Sara Champlin
Published: 2022
Total Pages: 0
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By the third century A.D., most cities in western Asia Minor could boast of at least one large public bath, but during the fourth through seventh centuries A.D., many public baths in this region underwent significant transformations and were re-used, in whole or in part, for other purposes. This dissertation focuses on the transformation and re-use of a select group of public baths in western Asia Minor throughout the Roman Imperial period, and especially during the fourth through seventh centuries A.D. In addition to describing how the buildings were altered or used differently over time, I evaluate potential causes for why the buildings -- or in many cases, parts of the buildings -- were available for re-use. My case studies include the Sardis Bath-Gymnasium Complex, the Vedius Bath-Gymnasium Complex at Ephesus, and the Sagalassos Bath-Gymnasium Complex. By implementing a comparative approach, I seek to demonstrate that large public baths were re-used in a variety of ways, according to local needs and circumstances, and that decisions were influenced by multiple complex factors. Among these are the social pressures brought about by the rise of Christianity, military attacks, disruptions in trade networks, people moving from cities to the countryside, and natural disasters such as severe earthquakes, fires, floods, and outbreaks of plague. The types of transformations and re-use that I consider include functional changes, privatization and subdivision, changes to the buildings' statuary programs, and the re-use of the buildings and their materials after the buildings were no longer used as baths.