Abstract

Although the question of “urban resilience” of past societies has only gained prominence in recent years there has been a clear tendency in discussions to date to focus on socio-economic factors such as access to resources, geographic location or infrastructure. Political organization, at the local level or, for the Roman period, the incorporation of cities into the overarching power structures of Empire have also been recognized as important. There has, however, been notably less attention for the role culture might have played in contributing to the survival of cities through periods of tension. This paper will examine a central aspect of the culture of cities in the Roman period Near East – communal life in public spaces – and argue that strong traditions of interactions in these spaces played an important role in enabling communities to withstand and survive periods of crisis. The paper will connect to a growing body of work that has challenge the idea of decline in the vitality of public life of the Roman city in Late Antiquity.

The lecture is followed by an informal wine reception. All are welcome.