Domestic Spaces in the Roman West: Architectural Adaptation in Gaul, Britannia, and Germania

Spring 2016 Grant Recipient
Research by:
  • Sean Tennant (Art)

My dissertation focuses on the variation in building materials, construction techniques, and architectural plans of Roman domestic structures in the provinces of Gaul, Britannia, and Germania, and what that data can say about the interactions between the Romans and their provincial subjects, often referred to as barbarians. My work fits into the larger debate on the subject of "Romanization," or how provincial populations assimilated into Roman culture, while still retaining their own unique cultural practices. By examining the remains of domestic architecture in northwestern Europe, I aim to collect a dataset that can be used to explore patterns in the use and diffusion of Roman building practices into the provinces, which in turn engages the wider debate on how the conquered peoples integrated themselves into the culture and society of the Roman Empire.