Tracking dependency in late-antique Roman domestic architecture Out now: Podcast of Joseph C. Miller Memorial Lecture by Alessandra Batty

Abstract: Throughout the Republican and Imperial periods, the materiality of slave bodies was carefully taken
account of and disciplined as appropriate. From a legal point of view, this was a long process dictated by
humanitarian concerns as well as collective anxiety – generated by the mere existence of “speaking tools”,
even though their owners were well aware that slaves were much more than that. The coerced invisibility of
the slaves was pursued not only in the public sphere but also within the domestic walls. In this talk, I will look
at an example of domestic architecture, the Domus del Ninfeo – a second-century CE insula (apartment
house) in Ostia, which was turned into an elegant domus, an upmarket family residence, in late antiquity –
to highlight how architectural analysis can shed light on dependency, inclusion and exclusion.

Short biography: Alessandra Batty holds a degree and a postgraduate degree (Specializzazione) in Classical
Archaeology from the Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, and an MA in Archaeology and PhD in History of Art
from the University of Manchester, where she has lectured on Greek and Roman art and architecture for
more than ten years. She is currently affiliated to the University of Bonn.
Alessandra’s main research interests are architectural analysis (and its implications) and the history of
archaeological studies. Among her publications is a monograph about the Domus del Ninfeo at Ostia: one of
the most imposing late-antique houses of the town. Her English translation of Giuseppe Maggi’s book on
Herculaneum will be published soon.