Constructing Rome: the Politics of Public Building in Republican Rome

摘要

This thesis explores Rome’s built environment from its early republican foundation tothe period of the late republic and demonstrates that monumental constructionremained an embedded and integral element of Roman society throughout this period.Public buildings and civic space played a significant role in shaping the cultural andpolitical identity of early republican Rome. As an outward manifestation of theunification and urbanization of the city-state, these monumental structures representedand advertised the civic superiority of the great city over the wider Mediterranean.For the city’s elite, this monumental domain provided the ideal venue to display theirown civic superiority, advertising the dignitas, gloria, and honos of individual menthrough the medium of Rome’s built environment. The embedded nature of Romanreligion and politics further augmented the importance of many of these publicbuildings. In particular, temple structures provided magistrates with the platform fromwhich to express highly personal - yet legitimate - glorifying and propagandistmessages through the use of inscriptions, architectural innovation, and divinerepresentation. Increasing political competition in the late republic saw thesignificance of public construction, both temporary and permanent, increasedramatically as magistrates strove to outshine their peers through the provision ofpublic works. By the close of the republic, the city’s built environment came torepresent the individual power and superiority of a wealthy and select few, signallinga new direction for Rome the city-state.A closer look at the various building projects of individual men confirms thesignificance of monumentalization for Roman republican society. Caesar’s forumIulium, for example, clearly illustrates the immense potential such spaces held for theself-aggrandizement and personal glorification of these elite individuals. Situated atthe intersection between republican and imperial Rome, the Caesarian phase of theforum Iulium provides a valuable insight into this important period of Roman politicsand cultural development. This thesis will also demonstrate that smaller individualbuilding projects, such as temporary theatres and temple refurbishments, served toprovide significant political utility for the less powerful, yet elite, men of Rome.