Rome Transformed: The Eastern Caelian from the Principate of Augustus to the Pontificate of Leo III

Over eight centuries, from the principate of Augustus to the pontificate of Leo III, the eastern Caelian and its environs went from being on the margins of the imperial city to becoming the centre of papal power. This volume is the first to examine the multiple changes and innovations that marked the area’s evolution from a classical to a late antique city. It brings together findings from the Rome Transformed Project alongside contributions from other specialist collaborators to illuminate and contextualise evidence of political, religious, military, and economic life.

Drawing on archival, archaeological, environmental, and geophysical analyses produced for Rome Transformed, this book shows that far from being peripheral to the story of the city, this area—much of which lay beyond the pomerium—was shaped by influential episodes of lavish investment and remarkable creativity. The built landscape of south-east Rome was not simply reshaped by new ideas about power, belief, and security; it became a formative place where such ideas were generated, interwoven, and promoted.

Exploring these ideas is not simply a matter of studying imperial intervention; it also involves deepening our understanding of the lives of the diverse people who lived here. Making extensive use of the ‘provocation’ visualisations created by the Rome Transformed Project, this volume invites us to reflect on the buildings and spaces encountered by successive generations of inhabitants and visitors in their daily lives.

The Rome Transformed Project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under H2020-EU.1.1., the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No.: 835271)