CHANGING TOPOGRAPHY & PRIVATE SPACE IN THE NORTH-EASTERN PELOPONNESE :
THE LATE ROMAN CORINTHIA FROM THE 3RD CENTURY AD UNTIL THE 7TH CENTURY AD

Abstract

From the late-3rd century AD until the 6th century AD, continuous private investments fuelled a significant building programme that spread across the region of Corinthia. A period of crisis can be attested in the 4th century AD. This saw several residential and working facilities going out of use. For all the hardships, however, a significant build-up from that era argues against a general slowdown in the building activities. The latter appear to further intensify in the following period and until the first half of the 6th century AD. In urban areas, new housing units were commonly established on former public facilities and roads. Other times, new building came to revitalize deserted insulae.

Notwithstanding, the resulting facilities rarely matched the earlier domestic complexes in size and wealth. In rural areas, the number of the villas likely remained stable, or even increased. A noticeable development concerned the establishment of villages on fringe areas of the countryside. These possibly signify a localized intensification of production and economic activities. Nonetheless, the image coming from those settlements speaks for struggling communities of very low level of wealth.

One characteristic of the Late Roman Corinthian households is their increasing functionality. This is better articulated in the case of the working spaces, with many of the housing units reconfigured for more utilitarian purposes. A second characteristic is an attested yearn ‘for the good life’. This sparked the popularity of certain architectural designs and gave rise to a significant decorative programme.

The private building activities continued further into the 6th and early-7th century AD. However, the respective units only little resemble the earlier, Late Roman houses. In that regard, this ‘continuity of the building programme’ marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one characterised by different priorities and aesthetics.