Art, identity, and the home in the Roman world

This thesis looks at the role of the Roman house, including the structure as well as the art and artefacts found in it, in the construction of a public Roman identity. The thesis aims to test the widely held view that the art of the Roman home can reveal the identity of the homeowner. Literary evidence is investigated for Roman attitudes towards their own identity with specific reference to the roles of art and the home in the construction and projection of that identity. In conjunction with this is an examination of the material evidence presented by a number of houses from the Insula of the Menander at Pompeii. By exploring these two bodies of evidence this thesis will attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the role domestic art played in the creation of a public identity in the Roman world.