ABSTRACT

A Roman city, like a text, a vase or a statue, is an artefact of the society which produced it. Its buildings, its infrastructure and its spatial organisation can therefore give us, as modern observers, an insight into the nature of that society. Working back from the material remains revealed by archaeology, and in the light of other forms of evidence such as art, literature, legal documents or coinage, we can seek to identify the social customs and processes which shaped the character and appearance of the urban fabric.1 We may observe, for example, the effects of the efforts of the ruling elite to maintain their elevated social status through their use of public buildings, statues and inscriptions to impress and to court popularity.2 Similarly, we may detect the desire of craftsmen and small traders to maximise trade in the clustering of shops and workshops along main roads.3 We can also ask how the fabric of the city, once established, might in itself shape the day-to-day lives of its inhabitants.4