Éphèse et Pergame : urbanisme et commanditaires en Asie mineure romaine

Architecture and urbanism of a city reflect social life and attitudes. In ancient cities, a detailed history of public buildings and the ways they were financed reveals the importance of benefactors and private donors in the determination of their functions. Ephesus and Pergamum, two cities of western Asia Minor, offer a test case for this type of study. In terms of social and urban development each city presents a quite specific profile which may even be regarded as a ‘type’.

The city of the Roman imperial period followed its own trajectory of development. A determining element in this transformation was the desire of the elites for self-display. The goal of this book is to analyse and develop a model of these features on the basis of a study of these two cities.