From the fifth to the eighth century A.D., control of North Africa was contested between the Roman (later Byzantine) Empire, the Germanic Vandals, indigenous Moorish kingdoms, and finally the armies of Islam. This thesis examines what became of the idea of Romanness in North Afr…
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This thesis examines the impact that collegia had on the economy of the western Roman Empire. There has been a tendency amongst scholars to dismiss the economic aspects of collegia and to think of them instead as primarily social or religious organisations. This thesis demonstra…
This thesis investigates two important and related aspects of Roman history during the period 217 B.C. - A.D. 70. Salient types of social legislation, in particular the leges sumptuariae, funerariae, aleariae, marital and sexual laws and magisterial edicts, form one element of t…
The mosaics of the provinces of Roman Iberia depict gods and goddesses, monsters and maidens, revelry and rapture. They were important decorative items, built into the very structure of the house. Thus, they became part of the visual landscape that surrounded the viewer and cont…
The principal focus of the dissertation is ritual and the understanding of the human proclivity for control in a chaotic world. This proclivity resonates not only in the cults and sacred places of the Hellenistic-Roman world but distinguishes the very essence of humanity in term…
Islam established itself as a force to be reckoned with both as a religion and a civilization. During the early 5th century, the two titans, Rome and Iran, were in the midst of major conflict, providing the opportunity for a third party to rise in their absence. The objective of…
This dissertation is a study of petitions concerning interpersonal violence from the first six centuries of Roman rule in Egypt (30 BC–c.540 AD). Through the study of violent conflict scholars can see how different parties are forced to come together to articulate problems and p…
This dissertation is a study of craftsmen and merchants in Egypt and the Roman Empire, specifically the guilds these individuals formed to meet common economic, social and legal goals during the first seven centuries CE. Documentary papyri that preserve guild charters, contracts…
Lime and gypsum plasters and mortars are an important class of architectural materials that were first developed in the Near East some 11,000 years ago. This study examines changes in the technology of production and use of these materials at Petra and Udruh, south Jordan. It ai…
How are music and identity linked? This question is examined in light of the musical practices of Roman (Gypsy) communities in Western Turkey, which demonstrate the powerful role of music in configuring a sense of community and contesting ascribed social identity. This dissertat…
The site of Tall Seh H[dotbelow]amad presents a unique opportunity to conduct genetic analysis of past populations due to its location at a political boundary and distinct duration of occupation. Tall She Hamad is thought to be one of many small, but strategically important sett…
This dissertation elaborates on previous interpretations of cultural change in Ptolemaic (294-58 B.C.E.) and Roman (58 B.C.E.-293 C.E.) Cyprus by presenting a postcolonial archaeology of cultural identity that comparatively analyzes coins, sculptures, and architecture. Although …
My work sets forth a procedure for classifying a burial as deviant (i.e., demonstrably different from contemporary burials with evidence that any difference was created by intentional human action). This procedure is structured to guide the interpretation of burials through a tw…
Slavery was a defining characteristic of Roman social, economic, and cultural life from the Republican period to Late Antiquity. Slaves are pervasive in the historical record, appearing in brothels, at the theatre, in the amphitheatre, in the homes of the wealthy and on the farm…
The Levant’s Decapolis was a network of ten cities in Greco-Roman Israel, Jordan, and Syria that established a thriving economic community. The Decapolis was home to ancient and modern cities like Damascus (Dammásq) and Amman (Philadelphia). Despite the various origins of these …
Utilizing Peircean semiotics and Dell Hymes’ Ethnography of Communication, this research analyzes the dance style known as Roman havasi or, Turkish Roman dance. Elements and influences under consideration include costuming, dance vocabulary, musical instruments and traditions, g…