The Roman House and Social Identity

This book examines house types from Britain to Syria to disclose how people imagined and articulated their place in the Roman world. Shelly Hales considers the nature and role of domestic decoration and its part in promoting social identities. From the Egyptian themes of imperial residences in Italy, to the viticultural designs found in the rock-cut homes in Petra, this decoration consistently appeals to fantasies beyond the immediate realities of their inhabitants. Employing a wide range of approaches to the study of the house and acculturation in the Roman Empire, Hales' book is the first synthesis of Roman domestic architecture.

Shelley Hales is a scholar of Roman art and architecture. She is Lecturer in Art and Visual Culture in the Department of Classics at the University of Bristol.