The tomb as a node of public representation

Christof Berns (1)

1 RUB - Ruhr University Bochum = Ruhr-Universität Bochum

This contribution focuses on the practice of intramural burial in Anatolia during the Roman Imperial period. The prominent tombs of this time may at first sight simply reflect a traditional habit of honouring benefactors, being in line with the retrospective cultural atmosphere that is often attributed to the Greek cities under Roman rule. However, a contextual analysis of the respective structures of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, considering their design, inscriptions, and urban setting, reveals a new and significant pattern. This is the linking of the tomb with important public donations of the deceased. As a result, the monuments were turned into hybrid spaces that answered the specific demands of elite representation in their time.

Mots clés: roman period; Turkey; funeral architecture; intramural graves

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Christof Berns. The tomb as a node of public representation. 2èmes Rencontres d'archéologie de l'IFEA : Le Mort dans la ville Pratiques, contextes et impacts des inhumations intra-muros en Anatolie, du début de l'Age du Bronze à l'époque romaine, Nov 2011, Istanbul, Turkey. pp.231-242. ⟨halshs-00808404⟩