Using Spolia, (Re)Building Cities

Beschreibung

Spolia are extensively used in cities, especially those with a long-lasting heritage reaching back to the Greek or Roman ages. Thus, they constitute a relevant element both for the material building of urban centers and for the development of the historical awareness of a community. As such, spolia trace an enduring path of reappropriation of the past. In centers lacking ancient remains or a classical foundation, the reuse of materials and contents sourced from elsewhere often provides a vivid bridge to Antiquity. Not only fragments of architectures, sculptures or inscriptions, but also ‘literary spolia’ – learned citations of antique works – show, in these dynamics, a suggestive afterlife. Together, they back the (re)birth, growth, and prosperity of metropolises, translating political programs and religious prominence into a variety of expressions. While opening a ‘window’ on the past, the insertion of spolia into an unprecedented ensemble simultaneously generates a new content, intended to impact both the present and the future. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the essays of this volume embrace a broad geographic scope, ranging from the eastern Mediterranean (Macedonia, Crete and Cilicia) to the West, with a focus on Italy. The time frame overarches several historical periods, from early Hellenism up to the Middle Ages, and beyond. Besides multiple methodological issues, the volume gathers both broad overviews and detailed analyses of significant cases of reuse in urban contexts, a substantial part of which pertains to wealthy maritime centers. The common thread of such a multifaceted panorama is the role of spolia in phases of transition: those of cities with metropolitan features, looking at the antique as an essential key to rethinking and shaping a wider, long-breadth perspective.

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Spolia reuse urbanism premodern metropolitanism

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