Cyrenaics

The relationship between Roman housing in Greco-Roman Egypt and Cyrenaica has been a central research topic since the beginning of the excavations that, during the last century, brought to light the sites of Cyrene, Apollonia, Ptolemais and Tocra. Many comparisons between Cyrenaican architecture and that of Alexandria and Marina el-Alamein form the evidence for the existence of the influences of the Egyptian cities on Cyrenaica. Historical and geographical links constituted the basis of such influences, also strengthened by some economic connections. This paper is focused on the main aspects of housing in Alexandria and Marina and on the meaning of the recurring architectural and decorative features, aiming at a better understanding of their diffusion beyond the Egyptian borders. The Palazzo delle Colonne at Ptolemais represents a constant reference during this research, but other Cyrenaican complexes are good cases in point, such as the House of Jason Magnus at Cyrene, the Roman Villa at Ptolemais and a lesser known residence in Tocra. The research on housing in the Roman empire has made some noteworthy progress in recent years, since many urban and extra-urban settlements have recently been excavated and, moreover, more sophisticated methodologies of research have been used. Methodologies aimed at understanding the relations between houses, the urban and territorial context as well as the social strata involved in the development of the dwellings. 1 The classification of the parts of a house has been in a way superseded, favouring instead studies which focus on the edifice as a whole, which is able to communicate through a specific formal language. 2 This language makes use of easily recognisable formulas-traditional, yet in continuous development. These do not copy but rather quote or look up to official schemes modified in a more or less perceptible way on the basis of the history and the culture of the individual provinces. 3 1 This approach can be inserted within the wider framework of 'household archaeology' that since the nineties has seen a great expansion from the prehistorical to the classical field. As examples, see: Allison 1999; 2001: 181-208, with related bibliography. 2 About implications between the study of architecture and social archaeology (as proxemics and syntax of space), especially from an anthropologic point of view, a recent synthesis can be found in Steadman 2015: 13-19, 46-66, 160-189. A relevant application of these methodologies is in Grahame 2000. 3 Between the wide bibliography on these topics firstly shall we During the attempt to outline the role of the regional traditions in residential architecture of the imperial age, we have taken into consideration the case of Egypt and Cyrenaica. These are two neighbouring provinces which developed a very different history, although they shared various features with regard to architecture and figurative arts. We consider here some aspects related to the houses, such as the architectural orders of peristyles, the architectural façades framing the openings of the halls around them, and the use of marbles for floors. These all are elements that enhanced and celebrated the social status of their owners. We do not want to propose a typology of architectural elements. In contrast, starting from what has already been achieved in previous studies, we propose to use them with a semiotic approach. Therefore, we shall investigate which architectural order was used in the peristyles, quote the contributions on public and private functions and multifunctionality in Tuori and Nissin 2015. Other insights can be found in: Wallace Hadrill