The Civil Basilica

The volume presents the results of a decade of field research on the Civil Basilica at Aphrodisias – a huge public building built in the late first century AD. Aphrodisias is a premier site in the field of Roman archaeology for what it tells us about a Greek city in the eastern Roman world. The Basilica occupied three city blocks and was the largest fully-enclosed public space in the town center. Its architectural design displays a distinctive combination of both Greek and Roman aspects. Later in its history, the building may have served as the seat of Roman provincial administration when Aphrodisias became the capital of its province in the mid-late third century AD. It was in use down to the mid-sixth century AD. The book contains a detailed account of the Basilica's well-preserved architectural remains and is illustrated with over a hundred drawings by the author. The reconstruction of Diocletian’s Edict of Maximum Prices inscribed on the Basilica's North Facade (pieced together in collaboration with Michael Crawford) makes it possible to analyze the well-documented display context of this famous monument of ancient public writing. The Basilica is also set in the context of several similar buildings in Asia Minor that together constitute a distinct regional form of the Roman basilica. There is a summary in Turkish, and appendices describe the excavation, ceramics, and building inscriptions.