Papers by Michelle Berenfeld
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH), 2024
Paulinus of Nola and Shenoute of Atripe were prolific writers and architectural patrons of asceti... more Paulinus of Nola and Shenoute of Atripe were prolific writers and architectural patrons of ascetic communities in the fourth and fifth centuries CE. Despite their rejection of luxury and elite culture, both were responsible for the construction of lavish church complexes at the hearts of those communities, in which architecture and decoration drew on the visual language of the late Roman elite. The churches shared specific architectural features—a triple-apsed (triconch) sanctuary, a rectangular hall terminating in a single apse, and a colonnaded space connecting them—that were also popular in houses and villas at that time. The architectural and spatial language of these churches would have evoked associations with the luxury and status of late Roman society even as these communities rejected those very things. This article considers the implications of the use of elite architecture and the visual language of convivial domestic spaces in these churches created for ascetic communities.
Lived Spaces in Late Antiquity. Carlos Machado, Rowan Munnery, and Rebecca Sweetman, eds. (Routledge), 2024
This study explores the Caelian hill in Rome as a neighbourhood in the period from Constantine’s ... more This study explores the Caelian hill in Rome as a neighbourhood in the period from Constantine’s arrival in 312 CE through Alaric’s sack of the city in 410 CE. It puts together elements of the late antique topography of the Caelian that are often kept apart – public and private spaces, still-functioning imperial monuments and late antique structures, Christian and pagan shrines – and views them as parts of an always interacting whole. In narrative and graphic forms, it reconstructs the development of this neighbourhood at a human scale, both spatially and chronologically, through four roughly generational intervals, and argues that streets and human movement through them were at least as important to the Christianization of the Caelian neighbourhood as its buildings.
Digital Pasts for the Present: Proceedings of the 2nd conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology – Greek Chapter (CAA-GR), Athens, 22-23 December 2016, edited by G. Vavouranakis, M. Katsianis, I. Papadatos, M. Mouliou, and P. Petridis, 2017
Until recently, accurate, high-resolution, and efficient recording of architectural features enco... more Until recently, accurate, high-resolution, and efficient recording of architectural features encountered throughout the rural Greek landscape has not been a readily achievable goal for intensive pedestrian survey projects. Drawing small, scattered features is time-intensive, even for trained personnel, and proper architectural survey requires the acquisition of high-quality geodata that can be hard to come by in the remote countryside. On the other hand, drawing massive features, like fortresses, is sufficiently difficult to require independent architectural drafting teams entire seasons to complete. Technological advances, however, are increasingly making the production of precise and accurate 3D renderings of both small and large architectural features not only possible, but rapid and efficient. Nevertheless, digital recording is no “silver bullet” for feature recording in surveys. Traditional methods provide qualitatively different information and in many cases may remain more expedient, especially where vegetation is thick or preservation is poor.
Petra is known for its monumental rock-cut architecture and seemingly miraculous existence within... more Petra is known for its monumental rock-cut architecture and seemingly miraculous existence within a forbidding desert environment. It has also long been hailed as a 'caravan city'. We argue that Petra's emplacement in its immediate landscape should be a source of equal wonder and interest. This study analyses archaeological remains in two wadis at the northern edge of the urban centre of Petra — known as Wadi Ma'aysra East and Wadi Ma'aysra West — to illustrate the nature and pervasiveness of local topographic manipulations. We argue that the dynamic landscapes of these wadis were a significant part of Petra's urban fabric: they facilitated movement in and out of the city, sustained intensive cultivation and were charged with ritual significance.
The Triconch House at Aphrodisias is a large Late Roman peristyle house in the ancient city center.
Conference Presentations by Michelle Berenfeld
Colloquium Session: Current developments in North African archaeology: DAI/AIA New Projects and J... more Colloquium Session: Current developments in North African archaeology: DAI/AIA New Projects and Joint Efforts; AIA Annual Meeting 2016
Society of Architectural Historians Annual Conference, Austin, TX 2014
International Network for the Study of Late Antiquity Conference, “Property and Power in Late Ant... more International Network for the Study of Late Antiquity Conference, “Property and Power in Late Antiquity,” Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, New York, NY 2014
Books by Michelle Berenfeld
The Triconch House at Aphrodisias is one of the best preserved late antique houses in the Roman w... more The Triconch House at Aphrodisias is one of the best preserved late antique houses in the Roman world. It represents only one phase, however, in a much longer continuum of occupation of its site, which was located at the heart of the monumental center of the Greco-Roman city. This book presents a detailed account of the late antique building as well as the history and development of its urban location, roughly the size of a city block, over the course of more than 1000 years, from around the first century BC through the twelfth century AD.
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Papers by Michelle Berenfeld
Conference Presentations by Michelle Berenfeld
Books by Michelle Berenfeld