ABSTRACT
Drawing upon the theory articulated by anthropologists and art-historians has proved to be a stimulating approach through which to re-invigorate the study of Roman decoration and the ample documentation of social life and culture through archaeology and Classical studies enables a particularly close study of the social context of decoration in the Roman period. Many of the roles of Roman decoration are manifest across different media, and can be examined in terms of the status and similar social display function of the decorated art objects and their active part in maintaining particular roles and identities in the social world. Defining Roman art as a category and investigating chronological change through the Imperial period has, historically, been an important area in studies of Roman art, especially in the German tradition of Classical art history. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, scholars began to criticize the widely held view that Roman art was merely Classical Greek art in decline.
