This paper describes the urban patterns of Asia Minor in the Roman Imperial period, which saw marked regional variation. The west and southwest were densely occupied with cities, but the centre and... Show moreThis paper describes the urban patterns of Asia Minor in the Roman Imperial period, which saw marked regional variation. The west and southwest were densely occupied with cities, but the centre and northern parts of the region were relatively empty. Furthermore, the urban hierarchies of these regions show distinctiveness, with the largest cities situated in the west and a few in the centre and east, while Lycia and Pamphylia are densely settled with cities, which are more egalitarian in size. Although some scholars claim that the urban hierarchy is a product of the economic integration of the cities, this is not undisputed. Nevertheless, the connection between cities can be a valuable object of study and here the example of tableware is used to attest the complexity of these connections over time and space. Despite the fact that economic connectivity, as partially reflected by the small finds, is important, it must be remembered that other forms of official and less official links between the cities existed, such as the assizes. Furthermore, this does not negate the fact that most cities were at their core autarkic in character, but that the interaction between connectivity, political and socio-economic changes and structural factors of climate and landscape, caused the diversity and complexity in the pattern of urbanization. Show less
The reconstruction of population-levels for ancient cities is a difficult undertaking. Many methods are present in the literature, each with their own (dis)advantages. This paper presents an... Show moreThe reconstruction of population-levels for ancient cities is a difficult undertaking. Many methods are present in the literature, each with their own (dis)advantages. This paper presents an illustration on the methodological issues encountered in the reconstruction of the population-levels of an ancient city. The city of Corinth is used as an example, since it has a long history of scholarly interest (including demographic)and it is considered to have played a pivotal role in Roman Greece. Excavations at the site of Corinth have revealed a strongly monumentalized site which seems to at least equal its Greek predecessor. In terms of population, Corinth has been estimated as one of the larger cities in Roman Greece. Corinth is therefore a focal point of academic attention for researchers both directly and indirectly involved in its studies Show less
The red slipped tableware of the Roman period is almost stereotypically present at most sites within the Empire. The icrates project has been building a detailed database of published ceramic... Show moreThe red slipped tableware of the Roman period is almost stereotypically present at most sites within the Empire. The icrates project has been building a detailed database of published ceramic tableware of the Roman East since 2004, with the aim of studying the material of a large area en masse. At present, ca. 27,050+ records of individual vessels exist in the database, datable to between the second half of the second century BC and the seventh century AD. Still, much more material is recovered on sites than is actually published. And despite the huge numbers of Roman ceramics and tableware present in the archaeological record, it is clear that we cannot now dispose of all the material that ever existed. In this paper, we will tentatively attempt to estimate the total number of ceramic tableware in the Roman East as a methodological exercise and, at the same time, as an illustration of the problem. This results in an estimated total number of tableware vessels between 75 million and 33 billion pieces. A clear disciplinary guideline for the size of the sample needed for the quantification of pottery is lacking, but our calculation demonstrates the possible representation of the icrates data. The available data seems small in comparison with the calculated total. On a positive note, the excavated and processed numbers of sherds at Sagalassos are estimated between 8 and 20 million over a period of 20 years. It should be taken into account that Sagalassos was a production centre – yet a regional one compared to conglomerate giants, such as Eastern Sigillata A. Nevertheless, it seems that the mentioned totals provide some sense of representativeness to the tableware available for study, in particular, and the archaeological record of Sagalassos, in general. Show less
