Spatial and Religious Transformations in the Late Antique Polis

This work looks at basic questions pertaining to sacred space and applies them to several well documented archaeological sites with strong material remains, interpreting the meanings and causes of the changes in spatial patterns that occurred within the late Antique polis in the East. The study is based on both physical and abstract spatial dimensions (the 'real' and metaphysical) of civic and sacred landscapes that defined the Classical and Early Christian city 'types'. The archaeological sites of Gerasa of Jordan and Dura Europos of Syria were selected as interpretive models due to their strong archaeological records and architectural representations. While the main aim of the work is to explain the end of the classical city in the East, Dura remains frozen in time for us depicting the pre-Christian, pagan city sitting on the historical razor edge just prior to the events initiating monumental civic change.