Bathing on the edge of empire : local variation and regional adaptation in the late Roman military bathhouses of Arabia/Palaestina
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[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This dissertation examines the evidence for Roman military baths in the provinces of Arabia and Syria Palaestina dating from the late 2nd-5th c. C.E., and their place within the regional, socio-political, economic, and cultural contexts. The goals of the current project are three-fold: First, it considers long-held scholarly interpretations and assumptions regarding the role of baths in acculturating indigenous, non-Roman peoples and uses ancient epigraphic evidence, architectural remains, building materials, technological advancements, and decorative elements to test these ideas. Second, it identifies local influences and regional variations in military bathhouses from Arabia/Palaestina during the Late Roman and Early Byzantine periods, while further considering officers and other high-ranking military administrators as patrons of bath construction. Third and finally, it reassesses the function of these baths in service of the army and attempts to understand their multi-faceted use as both utilitarian structures and symbols of imperial power.
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