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Re-thinking the Roman Domus: how architects and orators construct self, space, and language

McIntosh, Gillian Elizabeth
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1061239970

Abstract Details

2003, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Greek and Latin.
Concerning research of the Roman home, I identify two problems. First, traditional scholarship on the Roman domus has tended to explore the physical structure in an effort to recover the objective truth about real homes. Recent scholarship, however, shows that there is more to the home than mathematics, facts, and physical matter. Second, archaeologists are generally reluctant to consider the subjective, psychological aspects of the home, despite numerous ancient references to the home as having precisely these qualities. Through the lenses of an architect (Vitruvius) and an orator (Cicero), I investigate the literary presentation of the domus, and consider it precisely as an artful and subjective presentation where numbers and truth are not primary concerns. I explore more fully the psychic life of architecture as an imaginary (or, metaphysical) place where real questions of self, society, and space are articulated. (Presentation in language is key.) Some exciting discoveries include: (1) In both Vitruvius and Cicero, the home signifies more than physical matter. There is a sociology about the home; there is a sense of equivalence between the home and the self; there is a philosophical quality to the home, that ties self, space, and language together; the home is a vital and lived metaphor. (2) The presentation of the home in text is an important factor. (3) While scientific archaeological investigations pursue the objective, the abstract, subjective perspective is also clearly valuable. The subject is presupposed by space; in addition, the subject is itself architectural. To lose sight of the subject is to diminish the room for a more comprehensive understanding of the home. And (4) it is important to consider text, self, and space synthetically. This method for exploring the domus can be extended in several ways. One might pursue more fully the domus as Cicero presents it, or the domus as other Roman authors present it. To pursue more thoroughly the importance of the metaphor of home will prove a productive enterprise. Certainly further work aimed at synthesizing the objective archaeological and the subjective literary homes will be profitable to the whole field, and beyond.
Erik Gunderson (Advisor)
229 p.
Language, Ancient
Domus; Architecture; Rhetoric; Literary; Cicero; Vitruvius

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McIntosh, G. E. (2003). Re-thinking the Roman Domus: how architects and orators construct self, space, and language [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1061239970

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McIntosh, Gillian. Re-thinking the Roman Domus: how architects and orators construct self, space, and language. 2003. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1061239970.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McIntosh, Gillian. "Re-thinking the Roman Domus: how architects and orators construct self, space, and language." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1061239970

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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