Roman urbanism and spectacles have been important themes within scholarship on ancient history for decades. Traditionally, research has been focused on Rome, but in recent years research into the...Show moreRoman urbanism and spectacles have been important themes within scholarship on ancient history for decades. Traditionally, research has been focused on Rome, but in recent years research into the rest of the Roman Empire has become more prominent. One central issue within modern historiography has to do with the supposed uniformity of urbanism and spectacle in the Roman world. Were these parts of ancient life similar throughout the empire, or is diversity the norm? This thesis contributes to the historiographical debate in two ways. First, it will investigate urbanism and spectacles in three Roman provinces instead of in Rome. Second, this thesis will focus on venationes, or animal hunts, because this spectacle type has not gotten much attention in existing scholarship on spectacles. By comparing different Roman provinces to one another, it will become clear that while some consistencies can be found in the urbanism, spectacle culture and venationes, they underwent profound changes due to the specific provincial contexts in which they manifested themselves. This adaptation resulted in significant urban and cultural diversity within the Roman world.Show less
This BA-thesis aims to diversify the debate on identity in Romain Britain through objects. With the use of objectscapes (Pitts, 2021) it maps the influence of food items, table ware and clothing on...Show moreThis BA-thesis aims to diversify the debate on identity in Romain Britain through objects. With the use of objectscapes (Pitts, 2021) it maps the influence of food items, table ware and clothing on identity in the military fort of Vindolanda (Chesterholm, England). This thesis shows the extend to which the inhabitants of Vindolanda participated in local and empire wide object patterns. The many objects provided agency for a diverse group of people to share, construct and differentiate identities between them in a greater of smaller degree of adherence. As such, this thesis expands on complex identities by combining historical debates with archeological evidence and theory. Moreover, it proves the usefulness of the theory of objectscapes.Show less
