence, also contained long periods of continuity and achievement. From Ireland to Constantinople, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, this is a genuinely Europe-wide history of a new kind, with something surprising or arresting on every page.
Essays on the chronology and interpretation of the Byzantine mosaics of Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki contains the finest collection of surviving Byzantine mosaics in any one city. Made over the course of a millennium between the fourth and the fourteenth century, they show the dynamism and longevity of the medium throughout the life of the Byzantine Empire. Yet despite the quantity and quality of the mosaics in Thessaloniki, they have remained relatively unknown compared with the mosaics elsewhere in Greece and in Constantinople. Controversy and debate have surrounded the dating, function and meaning of many of the monuments and their mosaics. These issues, of the chronology of the monuments and the meanings of their mosaics, form the focus of The Mosaics of Thessaloniki Revisited. Mosaics of Thessaloniki, 4th-14th century (2012) - also available from UEP documents and illustrates the huge range of Thessaloniki's mosaics that are now accessible and visible to all, however distant or hidden their locations in each church.
This dictionary provides a historical overview of the major architectural developments and styles, building materials and types, major structures and locations, sites and architects. Historical eras like ancient Egyptian architecture and the Renaissance in Europe and movements such as Art Deco are covered. Materials discussed range from concrete, stone, glass and wood, while types of structures include architectural inventions such as the arch and dome to building types from monasteries and mosques to museums and skyscrapers. Major structures highlighted in this volume include not only great achievements such as Hagia Sophia and the Eiffel Tower, but also important sites such as the Great Zimbabwe and Angkor Wat, found on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. General geographical areas are also covered, such as African and Russian architecture. Noted architects include theorists from the ancient Chinese engineer Yu Hao Roman engineer Vitruvius to many current architects such as Zaha Hadid and Santiago Calatrava, with a focus on architects who have enjoyed lasting fame through history or have won international prizes such as the Pritzker Architecture Prize. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Architecture contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries on architects, famous structures, types of materials, and the different architectural styles. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about architecture.
The Middle Ages (c.500-1500) includes a thousand years of European history. In this Very Short Introduction Miri Rubin tells the story of the times through the people and their lifestyles. Including stories of kingship and Christian salvation, agriculture and trade, Rubin demonstrates the remarkable nature and legacy of the Middle Ages.
