American Journal of Archaeology

107.1

The Christianization of Space along the Via Appia: Changing Landscape in the Suburbs of Rome

Lucrezia Spera

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Cemetery of Balbina: the small basilica probably dedicated to the Greek martyrs (Courtesy of Archivio Commissione di Archeologia Sacra)

This article examines the changes caused by the Christianization of the area along the Via Appia between the third and seventh century and its implications for our knowledge and understanding of the evolution of the suburban landscape in the Late Antique city. During the mid-Imperial period this area was characterized by a complex system of roads, residential districts, farms, and funerary monuments. Starting from the late second century, it was increasingly devoted to the creation of “Christian spaces,” first in the form of surface and subterranean funerary complexes, and later with churches and monuments associated with the presence of the martyrs’ tombs. In the fourth and early fifth century, the presence of Christian cemeteries, between the Aurelian Wall and the third milestone, contributed also to the growth of secondary access roads to the funerary complexes.

Author bios

Volume 107 No. 1
January 2003

Articles

The Olynthus Mill, Its Origin, and Diffusion: Typology and Distribution
Rafael Frankel

Fame and Marginality: The Archaeology of the Montagne Sainte Victoire (Provence, France)
Kevin Walsh and Florence Mocci

Newsletter

Archaeology in Turkey: The Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages, 2000
Alan M. Greaves and Barbara Helwing

Necrology

Otar Lordkipanidze (1930-2002)
Karen S. Rubinson

Review Article

Recent Studies in Rock Art
Margarita Díaz-Andreu

Book Reviews

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Books Received

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