Textile production was a central part of everyday life in the Greco-Roman world, both in cities and the countryside. In the Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, increasing urbanization and... Show moreTextile production was a central part of everyday life in the Greco-Roman world, both in cities and the countryside. In the Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, increasing urbanization and acculturation transformed dress practices throughout the Mediterranean and created a more complex manufacturing economy, even if not all textile production was market oriented. Textiles were mostly of wool and linen, though other materials, including cotton and silk, also existed. Raw materials were prepared and then spun into yarn using simple, handheld tools. Weaving was mostly done on upright, weighted looms, but loom design began to show increasing variation in the Roman Imperial period, reflecting innovation that served to increase the quality of the output rather than productivity. While textile production had a strong basis in household production for personal needs, there are some signs of increasing professionalization, and it is clear that, particularly in the Roman imperial period, there was a significant (and unprecedented) trade in textiles over longer distances. At the same time, textile production, and particularly spinning and weaving, remained of enormous cultural significance and contributed enormously to the personal identities of men and, especially, women. Show less
While interest in urban space in the Roman world has boomed in recent decades, the debate has developed a strong emphasis on conceptual innovation, and this has limited the sensitivity of current... Show moreWhile interest in urban space in the Roman world has boomed in recent decades, the debate has developed a strong emphasis on conceptual innovation, and this has limited the sensitivity of current discourse to historical change, so that debates about Roman urban space and Roman urban history have been developing without much interaction. By fine-tuning the conceptual apparatus to make it more susceptible of change over time, and by analysing key transformations in the spatial articulation of Roman cities, it becomes possible to strengthen the connections between these two debates, and to assess how continuing urban growth and the resulting developments in urban space transformed everyday life in urban communities. The emergence of urban landscapes full of both commercial facilities and monuments of civic memory and identity helped facilitate social interaction in increasingly complex urban communities, even if the processes that brought them about were mostly bottom-up rather than centrally organized. Show less
