
Multisensory Living in Ancient Rome
Power and Space in Roman Houses
Hannah Platts(Author)
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
Published on 17. June 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
360 pages
978-1-350-19449-6 (ISBN)
Description
Classicists have long wondered what everyday life was like in ancient Greece and Rome. How, for example, did the slaves, visitors, inhabitants or owners experience the same home differently? And how did owners manipulate the spaces of their homes to demonstrate control or social hierarchy?
To answer these questions, Hannah Platts draws on a diverse range of evidence and an innovative amalgamation of methodological approaches to explore multisensory experience - auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory and visual - in domestic environments in Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum for the first time, from the first century BCE to the second century CE. Moving between social registers and locations, from non-elite urban dwellings to lavish country villas, each chapter takes the reader through a different type of room and offers insights into the reasons, emotions and cultural factors behind perception, recording and control of bodily senses in the home, as well as their sociological implications. Multisensory Living in Ancient Rome will appeal to all students and researchers interested in Roman daily life and domestic architecture.
To answer these questions, Hannah Platts draws on a diverse range of evidence and an innovative amalgamation of methodological approaches to explore multisensory experience - auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory and visual - in domestic environments in Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum for the first time, from the first century BCE to the second century CE. Moving between social registers and locations, from non-elite urban dwellings to lavish country villas, each chapter takes the reader through a different type of room and offers insights into the reasons, emotions and cultural factors behind perception, recording and control of bodily senses in the home, as well as their sociological implications. Multisensory Living in Ancient Rome will appeal to all students and researchers interested in Roman daily life and domestic architecture.
Reviews / Votes
Platt's examination of multisensory experiences within the household is current and exciting, contributing insightful interpretations of the domestic sphere to the field of sensory studies. * The Classical Review *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
30 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
508 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-19449-6 (9781350194496)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2019
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€36.49
Available for download

E-Book
11/2019
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€36.49
Available for download
Person
Hannah Platts is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History and Archaeology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.
Content
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Smelling, Touching, Hearing, Tasting and Seeing the Roman Home
Chapter 2: Sensing Status? Multisensory Awareness and Power Display in the Roman Domestic Realm
Chapter 3: The Impact of Streetscapes on the Domestic Realm
Chapter 4: Initial Perceptions: Controlling Access and Multisensory Experience in the Atrium-Tablinum.
Chapter 5: 'Public' and 'Private': Multisensory Perception and the Roman cubiculum
Chapter 6: Beyond Taste: The Multisensory Experience of Roman Dining in the Domestic Sphere.
Chapter 7: Housing the Foul: Kitchens and Toilets in the Roman Home.
Chapter 8 - Conclusion: Sensing Status - Approaching a Lived Experience of the Roman House
Notes
Bibliography
Index
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Smelling, Touching, Hearing, Tasting and Seeing the Roman Home
Chapter 2: Sensing Status? Multisensory Awareness and Power Display in the Roman Domestic Realm
Chapter 3: The Impact of Streetscapes on the Domestic Realm
Chapter 4: Initial Perceptions: Controlling Access and Multisensory Experience in the Atrium-Tablinum.
Chapter 5: 'Public' and 'Private': Multisensory Perception and the Roman cubiculum
Chapter 6: Beyond Taste: The Multisensory Experience of Roman Dining in the Domestic Sphere.
Chapter 7: Housing the Foul: Kitchens and Toilets in the Roman Home.
Chapter 8 - Conclusion: Sensing Status - Approaching a Lived Experience of the Roman House
Notes
Bibliography
Index