Coastal Nuances
A Study of the Divergences and Similarities between the Roman Cities of Tel Dor and Caesarea Maritima through the Analysis of their Material Culture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/1984-249X_36_11Keywords:
Tel Dor, Caesarea Marítima, port archaeology, Roman Palestine, comparative analysisAbstract
This article presents a comparative analysis of the port landscapes of the Roman cities of Tel Dor and Caesarea Maritima, located on the Levantine coast, based on archaeological, architectural, and numismatic data. Through an integrated approach combining port archaeology and landscape archaeology, it discusses how geographical, technological, and political factors shaped different expressions of the relationship between city and sea. Tel Dor, with its natural anchorages in use since the Bronze Age, demonstrates the continuity of local building traditions and the adaptation of maritime practices under Roman rule. Caesarea Maritima, in turn, marked by the monumentality of Sebastos Harbor, exemplifies the political and symbolic instrumentalization of Herodian architecture. The application of the concepts of boundary and middle ground to port contexts reveals these areas as spaces of cultural mediation, where local and imperial dynamics intersect. By understanding ports as constitutive elements of the landscape, rather than merely functional structures, this study highlights the diversity of regional responses to Roman power and reinforces the importance of landscape archaeology for interpreting sociocultural interactions in the ancient Mediterranean.
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