Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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"The 'lively' streets of Olynthos in the 5th century BCE" is a spatial study of the North Hill of Olynthos in Northern Greece. The aim of the study was to reveal ancient movement flows and areas of...Show more"The 'lively' streets of Olynthos in the 5th century BCE" is a spatial study of the North Hill of Olynthos in Northern Greece. The aim of the study was to reveal ancient movement flows and areas of activity along the streets, while investigating the connection between private and public space. In order to achieve this goal, this study applied methods from space syntax at different scales, ranging from the entire street network of the city’s North Hill to smaller street segments and individual houses. Given the lack of spatial studies focused on ancient Greek urban contexts, the study presented here used methodological advancements previously applied to the Roman cities Pompeii and Ostia. The axial analysis of Olynthos at a macro-scale has revealed valuable information about movement through the city, and the visibility graph analysis and isovist map have suggested a larger underlying principle of ‘equality’ at work in the area’s construction. At the same time, an examination of the positioning of doorways at a micro-scale has provided insights into social control, 'privacy', and the distribution of shops within the settlement. As the material remains of Olynthos were significantly affected by the settlement’s destruction by Philip II in 348 BCE, this spatial study adds complementary information to the study of the material record.Show less
Domesticity, its definition and its patterning have continually evolved and changed, to the extent that our modern perception of what constitutes a home, and our perceptions of ‘public’ and ...Show moreDomesticity, its definition and its patterning have continually evolved and changed, to the extent that our modern perception of what constitutes a home, and our perceptions of ‘public’ and ‘private’ are drastically different from what existed in ancient society. This is even more applicable for Ancient Greece and Rome, two civilizations which had a significant impact on the majority of the Old World. Despite this, few studies have undertaken an effective comparison of houses in these two civilizations, and what similarities and contrasts would have existed. This thesis will focus on this issue, specifically targeting two of the best known cities in the Hellenic and Roman periods; namely that of Pompeii and Olynthos. Architecture should, as archaeological research has shown for Greece and Rome retrospectively, reflect the values upheld in society and transmit the ethos of the wider community. For Olynthos, the idea of ‘Isonomia’ should be visible within households, the notion that all members of Greek society were of similar status and of equal importance. Conversely at Pompeii, the concept of ‘Luxuria’ – or rather social status and wealth – was important, thus a stratified system of housing disparity should be witnessed to reflect this. I will target block A vii for Olynthos and Insula of the Menander for Pompeii, two representative and well preserved areas with multiple phases of building history, to carry out this study; in this way a clusters of habitation can be compared. In doing so, this thesis will attempt to investigate the relationship between social contemporary concepts and one specific physical representation of this societies, i.e. domestic architecture.Show less