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Publication

Weldoeners, stedelijke overheden en publieke gebouwen in het Romeinse Oosten : 'gematerialiseerde oligarchie' of 'collectieve architectuur'?

Journal Contribution - Journal Article

Subtitle:Benefactors, civic governments and public buildings in the Roman East: ‘oligarchy materialized’ or ‘an architecture of collectivism’?
Urban elites in the Hellenistic and Roman East often contributed as benefactors to public buildings in their cities. In this paper, I argue that the historical importance of these contributions does not lie primarily in the economic sphere but in the sphere of politics. Hellenistic and Roman-era Greek cities have often been portrayed as stifling oligarchies. If this view is correct, one would expect elite contributions to public buildings to reflect such an oligarchic political culture. Closer inspection of elite gifts towards buildings in the Roman East has revealed, however, that civic elites primarily contributed to the upkeep of a public “architecture of collectivism” that reflects the traditional political and cultural ideals of the Greek polis.
Journal: TMA. TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR MEDITERRANE ARCHEOLOGIE
ISSN: 0922-3312
Issue: 2
Volume: 29
Pages: 1 - 4
Publication year:2018
Accessibility:Closed