Cookies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue.

Department of Classics and Ancient History

Staff

Publication details for Dr Edmund Thomas

Thomas, Edmund (2007). Metaphor and identity in Severan architecture: the Septizodium between reality and fantasy. In Severan Culture. Swain, Simon, Harrison, Stephen & Elsner, Jas Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 327-367.
  • Publication type: Essays in edited volumes
  • ISSN/ISBN: 9780521859820
  • View online: Online version
  • Durham research online: DRO record

Author(s) from Durham

Abstract

The Septizodium in Rome is here interpreted metaphorically as a statement of Septimius Severus’s African identity, designed to greet his return from Africa in 203. A re-interpretation of sixteenth-century drawings and the Severan marble plan suggests that the building was longer than is usually supposed, extending over seven bays with a central entranceway leading to the imperial palace.