Conferences by Ayse Bike Baykara
Trajan have managed to maintain an excellent reputation for an unusually long time. Not only does... more Trajan have managed to maintain an excellent reputation for an unusually long time. Not only does his contemporary writers celebrate him as a wise ruler but the late antique sources also present him as one of the five good emperors. Even Christianity did little hurt this reputation, Pope Gregory I resurrected him from the dead to baptize Trajan to the Christian faith and Thomas Aquinas deemed him as an example of virtuous pagan, even Dante found him in the Heaven of Jupiter. While twentieth century brought us much more conflicted views on the Emperor Trajan ranging from a person with “insatiable, unlimited lust for conquest” to “the accomplished human embodiment of the imperial title” Thus this paper discusses how Trajan constructed his own image through architecture, and how architecture itself constructed self-identity.
To this end, this talk centers the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan to highlight issues of cultural transformation and cultural interaction. My aim is to demonstrate how Roman architectural structures acted alongside existing Hellenistic frameworks to construct and maintain identities. I will highlight how architectural settings such as the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan reflect the contiguous and contradictory nature of Hellenistic and Roman identities in an imperial framework
The amphitheater was a uniquely Roman creation which became one of the key components of construc... more The amphitheater was a uniquely Roman creation which became one of the key components of constructing a Roman identity in the Western Roman Empire. In the East, amphitheaters were much less common, only three were in Asia Minor. Why were there so few amphitheaters? Furthermore, one of the only three was in Pergamon. Why was there an amphitheater, a particularly Roman structure, in Pergamon, a city with a strong Hellenistic identity? I argue that the amphitheater in Pergamon performed as both a sign of adaptation of Roman identity while and a form of resistance through reformulating Romanitas to serve distinctly Anatolian ends.
According to Aristotle, “Human beings are political animals” who are civilized creatures and ofte... more According to Aristotle, “Human beings are political animals” who are civilized creatures and often reside in the “polis”: the city. Clearly, cities are important agents to observe and understand the interrelations of people, arts, and culture. As the majority of the world’s population now lives in cities, studies relating to cities are a common ground which can bring scholars together. However, many scholarly approaches to the study of cities can be quite narrow and divided in terms of periodization, geography and methodology. This symposium suggests that a wider focus on the study of cities can work to diffuse the boundaries between departments, universities, and even countries and foster a multi- disciplinary approach to research.
Thesis Chapters by Ayse Bike Baykara
The amphitheater was the quintessential Roman building. At Rome, the Flavian amphitheater stood a... more The amphitheater was the quintessential Roman building. At Rome, the Flavian amphitheater stood as a singularly impressive Roman monument and both a signifier and a modifier of Roman imperialism and ideology. In the provinces, especially in the west, the amphitheater was essential to a Roman town. In the Eastern provinces, however, they were few, and one of the only four in Asia Minor was located in Pergamon, a city with a deep and lasting Hellenistic identity. Why here, then? Why Pergamon? This study aims to examine the Pergamene amphitheater while exploring the relationship between Rome and Pergamon, the variety of cultural influences in between, and how these influences impacted Pergamon, especially the Pergamene amphitheater.
By considering multiple sides of cultural exchange and the amphitheater as focal points of identity building, this study will question what it means to be Roman.
In this thesis the main focus is the varied body of entertainment
structures in Pergamon in the R... more In this thesis the main focus is the varied body of entertainment
structures in Pergamon in the Roman era. Pergamon was a well
known city in the Hellenistic period with close ties to Athens and
continued its standing as a major cultural center through the Roman
period. Especially notable is the fact that one of the only three known
amphitheatres of Asia Minor was in Pergamon. Since the
amphitheatre is a well-known Roman building type with no Greek
precedent, its presence in Pergamon is particularly worth
investigating. Besides the amphitheatre Pergamon also boasted a well
known Greek theatre, a Roman theatre, a stadium and several odea
which make the city a highly promising case study for multiple
structures of entertainment. Hence the aim is to explore the
architectural, social and political implications for the combined
presence of these structures all within the same city.
Papers by Ayse Bike Baykara
Ege Yayınları, 2021
The amphitheater was a uniquely Roman creation which became one of the key components of construc... more The amphitheater was a uniquely Roman creation which became one of the key components of constructing a Roman identity in the Western Roman Empire. In the East, amphitheaters were much less common, only three were in Asia Minor. Why were there so few amphitheaters? Furthermore, one of the only three was in Pergamon. Why was there an amphitheater, a particularly Roman structure, in Pergamon, a city with a strong Hellenistic identity? I argue that the amphitheater in Pergamon performed as both a sign of adaptation of Roman identity while and a form of resistance through reformulating Romanitas to serve distinctly Anatolian ends.
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Conferences by Ayse Bike Baykara
To this end, this talk centers the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan to highlight issues of cultural transformation and cultural interaction. My aim is to demonstrate how Roman architectural structures acted alongside existing Hellenistic frameworks to construct and maintain identities. I will highlight how architectural settings such as the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan reflect the contiguous and contradictory nature of Hellenistic and Roman identities in an imperial framework
Thesis Chapters by Ayse Bike Baykara
By considering multiple sides of cultural exchange and the amphitheater as focal points of identity building, this study will question what it means to be Roman.
structures in Pergamon in the Roman era. Pergamon was a well
known city in the Hellenistic period with close ties to Athens and
continued its standing as a major cultural center through the Roman
period. Especially notable is the fact that one of the only three known
amphitheatres of Asia Minor was in Pergamon. Since the
amphitheatre is a well-known Roman building type with no Greek
precedent, its presence in Pergamon is particularly worth
investigating. Besides the amphitheatre Pergamon also boasted a well
known Greek theatre, a Roman theatre, a stadium and several odea
which make the city a highly promising case study for multiple
structures of entertainment. Hence the aim is to explore the
architectural, social and political implications for the combined
presence of these structures all within the same city.
Papers by Ayse Bike Baykara
To this end, this talk centers the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan to highlight issues of cultural transformation and cultural interaction. My aim is to demonstrate how Roman architectural structures acted alongside existing Hellenistic frameworks to construct and maintain identities. I will highlight how architectural settings such as the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan reflect the contiguous and contradictory nature of Hellenistic and Roman identities in an imperial framework
By considering multiple sides of cultural exchange and the amphitheater as focal points of identity building, this study will question what it means to be Roman.
structures in Pergamon in the Roman era. Pergamon was a well
known city in the Hellenistic period with close ties to Athens and
continued its standing as a major cultural center through the Roman
period. Especially notable is the fact that one of the only three known
amphitheatres of Asia Minor was in Pergamon. Since the
amphitheatre is a well-known Roman building type with no Greek
precedent, its presence in Pergamon is particularly worth
investigating. Besides the amphitheatre Pergamon also boasted a well
known Greek theatre, a Roman theatre, a stadium and several odea
which make the city a highly promising case study for multiple
structures of entertainment. Hence the aim is to explore the
architectural, social and political implications for the combined
presence of these structures all within the same city.