Call for contributions for a forthcoming edited volume of
papers
Experiencing Space and Place in the Roman World
We are looking
for proposals for papers examining issues of space and
place in the Roman
world. Over the last five years the editors have
organised several sessions
at conferences covering this subject. We
have now decided to pull together
these discussions into one place
along with additional contributions to
offer a snapshot of current
thinking on this topic.
The landscape of
the late Roman Republic, Roman Empire and Late
Antiquity was divided,
re-divided and subdivided in endless and
varying ways, ranging from the
creation of provinces and civitates,
to the imposition of a road network, to
the planning of new towns, to
the layout of individual buildings. The
overlapping historical
processes involved can be seen as the transformation
of geographic or
geometric `spaces' into `places', which have specific, and
often
localised, cultural meanings. Such activity, though, did not take
place in a `virgin landscape' and actually represents a complex and
non-uniform interaction. The processes involved created an array of
cultural and material landscapes at different levels. These are
reflected in the archaeological data as settlement patterns, artefact
distributions, and relict features. The individuals and groups
involved
in or affected by these processes would have had different
experiences
depending on their role in the creation and maintenance
of these cultural
landscapes.
We are seeking contributions which explore the processes of
the
defining, re-defining (or even un-defining) of places within the
landscape. We are not seeking papers that focus on the technologies
of
measurement and division, but rather those which instead consider
what the
division of space into particular arrangements can tell us
about the people
experiencing this process, whether as imposers,
receivers, or simply
observers.
Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:
?
The construction of spatial knowledge in the past, such as
the creation and
use of maps and itineraries or cadastral land
division. Who made use of
these technologies and why?
? The development of the ethnic landscape,
particularly in
relation to the `assisted' migrations of peoples, such as
the
Germanic tribes during the reign of Augustus
? Ideological
divisions of the world, such as Roman vs.
Barbarian, Gaul, or Greek, and how
these perceptions may have
impacted the creation of territories and
boundaries
? Experiences of the landscape, arising from and including the
impacts of visibility, or the methods and costs of travel and
transport
? Patterns in the landscape, e.g., settlement patterns or
the
distribution of imports, and what this might imply about the
underlying social processes
? The nature of different experiences of
space at different
scales, such as urban space, domestic space, or within
military bases
? The maritime viewpoint
? The way in which differing
perspectives interacted; whether
combining, conquering or operating
independently
If you would like to be part of this or have any questions
please get
in touch with us at romanspaceandplace@googlemail.com.
We require
abstracts for your proposed contribution no later than 31st
October
2008. Final papers will be due in early 2009. This volume will be
subject to peer review and we plan for it to be published in late
2009.
--
Ben Croxford and Jason Lucas
Experiencing Space
and Place in the Roman World
romanspaceandplace@googlemail.com
