Apr
17
The Building Industry of Imperial Rome
Abstract: For at least 400 years, from the mid second century BCE to the end of
the Severan period, the building industry was one of the most important economic
activities in the city of Rome. This lecture examines the manpower, logistics and
economics of construction in the city of Rome and at its nearby port city of Ostia,
covering the whole process of construction from the extraction of materials and
transport to decoration and finishing. Employing a wide range of evidence from
anecdotes in literary texts to inscriptions and ancient depictions of building sites,
but above all the buildings themselves, it highlights the importance of human
actions and choices in the creation of some of Rome’s greatest feats of
architecture.