This book examines house types from Britain to Syria to disclose how people imagined and articulated their place in the Roman world. Shelly Hales considers the nature and role of domestic
decoration and its part in promoting social identities. From the Egyptian themes of imperial residences in Italy, to the viticultural designs found in the rock-cut homes in Petra, this
decoration consistently appeals to fantasies beyond the immediate realities of their inhabitants. Employing a wide range of approaches to the study of the house and acculturation in the Roman
Empire, Hales' book is the first synthesis of Roman domestic architecture.
