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While the pre-Roman towns of Mauretania Tingitana were governed by sufetes, the colonies of Tingi and Babba in the period c. 38-19 BC had coin-issuing magistrates with Roman titles. Inscriptions of the imperial age provide prosopographical information on the magistrates and decurions of Banasa, Tingi, Sala and Volubilis. In addition to quaestores, aediles and duumuiri, some magistrates served as legati or flamines but most did not rise above local office-holding. A few families held multiple magistracies, particularly at Volubilis where the Caecilii predominated in the local senate. Inscriptions also record the honouring of magistrates with statues decreed by the ordo and paid for by grateful relatives. Alors que des sufètes ont gouverné les villes préromaines de la Maurétanie Tingitane, les magistrats qui frappaient les monnaies des colonies de Tingi et de Babba durant la période c. 38-19 av. J.-C. portaient des titres romains. L’épigraphie de l’époque impériale fournit des renseignements prosopographiques sur les magistrats et les décurions de Banasa, de Tingi, de Sala et de Volubilis. En plus des quaestores, aediles et duumuiri, quelques magistrats ont servi de legati ou de flamines, mais la majorité ne se sont pas élevés au-dessus des charges locales. Certaines familles ont exercé des magistratures multiples, surtout à Volubilis où les Caecilii contrôlaient le sénat local. Les inscriptions font aussi référence à des statues qui furent érigées en l’honneur de magistrats par l’ordo, statues dont les coûts furent assurés par les familles reconnaissantes. بينما كانت المدن ما قبل الرومانية التابعة لموريتانيا الطنجان يحكمها الشوفات، فإن القضاة الذين سكوا عملات المستعمرات تنجي وبابا خلال فترة 38ـ19 ما قبل الميلاد، كانوا يحملون ألقابا رومانية. تقدم كتابات الفترة الإمبراطورية معلومات عن سيرة حياة القضاة والقائدين العسكريين لباناسا وتنجي وصالا و فلوبليس. بالإضافة إلى القضاة ايديل ودمويري، فإن بعض القضاة إشتغلوا كمندوبين أو كقسيسين، ولكن معظمهم لم يتم تكوينهم على حساب التكاليف المحلية. كما أن عديد من العائلات إشتغلت في مناصب قضائية متعددة، لا سيما في فلوبليس حيث الكسيليين كانوا يسيطرون على مجلس الشيوخ المحلي. تشير النقوش أيضا إلى التماثيل التي تم تنصيبها تكريما للقضاة من قبل القانون حيث التكاليف تحملتها العائلات الشكورة

International audience; Recent surveys have revealed the pars fructuaria of the aristocratic villa of Santa Marina, with well preserved equipments, dedicated in part to wine production as stressed by biochemical analyses. This tends to confirm a model already put forward by J.P. Brun (2004) for the main istrian villas.

Increased interest in the topic of colour on stone has provided a new way of looking at Roman art, but at the moment more questions than answers have been raised. This is due to the scanty remains of colour on ancient sculpture, to the neoclassical taste very common amongst researchers and conservators in past generations, and to the small amount of available data obtained by different methods. The difficulties inherent in physically reconstructing ancient polychromy complicate further detailed interpretation of the evidence. It has been observed that, in Roman times, different choices in the use of colour were made that can only in part be explained by naturalistic reasons, chronology or patronage. On the basis of initial results, however, it is possible to explore a part of the basic functions of colour. Some of them appear more intuitive, in accordance with the need for clear information about the subject of the image or of the figurative narration in a specific context. Others are more subtle and appear to be related to the figurative genres and functions of the iconic language: in other words, they provide evidence for long lasting codes that show only slow evolutions. L’intérêt croissant pour l’usage de la couleur sur la pierre a offert une nouvelle vision de l’art romain ; mais pour l’heure on dispose plus de questions que de réponses. Cette situation est due à la rareté des restes de pigments sur les sculptures antiques, à la prédominance, dans les générations antérieures, d’un goût néoclassique et à une quantité encore insuffisante de données au demeurant obtenues par recours à des méthodes différentes. Une situation aussi difficile complique d’autant plus l’interprétation approfondie de tels témoignages. On constate, pour l’époque romaine, des choix différents dans l’usage de la couleur qui peuvent s’expliquer seulement en partie par des motivations naturalistes, par la chronologie ou par le niveau de la commande. Toutefois, en se fondant sur de premiers résultats, on peut explorer au moins quelques-unes des fonctions fondamentales de la couleur. Certaines sont purement intuitives et sont déterminées par l’exigence d’une information patente en relation avec le sujet ou avec la narration représentée dans un contexte spécifique. D’autres sont plus subtiles et semblent liées à des règles générales ainsi qu’aux fonctions du langage iconographique, en d’autres termes à des conventions en cours depuis longtemps et dont l’évolution est extrêmement lente. Το αυξημένο ενδιαφέρον για το ζήτημα του χρώματος στο λίθο προσέφερε ένα νέο τρόπο ανάγνωσης της ρωμαϊκής τέχνης αλλά, μέχρι στιγμής, αυτό έχει εγείρει περισσότερα ερωτήματα από όσα έχει απαντήσει. Αυτό οφείλεται στα πενιχρά κατάλοιπα χρώματος στα αρχαία γλυπτά, στο νεοκλασικό γούστο, που ήταν πολύ διαδεδομένο ανάμεσα στους ερευνητές και τους επιμελητές μουσείων των προηγούμενων γενεών και στο μικρό αριθμό διαθέσιμων στοιχείων, που αποκτώνται με διάφορες μεθόδους. Οι εγγενείς δυσκολίες στην ανασύνθεση της αρχαίας πολυχρωμίας δυσχεραίνουν τη λεπτομερέστερη ερμηνεία των στοιχείων. Παρατηρήθηκε ότι στη ρωμαϊκή εποχή έγιναν διάφορες επιλογές στη χρήση του χρώματος, οι οποίες μόνο εν μέρει μπορούν να εξηγηθούν από την προσπάθεια φυσιοκρατικής απόδοσης, τη χρονολογία ή το βαθμό επιρροής που ασκούσε ο πελάτης. Βασιζόμενοι στα αρχικά αποτελέσματα ωστόσο, είναι δυνατό να εξερευνήσουμε μέρος των βασικών λειτουργιών του χρώματος. Μερικές από αυτές φαίνονται πιο ενστικτώδεις, πράγμα που συμφωνεί με την ανάγκη για καθαρή πληροφόρηση σχετικά με το θέμα της εικόνας ή της εικονιστικής αφήγησης σε ένα συγκεκριμένο πλαίσιο. Άλλες λειτουργίες είναι περίπλοκες και φαίνεται ότι σχετίζονται με τα εικονογραφικά είδη και τις λειτουργίες της εικονιστικής γλώσσας: με άλλα λόγια, δίνουν στοιχεία για παλαιούς κώδικες, οι οποίοι εξελίσσονται αργά.

International audience

L’étude du mobilier céramique se fait en collaboration de plus en plus étroite entre archéologues, historiens et archéomètres : on est passé à un véritable dialogue entre les disciplines dans une optique large, relevant aussi bien du paléoenvironnement que des techniques et de l’économie.La Table Ronde du 11 avril 2016, intitulée “Recherches pluridisciplinaires récentes sur les amphores nord-adriatiques à l’époque romaine”, a réuni ainsi une partie des acteurs des quatre grands pôles de Padoue, Vienne-Budapest, Aix-en-Provence et Bordeaux, impliqués dans cette recherche pluridisciplinaire, avec des collègues croates largement engagés dans la recherche archéologique et historique de l’Istrie, les uns et les autres motivés par le besoin de communiquer sur leurs méthodes et leurs réflexions, de les comparer afin d’essayer d’apporter des réponses à leurs problématiques, proches mais inscrites dans des situations bien différentes., The study of ceramics needs to work more and more collaboratively together, between archaeologist, historians and archaeometrists : we are developing a real dialogue, which combine different disciplines in a broader perspective related to paleoenvironment as well as technics and economy.The Round Table from April 11th 2016, entitled “Recet multidisciplinary researches on north-adriatic amphoras in the Roman era” gathered some of the researchers from the four large centres of Padova, Vienna-Budapest, Aix-en-Provence and Bordeaux. All participants are involved in this multidisciplinary research with colleagues from Croatia who are widely committed to the archaeological and historic research of Istria. These researchers are motivated by the need to share their methods and reflections and to compare them in order to try finding answers to their problematic which are similar but in very different contexts

Object of this thesis is the study of ancient spaces, their organization, function and perception by the people who created and lived them. The focus of this thesis is the architectural evidence from the residential area of theNabataean, Roman and Late Antique periods at the centre of the oasis of Tayma, NW Arabia.Excavated between 2004 and 2015, the rather well-preserved sequence of occupation levels supported their detailed investigation. The main aims of this study were to identify the spatial configuration of the domestic buildings and to understand how political, economic and social dynamics influenced the perception and conception of space in an urban environment. In this research, about space and its use, space syntax plays a key role. Space syntax is a technique used in spatial analysis to capture the set of abstract rules that define the spatial configuration at a defined moment of its period of use and through different occupations. Considering a large set of evidence and performing a multidisciplinary approach, this research shed new light on the spatial configuration of the buildings and on the changes that occurred between 2ndand 6thc. CE at Tayma. The main results of the analyses included: identifying access to individual buildings and movement within them and determining the functional differentiation of living spaces. This research puts Tayma into the large-scale changes attested between the Nabataean and Roman periods by several other archaeological sites in NW Arabia, as the spatial configuration at this site during this period seems to have considerably changed. On the other hand, the transition to the Late Antique period shows clear signs of continuity attested by the buildings which often reuse the spatial configuration from the Roman period. This interpretation might point either to an absence of large investments of resources, or to a continuity in the use of domestic spaces.; La présente thèse est une étude des espaces anciens, de leur organisation, de leur fonction et de leur perception par les personnes qui les créèrent et y vécurent. Cette thèse se focalise sur les restes architecturaux de la zone résidentielle, située au cœur de l’oasis de Tayma en Arabie du Nord-Ouest, et datant des périodes nabatéenne, romaine et tardo-antique. La séquence des niveaux d’occupation, mise au jour entre 2004 et 2015 et relativement bien préservée, en permet une investigation détaillée. Les principaux objectifs de cette étude consistent en l’identification de la configuration spatiale du bâti domestique et, par ailleurs, en la compréhension du rôle joué dans la perception et la conception de l’espace en environnement urbain par des facteurs politiques, économiques et sociaux. Dans ces recherches sur l’espace et son utilisation, le concept de la syntaxe spatiale –space syntax– joue un rôle essentiel. La syntaxe spatiale est une technique d’analyse spatiale permettant de saisir les règles abstraites qui définissent la configuration d’un espace à un moment donné de son utilisation et lors de différentes occupations. En ayant recours à des données nombreuses et variées ainsi qu’à une approche multi-disciplinaire, cette analyse permet de mieux saisir la configuration spatiale des bâtiments ainsi que les changements qui eurent lieu à Tayma entre les IIème et VIème siècles de notre ère. Parmi les principaux résultats obtenus, on peut citer l’identification des accès aux bâtiments individuels, l’analyse de la circulation à l’intérieur de ces bâtiments ainsi que la caractérisation des différences fonctionnelles observées au sein de ces espaces de vie. À travers cette étude, il a aussi été possible de replacer Tayma, dont l’organisation spatiale a apparemment était notoirement modifiée entre les périodes nabatéenne et romaine, dans le cadre plus large des changements attestés au même moment sur d’autres sites archéologiques de l’Arabie du Nord-Ouest. À l’inverse, la transition vers la période tardo-antique montre des signes évidents de continuité avec la période précédente, les bâtiments réutilisant souvent une configuration spatiale héritée de la période romaine. Par conséquent, ce résultat suggère soit l’absence d’investissements importants en ressources, soit une continuité dans l’utilisation des espaces domestiques.

Phase 1: Hellenistic Pontecagnano The monumental architecture of this phase (second half of 4th to early 3rd century BC), exemplified by the substantial socle courses in ashlar masonry, is paralleled by e.g. the building from period I in the nearby Prop. Truono, though this site has only been excavated to a small extent. The best parallels for the Courtyard House are found further south. One site stands out in particular, namely Roccagloriosa. Here at least four building complexes with large ...

The period before the layout A number of early Iron Age cemeteries at Pontecagnano are known and are generally believed to represent a pattern of small nucleated settlements. In the Orientalizing period there seems to have been two major nuclei, one at Pontecagnano itself, the other at S. Antonio c. 1-2 km east of Pontecagnano. Rich Archaic (i.e. 6th to early 5th centuries BC) tombs have been located beneath the centre of the modem town. The wealth of the gravegoods testifies to a certain imp...

The excavations revealed a part of the ancient town including a NE/SW orientated street and at least two insulae, one on each side (Fig. 4). There are two main phases of occupation, both ending with a destruction of the buildings. The layout of the habitation dates to the late Classical/early Hellenistic period, in which the town, both residential zones and sanctuaries, was reorganized. After the destruction of the buildings from the second phase of occupation in the late Republican period, t...

III.1 Italic Pottery of the Iron Age and Archaic Period Helle W. Horsnæs The number of fragments of Archaic pottery from Prop. Avallone, N II-III is quite conspicuous, while sherds of this period are only sporadically attested in other parts of the area (Tables 42-44). The majority of the pottery can be dated within the period from the 7th to the early 6th century BC, and the majority of the forms are those most commonly found in the Orientalizing tombs of the Pontecagnano area. Most of the f...

1. Practical Remarks Trenches and strata are referred to by capital letters and Roman numerals respectively, for instance A VI (i.e. trench A, stratum VI). Walls are denoted by capital letters and Arabic numerals, e.g. F1 (i.e. wall in trench F). Catalogued finds are designated with capital letters followed by a hyphen and Arabic numerals, for instance cat. no. A-l and cat. no. EE-65. Non-catalogued finds mentioned in the text are referred to by their find numbers, for instance #160-3-255, #9...

I.1 Former research and excavations at Pontecagnano The necropoleis of ancient Pontecagnano are well-known and documented. The earliest known objects provenanced "Ponte di Cagnaro” can be traced back to the mid-19th century, and material from ancient tombs in the area was noted again in 1868 (the Tyszkiewicz bowl). Modern excavations were first undertaken by P.C. Sestieri in 1959 and have been continuing since then. The excavations in the necropoleis have been undertaken as rescue excavations...

International audience

International audience; The watermill complex of Barbegal is one of the first industrial complexes in the world, and one of the largest such installations known from antiquity. It has been studied through excavations and what is known about the complex, its history and purpose, is based on the remaining stonework of mills and water installations, since no traces of the woodwork or machinery of the mills have been preserved. The archaeological museum in Arles, however, stores 142 pieces of carbonate that formed on the woodwork of the mills. We studied this material by analysis of the shape of the fragments and of stable isotopes and crystallographic fabric of selected carbonate samples. This paper presents some of the first results of this work, which shed light on the structure of the mills, repairs on the woodwork, the history of the mill complex, and on the question whether the mill chambers were open or closed. Regular repairs were made to the woodwork at variable intervals. The mill chambers were probably closed. Mill activity ended while water was still flowing over part of the woodwork, but in the open air, probably after damage to the roof structure during the third-century crisis. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Undoubtedly the most renowned example of intramural burial in antiquity was the Maussolleion at Halicarnassus. Since its rediscovery within the writing of Vitruvius, Pliny and other ancient authors by Renaissance architects its form has been a frequent subject of speculation. The results of the archaeological campaigns of the 19th and 20th centuries have allowed the discussion to encompass an aesthetic evaluation of the temple-tomb’s actual remains. The Maussolleion’s seemingly disparate assortment of architectural forms, which samples motifs from prominent Mediterranean cultures (Lykian podium, Greek temple, and Egyptian pyramid) has been characterized as the ultimate statement in bad taste by a self-aggrandizing satrap. In order, however, to understand the architect’s and patron’s intentions it is necessary to reach beyond the superficial reading of the Maussolleion as an omnium-gatherum of architectural and sculptural ornament. An analysis of the iconography of the architectural and sculptural elements which (according to Roman sources and corroborated by archaeological evidence) were combined in the Mausolleion’s design reveals that the motifs were chosen to bring to mind, and to improve on previous, well- known building programs. Not only does the temple architecture central to the design justify the building visually as a place of worship, but specific architectural forms and sculptural subjects appear to draw on the religious buildings of the most important city of the Mediterranean in the 5th century BC, Athens. In the case of the Mausolleion it is a question not of Maussollos’s (or his architect’s) lack of understanding of the conventions that govern architectural forms and styles, but rather of a highly informed, positive solution to the unusual problem of how to incorporate a massive burial monument within the walls of the redesigned city of Halikarnassos, promote Maussollos on a divine scale, and signal Halikarnassos as a major urban center of the Mediterranean in the 4th century BC.

The phenomenon ‘intra-urban burial’ in Greek influenced Asia Minor can at first be grasped with the extraordinary Maussolleion at Halikarnassos. With this exception Maussollos formed his image in choosing by himself the site of his grave, a big part of the cult rites and the architecture, in which he joined Greek and oriental elements. The development of grave sites, cult rites and architecture forms for instance of the late classical graves of Termessos or Ephesos will be analysed in succession of Maussollos. During Hellenistic times euergetism played a big role inside micro-Asiatic cities, and the intra-urban grave was part of the honours from the polis to the benefactor. The special meaning of this cult place honoured a couple of centuries in the middle of a city can be recognized by detailed and copiousness inscriptions, for example of the burials of the euergetai at Kyme. During the time after establishing the Roman province Asia and during the Roman Empire in the East the intra-urban burial was anew a special honouring given by the polis, but the importance in relation to the creation of identity for the city changed. On the basis of a selection of intra-urban graves from the 1st and 2nd century AD the way how to deal with these burials within the poleis, their creation of identity of the city and the way of self-imaging of the deceased will be examined.

This paper reviews the cultural practice of intramural burials for infants in Greece, making reference to parallel practices in Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. This age-old and widespread custom began with the earliest settled communities in the Near East and continued through the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. Intramural burials in pits, cists and pots are known in Greece throughout the Bronze Age, whereas despite being relatively common on the mainland the practice barely impacted Crete until LMIA, the peak of Minoan trade exchanges with the Levant. In LMIA intramural pithos burials of infants occur, sporadically, at sites in East Crete and later in South Central Crete, while pit burials and a cist burial are known from LMIA at Knossos continuing until LMIII. Intramural burial was practiced for many millennia in different cultural and geographical settings, which may or may not suggest an underlying koine of belief, because given the complexity of human nature and the infinite variety of expression of human culture and beliefs there need not necessarily be a single explanation for this phenomenon at all times and in all places. In Crete, however, the context of some pithos burials seems to convey a funerary symbolism, which articulates the Minoans’ religious belief in rebirth and hope for an afterlife.

International audience; The ancient quarrying and mining district in the federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz between Mayen on the edge of the Eifel and the river Rhine has been the subject of research by the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (RGZM) in Mainz and Mayen since 1997. Over the years, mining techniques, production of and trade in the valuable volcanic rock, and settlement structures have all been investigated in detail. The products – primarily basalt lava millstones, tuffstone building material, and pottery – were extensively traded throughout much of Europe.; L'ancien district des carrières et des mines du Land de Rhénanie-Palatinat, situé entre Mayen, au bord de l'Eifel, et le Rhin, fait l'objet de recherches par le Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (RGZM) de Mayence et Mayen depuis 1997. Au fil des ans, les techniques d'exploitation minière, la production et le commerce de la précieuse roche volcanique, ainsi que les structures de peuplement ont été étudiées en détail. Les produits - principalement de la lave de basalte les meules, les matériaux de construction en tuffeau et la poterie - ont fait l'objet d'un commerce important dans une grande partie de l'Europe.

Within the scope of the RurLand Project, the Rhineland is a peripheral zone. From a Gaulish perspective, one could say “The Rhineland – where is it? I know not how to find that country”, in a variation on an ironic remark by Michel Reddé, itself a variation on a statement by Goethe and Schiller 3. Where is the Rhineland we are dealing with in the present article to be found? It is understood here as the “Rheinland” of the modern German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen (Northrhine-Westphalia) and the southern area of The Netherlands east of the Meuse river. The Roman part of the modern Rhineland stretches from Bonn in the south to the German-Dutch border near Nijmegen in the north and roughly between the rivers Meuse in the west and Rhine in the east., Dans le cadre du projet RurLand, la Rhénanie est une zone périphérique. D'un point de vue gaulois, on pourrait dire "La Rhénanie - où est-elle ? Je ne sais pas comment trouver ce pays", en variation d'une remarque ironique de Michel Reddé, elle-même variation d'une déclaration de Goethe et Schiller 3. Où se trouve la Rhénanie dont il est question dans le présent article ? Il est entendu ici comme la "Rhénanie" du Land allemand moderne de Rhénanie-du-Nord-Westphalie et de la zone sud des Pays-Bas à l'est de la Meuse. La partie romaine de la Rhénanie moderne s'étend de Bonn au sud jusqu'à la frontière germano-néerlandaise près de Nimègue au nord et, en gros, entre la Meuse à l'ouest et le Rhin à l'est.

This study is about Roman rural habitation in an area of some 100 by 100 km in the southern Netherlands and northern Belgium, a region that roughly corresponds to the sandy landscape enclosed by the rivers Meuse, Demer and Scheldt. This ´MDS area´ is the southern-most representative of the series of Pleistocene sandy landscapes which are so characteristic of the Northwest European Plain. In the Roman period the MDS heartland was inhabited by the Texuandri, whose territory is defined on the basis of information from Pliny the Elder and several mentions of the early medieval pagus of Texandria. The Texuandri in turn were the northern-most subtribe or pagus of the civitas Tungrorum, with Tongres as its capital., Cette étude porte sur l'habitat rural romain dans une zone de quelque 100 km sur 100 km dans le sud des Pays-Bas et le nord de la Belgique, une région qui correspond à peu près au paysage sablonneux entouré par les rivières Meuse, Demer et Escaut. Cette "zone MDS" est la plus représentative au sud de la série de paysages sablonneux du Pléistocène qui sont si caractéristiques de la plaine du nord-ouest de l'Europe. À l'époque romaine, le cœur du MDS était habité par les Texuandri, dont le territoire est défini sur la base des informations de Pline l'Ancien et de plusieurs mentions du pagus de Texandria au début du Moyen Âge. Les Texuandri étaient à leur tour le sous-comité ou le pagus le plus septentrional de la civitas Tungrorum, avec Tongres comme capitale.

International audience; From the standpoint of fish as markers of seasonality in archaeological sites, the paper surveys a selected series of Roman period deposits from three coastal sectors of SW Europe. These collections were compared with previous Iron Age fish assemblages from those same regions in an attempt to reveal fish taxa that would serve as proxies of fishing carried out at a local level. The aim is to allow scholars to set apart faunal collections representing artisanal fishing activities from those that characterize Roman industrial (commercial) fishing deposits such as fish factories and fish-salting installations. Not surprisingly, local fishing exhibits a level of idiosyncrasy that contrasts with the homogeneity documented in the industrial fishing deposits. A series of taxa have been identified as being of value to typify both seasonal (industrial) and year-round (local) fishing.

International audience; This article presents the results of recent analytical work (LA-ICP-MS) performed on fragments from two cage cups: a figural beaker found near the ancient town of Serdica, modern Sofia, and a beaker with an inscription found near Yambol. In a set of 12 fragments, the authors identify two different chemical compositions of colorless glass, three compositions of blue glass, and one composition each for green-blue and purple glass.The new data allow these scholars to investigate the relationship between the colorless main body and the colored external layers of the cage cup blanks, and provides hitherto unsuspected insights into the making of blanks. Two of the blue compositions are unrelated to the colorless base glass, but the other three colored compositions were probably produced by the addition of coloring materials to the colorless glasses of the blanks.This technological approach seems to be beneficial for securing adequate annealing and compatibility when different glasses are combined in a single blank and intended for further elaborate cold working.

Studies of literacy in pre-modern societies have most frequently discussed the phenomenon in terms of communication between readers and writers. It is viewed as a ‘technology of the intellect’, the primary function of which is to facilitate communication and the storage and retrieval of information. The classic analysis by Jack Goody interprets literacy as a technology which transforms cognitive processes and relationship with information, and is a fundamental enabling factor in the developme...

I am grateful for the invitation to this conference, which has given me a chance to see so many friends and colleagues and learn so much ; and for the suggested topic, that made me look at mirrors in a new way. Something over three thousand Etruscan bronze mirrors have been found, and are currently being published in the international Corpus of Etruscan Mirrors (CSE). This number evidently represents only a small percentage of the mirrors that were actually given to elite women during their l...

The aim of this paper is to present the results of a research project recently conducted into the architectural decoration of Barcino (modern Barcelona, Spain) during the Early Imperial period. The study includes a review of previously known architectural elements, as well as the new finds from recent archaeological excavations, exhibited or stored now at the Barcelona Museum of History (MUHBA) and the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia (MAC). The comprehensive typological, stylistic and chronological analysis of these elements has allowed, in specific cases, to propose a hypothetical reconstruction of the original monuments, which is of interest for the understanding of the architecture and town planning of Barcino. A complementary part of this study has been the petrographic and cathodoluminescence analyses of a representative group of these elements, which have enabled to identify some of the marble used in the architectural decoration of the town.

International audience; Presentation and preliminary architectural repport of a big house in the village overlooking the sanctuary of Dharih, in the Nabataean and Roman eras.; Présentation et étude architecturale préliminaire d'une vaste maison située dans le village qui surplombe le sanctuaire de Dharih, aux époques nabatéenne et romaine.

During the Iron Age, the Gaulish Arverni and Lemovices influence extended well beyond Auvergne (Central France), into the Mediterranean regions owing to extensive agricultural activities and silver mining. Recent discoveries showed that gold mining in the area of Haute-Combraille (Auvergne) may also has contributed to the wealth of these communities. Gold was possibly extracted as well during the first two centuries AD at the onset of Roman occupation. Our project (MINEDOR) aims to study from an interdisciplinary and diachronic point of view these ancient gold mines, traditionally attributed to the Gaulish period, discovered in large numbers at the fringes of the Arverni and Lemovices territories, in the area of Upper Combraille (Puy-de-Dôme). Our goals are 1) to accurately identify the mines through fieldwalking and aerial surveys, analysis of vertical aerial photographic coverage and localization by dual-frequency DGPS, 2) to assess their environmental impact using palaeoenvironmental (palynology, microfossils) and geochemical (heavy metals, trace elements, stable lead isotopes) analyses in wetlands, and 3) to date transient phases of exploitation. Here we present high-resolution peat core analyses from the Haute-Combraille highlands (900-1000m) that allow to evidence gold mining operational phases since the Iron Age through vegetation cover changes and the release of lead (Pb) from mining activities. These new data highlight important features of the ancient economy of the Massif Central and the transient environmental impact of mining operation on watershed quality., Le projet MINEDOR vise à étudier de manière interdisciplinaire et diachronique les anciennes mines d’or, attribuées traditionnellement à l’époque gauloise, repérées en grand nombre aux confins des territoires des Arvernes et des Lémovices, dans le secteur de la Haute-Combraille (Puy-de-Dôme). L’objectif est 1) de cartographier précisément les minières au moyen de prospections pédestres et aériennes, d’une analyse des couvertures photographiques aériennes verticales et de relevés par GPS bi-fréquence, 2) d’en évaluer l’impact sur le paysage grâce à des analyses paléoenvironnementales (palynologie, microfossiles non polliniques) et géochimiques (métaux lourds, éléments-traces, isotopes du plomb) réalisées à haute résolution sur des carottes prélevées dans des zones humides (tourbières, bas marais, étangs), et 3) par ce biais, d’en dater la (ou les) phase(s) d’exploitation. Ces nouvelles données permettront d’éclairer un pan important de l’économie antique du Massif Central. L’hypothèse d’une exploitation de ces mines à l’époque romaine pourrait expliquer la densité remarquable des établissements repérés en prospection au cours des dernières années dans ces zones de hauts plateaux (900-1000 m), et dont l’occupation date des deux premiers siècles de notre ère. Les zones humides constituant des stocks d’eau considérables à la tête des bassins-versants, il sera également possible d’évaluer les conséquences environnementales d’éventuelles pollutions minières anciennes à court, moyen et long terme. Le poster présente les objectifs du programme, la méthodologie mise en œuvre et les premiers résultats obtenus sur trois secteurs miniers où les séquences tourbeuses prélevées sont en cours d’analyse et de datation. La confrontation des données archéologiques, palynologiques et géochimiques débouchera sur une réflexion relative à la signification spatiale des signatures mises en évidence (signaux globaux vs locaux).

During the Iron Age, the Gaulish Arverni and Lemovices influence extended well beyond Auvergne (Central France), into the Mediterranean regions owing to extensive agricultural activities and silver mining. Recent discoveries showed that gold mining in the area of Haute-Combraille (Auvergne) may also has contributed to the wealth of these communities. Gold was possibly extracted as well during the first two centuries AD at the onset of Roman occupation. Our project (MINEDOR) aims to study from an interdisciplinary and diachronic point of view these ancient gold mines, traditionally attributed to the Gaulish period, discovered in large numbers at the fringes of the Arverni and Lemovices territories, in the area of Upper Combraille (Puy-de-Dôme). Our goals are 1) to accurately identify the mines through fieldwalking and aerial surveys, analysis of vertical aerial photographic coverage and localization by dual-frequency DGPS, 2) to assess their environmental impact using palaeoenvironmental (palynology, microfossils) and geochemical (heavy metals, trace elements, stable lead isotopes) analyses in wetlands, and 3) to date transient phases of exploitation. Here we present high-resolution peat core analyses from the Haute-Combraille highlands (900-1000m) that allow to evidence gold mining operational phases since the Iron Age through vegetation cover changes and the release of lead (Pb) from mining activities. These new data highlight important features of the ancient economy of the Massif Central and the transient environmental impact of mining operation on watershed quality., Le projet MINEDOR vise à étudier de manière interdisciplinaire et diachronique les anciennes mines d’or, attribuées traditionnellement à l’époque gauloise, repérées en grand nombre aux confins des territoires des Arvernes et des Lémovices, dans le secteur de la Haute-Combraille (Puy-de-Dôme). L’objectif est 1) de cartographier précisément les minières au moyen de prospections pédestres et aériennes, d’une analyse des couvertures photographiques aériennes verticales et de relevés par GPS bi-fréquence, 2) d’en évaluer l’impact sur le paysage grâce à des analyses paléoenvironnementales (palynologie, microfossiles non polliniques) et géochimiques (métaux lourds, éléments-traces, isotopes du plomb) réalisées à haute résolution sur des carottes prélevées dans des zones humides (tourbières, bas marais, étangs), et 3) par ce biais, d’en dater la (ou les) phase(s) d’exploitation. Ces nouvelles données permettront d’éclairer un pan important de l’économie antique du Massif Central. L’hypothèse d’une exploitation de ces mines à l’époque romaine pourrait expliquer la densité remarquable des établissements repérés en prospection au cours des dernières années dans ces zones de hauts plateaux (900-1000 m), et dont l’occupation date des deux premiers siècles de notre ère. Les zones humides constituant des stocks d’eau considérables à la tête des bassins-versants, il sera également possible d’évaluer les conséquences environnementales d’éventuelles pollutions minières anciennes à court, moyen et long terme.Le poster présente les objectifs du programme, la méthodologie mise en œuvre et les premiers résultats obtenus sur trois secteurs miniers où les séquences tourbeuses prélevées sont en cours d’analyse et de datation. La confrontation des données archéologiques, palynologiques et géochimiques débouchera sur une réflexion relative à la signification spatiale des signatures mises en évidence (signaux globaux vs locaux).

International audience; Since prehistoric times, the use of graves built within private houses has been a common burial custom of both Old and New World societies. Although efforts have been made by scholars to interpret the role these graves had in constructing the social, cultural and economic organization of ancient societies, there has been no attempt to clearly define the use of basic terminology, such as 'intramural', for this category of funerary depositions.The paper here presented will thus aim at defining a more coherent typology of 'residential graves' (i.e., a built tomb embedded within a dwelling and contemporary with it) and distinguish it from other types of funerary depositions that were part of the settlement (i.e. cists, pits, pithoi), but that are difficult to connect with the collective memory of the community. Such an epistemological exercise will facilitate interpretations carried out by scholars interested in mortuary archaeology and will also define the socio-economic value of residential graves as part of the construction of the familial memory. Moreover, to further elucidate the definition of residential graves I will also present a specific case study (i.e., Titriş Höyük during the late IIIrd millennium BC) in which the use of such funerary depositions was pivotal for framing the emergence of a new social class.

Like most other ancient cities, Ephesus was surrounded by large-scale necropoleis. Except for a few examples, the typical burial sites were located in extramural burial areas outside the Hellenistic city-walls.Sanitary precautions and fear of defilement readily explain this law. So, no matter from what direction an ancient traveler arrived in Ephesus, he had to pass a cemetery. Although no longer visible today the relationship between tombs and city appeared to be heterogeneous: On the one hand they were packed tightly around inhabited areas, on the other hand they were located on uninhabited slopes. The common denominator is their location in heavily frequented areas or next to major traffic routes; this made them noticeable and permanently present to the citizens of the ancient city. The structure, the architectural design and the furnishings of the tombs so prominently sited served as vehicles for any kind of status display and a definition of social hierarchies.Intramural burials were very rare, and they were granted by cities only as a mark of high distinction and were typically restricted to exceptional cases. In this paper several remarkable funerary and honorific monuments located along the Curetes Street are presented.The important rank of the owners of these monuments in Ephesian society was reflected by the centrality of their monuments within the civic landscape.The law of extramural burials changed to a certain extent in late antiquity, when Christians were allowed to bury the deceased adjacent to or even in churches.It was of no importance whether the churches were located inside or outside the cities. Together with the abandonment of vast mortuary areas starting at the end of the 5th century AD a ‘wandering’ of the Ephesian burial sites can be discerned. This change of the mortuary landscape from early Imperial to late antiquity within the capital of the Roman province of Asia will be the focus of this paper.

International audience

International audience; Recent field investigations carried out throughout the french Mercantour massif, at Saint-Etienne-de Tinée, Isola, Valdeblore (Alpes-Maritimes) and in the Ubaye massif at Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), threw important new light on the origin of iron metallurgy in the South-western Alps. The results obtained make it possible to draw up a chronological assessment of at least four iron mining and smelting districts on the heights of these two mountains more than 2000 m above sea level. Mining and ore dressing took place directly in the alpine level at an altitude of 2700-2400 m. Sorted and sized ore was transported downstream, beyond the higher limit of the subalpine level, to be frequently smelted between 2175 and 2000 m. Charcoals samples for 14C dating were collected on the slag-bearing sites by coring. This activity expands between the 2d century BC and the 7th century AD for the Mercantour and the first results for Ubaye range between the 5th an the 9th century AD. These slag deposits of Mercantour and Ubaye are the highest known and dated iron metallurgy remains in western Alps.; De récentes prospections de terrain menées dans le massif du Mercantour, à Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée, Isola, Valdeblore (Alpes-Maritimes) et en Ubaye à Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), livrent d'importantes prés sur l'origine de la métallurgie du fer dans les Alpes du Sud. Les résultats obtenus permettent de brosser un tableau chronologique pour au moins trois anciens districts miniers et sidérurgiques situés sur les hauteurs de ces deux massifs, à plus de 2000 m d'altitude. L'extraction minière et la minéralurgie se sont pratiquées dans l'étage alpin, entre 2700 et 2400 m. Le minerai trié et calibré était transporté vers l'aval, sous la limite de la forêt pour être réduit en bas fourneau le plus souvent entre 2175 et 2000 m. Des prélèvements de charbons de bois pour datation radiocarbone et anthracologie ont été réalisés sur affleurement ou par sondage. Dans le Mercantour, l'activité sidérurgique reconnue couvre une période allant du 2d siècle BC au 7e AD. Les premières données pour l'Ubaye sont comprises entre le 5e et le 9e siècle AD. Les ferriers du Mercantour et de l'Ubaye apparaissent comme les vestiges sidérurgiques d'altitude datés les plus élevés dans les Alpes occidentales.

This historical account will try to re-evaluate the scraps of occupation evidence attributed to the Helvetii of the Swiss plateau recovered solely from both Roman and medieval urban settings, in the context of the conduct of XXth century research, from the first haphazard observations to the systematic rescue projects of recent decades. Particular attention will be focused on the key settlement of Yverdon-les-Bains (canton of Vaud), where relevant finds were first made in the 1940s. The slow progression of the recognition of the evolution of this Late La Tène agglomeration can be followed, primarily from the second century BC through its brief elevation to oppidum status in the following century. More recent discoveries in the medieval centres of Lausanne and Zurich will also be considered, taking into account evidence for continuity (at Zurich, as at Yverdon) or of discontinuity (the case at Lausanne) noted during the Roman and High Medieval periods. Also of significance is the weight of historical information and epigraphic evidence in the processes of the identification and interpretation of the significance of archaeological sites such as Eburodunum and Turicum which have been brought to light by more piecemeal and haphazard methods.

This paper deals with the political situation in the region of Hegra, modern Madâ'in Sâlih, Saudi Arabia, from the annexation of the Nabataean kingdom, in AD 106, down to the 6th century. Various pieces of information as well as recent discoveries, particularly those made at Madâ'in Sâlih since 2001, are gathered. The reader will find: a summary of the state of knowledge on this issue, based mainly on M. Sartre's analysis, a presentation of the available data century by century, finally a suggested reinterpretation of an inscription found at Umm Jadhâyidh, about 200 km north-west of Hegra, dated to AD 455/456 and mentioning the introduction of a king named 'Amrû., Cet article fait le point sur la situation politique de la région de Madâ'in Sâlih, l'ancienne Hégra, en Arabie Saoudite à partir du IIe siècle après J.-C., c'est-à-dire de l'annexion de la Nabatène, en 106, au VIe siècle. Il présente la documentation connue ou récemment collectée, notamment sur le site de Hégra. Après une présentation de la problématique, qui repose en grande partie sur les analyses de M. Sartre, les données disponibles sont rappelées siècle par siècle avant que ne soit proposée la relecture d'un texte provenant du site de Umm Jadhâyidh, à environ 200 km au nord-ouest de Hégra, daté de 455-456 après J.-C. et mentionnant l'intronisation d'un roi nommé 'Amrû.

This paper presents a geomorphological work realised in an interdisciplinary CNRS programme called Zone Atelier. Its purpose is to analyse the relationships between the hydrological constraint in its complexity and the evolution of settlement between the First Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in the swamp of Limagne (french Massif Central). This paleoenvironmental research has combined the results of geomorphological and paleohydrological studies with the data on land use collected by archaeologists. On the one hand, a geomorphological study has shown the evolution of humidity in space and time. The apparent homogeneity of the topography in the Limagne swamp, with a very even plain, actually disguises a mosaic of territories. Moreover, this humidity was linked to the climatic variations, the anthropogenic impacts and the possible subsidence of the plain. On the other hand, systematic fieldwalking conducted these last few years have revealed a density of population contradicting the idea of a marshland inhospitable to settlers in the protohistoric period and in Antiquity. The spatialisation of both geomorphological and archaeological data reveals the link between the evolution of the damp areas, the forms and densities of settlement, and the economic use of these territories.

International audience