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The Ancient Middle Classes : Urban Life and Aesthetics in the Roman Empire, 100 BCE-250 CE / Emanuel Mayer

Author
Mayer, Emanuel
Published
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2012.
Physical Description
1 online resource (xiv, 295 pages) : illustrations
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Contents
Introduction : class, stratification and culture : the Roman middle classes and their place in history -- In search of ancient middle classes : an archaeology of middle classes in urban life 100 BCE-250 CE -- From commercial to middle classes : urban life and economy in the Roman Empire -- In search of middle class culture : commemorating working and private lives -- Decor and lifestyle : the aesthetics of standardization -- Conclusion.
Summary
Our image of the Roman world is shaped by the writings of Roman statesmen and upper class intellectuals. Yet most of the material evidence we have from Roman times--art, architecture, and household artifacts from Pompeii and elsewhere--belonged to, and was made for, artisans, merchants, and professionals. Roman culture as we have seen it with our own eyes, Emanuel Mayer boldly argues, turns out to be distinctly middle class and requires a radically new framework of analysis. Starting in the first century bce, ancient communities, largely shaped by farmers living within city walls, were transformed into vibrant urban centers where wealth could be quickly acquired through commercial success. From 100 bce to 250 ce, the archaeological record details the growth of a cosmopolitan empire and a prosperous new class rising along with it. Not as keen as statesmen and intellectuals to show off their status and refinement, members of this new middle class found novel ways to create pleasure and meaning. In the décor of their houses and tombs, Mayer finds evidence that middle-class Romans took pride in their work and commemorated familial love and affection in ways that departed from the tastes and practices of social elites.
Our image of the Roman world is shaped by the writings of upper-class intellectuals. Yet most of the material evidence we have--art, architecture, household artifacts--belonged to artisans, merchants, and professionals. Roman culture as we have seen it with our own eyes is distinctly middle-class and requires a radically new framework of analysis.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9780674065345 (electronic bk.)
0674065344 (electronic bk.)
9780674050334 (alk. paper)
0674050339 (alk. paper)
0674416961
9780674416963
Digital File Characteristics
data file
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
View MARC record | catkey: 42858129