The Romanization of Attic Ritual Space in the Age of Augustus

Abstract

The Romanization of Greece is a topic that has been traditionally. In the last few decades, however, this topic has received more interest and attention from scholars even as the concept of Romanization has begun to be criticized and reexamined. Even with this new interest, however, not enough attention has been paid to the early Imperial Period and the significant changes Athens underwent in the Age of Augustus. The focus of this study, then, is to both critically look at the traditional views of Romanization in Athens, as well as the modern ones, and to examine how exactly Rome influenced the city in the early Imperial Period. The focus of this study specifically is to look at the changes Attic religious space underwent and how these changes can be directly linked to Roman influence and action in both Athens proper and Attica broadly. The construction of the very first temple dedicated to the Imperial cult in mainland Greece, the numerous changes that occurred in the ancient Agora, and the restorations and renovations of ritual spaces throughout Attica are all clear indications of Romanization in the Early Imperial Period and are therefore, the focus of this study. These changes occurred in both traditionally Athenian spaces and in traditionally Athenian frameworks that were repurposed and reused to suit the Roman Empire, which will be showcased throughout this work.