Author Description

The predominant archaeological approaches to ancient cities to date have tended to focus almost exclusively on the architectural and thus visually perceptible aspects of cityscapes. However, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling were once equally vital elements in how people would have perceived urban reality. This volume seeks to explore methodological insights into these far more ephemeral and mostly neglected stimuli, and considers how they can be subjected to a broader analysis of cultural history. It therefore unites contributions from international scholars who approach the subject of sensory perception in Roman cities from different perspectives using a variety of different sources and archaeological contexts. Some of the papers presented here discuss cities as contexts of sensory perception (sensescapes), focusing in each study on different aspects: the ancient city is thus explored as a visual landscape, a waterscape, a soundscape, and even as a ruined landscape. Other contributions examine sensory experiences in the urban space set against the background of specific contexts of social interaction: scenarios considered include 'Walking' in the crowded metropolis and the collective celebrations of urban festivals. Finally, two studies sketch outlines of a close reading of the towns Ostia and Ephesus with regard to their manifold potentials and stimuli for sensory experiences. By adopting a broad variety of methodologies applied to an equally broad set of sources, this unique volume is able to open up a wider perspective on the multi-faceted experience of living in an urban environment during the Roman imperial period.