Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 2004.

Zugl.: Berlin, Humboldt-Univ., Diss., 2004

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.

My dissertation investigates the production, representation and experience of space in Hellenistic urbanism, architecture, artworks. Considering festivals as spatialized practices, I argue that the Hellenistic urban setting was carefully designed as stages or arenas for the celebration and performance of state ceremonials. To this end, architects used symbolically charged design technologies, such as skenographia which was deeply informed by ancient optical science. I demonstrate that the perspectival developments in architecture, painting and sculpture were closely allied through application of skenographia, forming a unified visual discourse that was highly attentive to the eye of the spectator. I reconstruct the spatial practices in three major sites of Hellenistic Pergamon, namely, the sanctuary of Athena Nikephoros (bringer of Victory), the famous Altar of Zeus, and the sanctuary complex of the theater of Dionysus. Through these reconstructions, I demonstrate that the spatial order of the Hellenistic urban sanctuary facilitated Attalid kings’ appropriation of Pergamene urban setting as a constituent of their sovereign power. / text

The cities of Pergamon, Smyrna and Ephesus have caught the attention of many scholars throughout the world and many papers and studies have been written on their history. The focus for most of them have been the imperial cult and the status of the cities as neokoroi. Although this is an important part in the history of the three cities, these temples and the imperial cult is not the only time they have been influenced by the romans and their culture. This paper aims to explore the public identity of the cities trough the medium of coinage, and how their identity is influenced and changed by the introduction of the romans. By analysing iconography on coins from 200 BC-200 AD we get a more nuanced perspective on the relationship between the Romans and the three cities in question. Instead of seeing the imperial cult only as a product of the social and political landscape of the empire, we instead put them in a larger narrative of roman expansion and influence in the Greek east both before and during the republic. Trough Panofskys iconographical analysis method, the coins are placed in a historical, political, and cultural context that unlocks their full potential. By focusing on identity, the coins become representative of what the cities themselves choose to put forward and focus on. It shows the most important aspects of the local culture and what they think most represents the public life, which in turn shows us their public identity. This study determined that the introduction of the imperial cult during the first century AD was a culmination of a process that had started during the republic and the different ways the romans took control of the cities. It also determined that the different political and cultural situations that the cities found themselves during this 400-year period had a big part to play in how they adapted to the roman culture and the reign of the emperors.

This study provides an in depth analysis of three temples dedicated to emperors in Roman Asia (western Asia Minor): the Temple of Divine Rulers at Aphrodisias, the Temple of Divine Rulers at Ephesus and the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan at Pergamon. Focusing on each case study in a separate chapter, the project provides a brief introduction to each city's history and a detailed discussion of each temple's name, dating, patronage structure, architectural form, sculptural program, and the application techniques of sculptural and architectural details. The study proposes an understanding of these temples as key monuments of constantly changing dynamic urban landscapes rather than simple symbolic gestures towards the Roman emperors. Utilizing Kevin Lynch's terminology, the project suggests close links between each monument and the already existing urban elements of each individual city, further strengthening its overall urban image. These structures were essential to their urban contexts, and their meanings and functions were directly linked to the culture and history of each city. Finally, the project demonstrates that through their architectural designs and sculptural programs, each temple emphasized the perspectives of the local elite. The methodology of the project involves a careful study of the city plans, an analysis of context-specific local features and finally a consideration of multiple-viewer perceptions. This dissertation aims to provide an alternative model for later studies in Roman provincial art and architecture. / text

The diploma thesis deals with the personality of Robert Maxwell, his biography, his taking effect on the British media and political scene. The thesis follows also Maxwell's book distribution, founding its first publishing house and several newspapers which he owned. The thesis contains information not only about the Robert Maxwell's personality but also about the historical context his times in Great Britain and focuses on the historical aspect of the media field, business and politics.

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