Goodman P.J. The Roman City and its Periphery. From Rome to Gaul

Oxon (UK) - New York (USA): Routledge, 2007. – 329 p.
ISBN10: 0–415–33865–4 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–44625–9 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–33865–3 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–44625–6 (ebk)Why did Roman cities develop an urban periphery? How was that space used, and how was it understood by contemporaries?
«The Roman City and its Periphery» explores the issue of periurban development outside the cities of the Roman world: the first time the issue has been treated in a comprehensive volume. Through a wide range of case studies, ranging from Rome itself to provincial cities across the western part of the empire, Penny Goodman explores contemporary views of periurban development, and compares them with the reality of archaeological remains. At the core of the work is a detailed case study of the cities of Roman Gaul, from well-known major cities such as Arles to small towns like Argentomagus, and from the Roman conquest to the end of antiquity.
This extensive study reveals that the development of an urban periphery was a widespread and characteristic feature of Roman cities everywhere, and shows that it could function as an important part of the urban fabric – a far cry from the low-grade artisanal suburbs of the medieval and early modern world. «The Roman City and its Periphery» shows the contributions which an understanding of periurban space can make to debates concerning the character of a Roman city, its relationship with the countryside, and the relationship of local elites with the power that was Rome.List of plates, figures and tables
Illustrations: sources and acknowledgementsList of abbreviationsExploring the edges of a Roman city
The urban periphery in Roman thought
The archaeology of the urban periphery
Gaul in the high empire: administrative cities
Gaul in the high empire: secondary agglomerations
Gaul in late antiquity
Some wider questionsNotes