Remodeling or Remembering? Negotiating the Past in Gladiatorial Spaces in the Eastern Roman Imperial ProvincestextMoss, Kelly Anncreatorvan Dommelen, PeterAdvisorBestock, LaurelReaderBrown University. Department of Archaeology and the Ancient Worldsponsor2020iv, 43 p.born digitalThesis (A. M.)--Brown University, 2020thesesAmphitheaters like the Colosseum have long since stood as a symbol for Rome, Italy, and travel in the modern western world – appearing on post cards and key chains. By extension amphitheaters have come to symbolize the power of Rome, gladiators, and entertainment. I argue that the amphitheater stood as a symbol for Rome in the ancient world as it does in the modern and that adapted theaters and stadia functioned alongside amphitheaters to introduce the imperial cult via the use of both Greek and Roman memory in order to create a dynamic multicultural community that was Roman, Greek, and local. Canonized amphitheaters similar to the Flavian Amphitheater referenced Rome architecturally and assisted in solidifying imperial control in provincial towns like Corinth. Roman adaptations to Greek religious spaces, like the inclusion of the parapet wall to the Theater of Dionysus in Athens, illustrate that the Greek memory of these spaces was utilized by the Romans and the Greeks alike to fit the imperial cult into Greek culture. By contrast, the construction of new amphitheaters could indicate the erasure of Greek memory. Architectural adaptations in theaters and stadia incorporated the imperial cult into the Greek religious landscape while legitimizing the emperor via the attendance of non-Romans at imperial cult spectacles. Epigraphical evidence also demonstrates a connection between the heroization of gladiators and that of Greek athletes and mythical heroes. This could suggest that stadia and theaters were adapted because they were appropriate spaces for religious spectacles in Greek memory. Through gladiatorial architecture, Roman administration partially relied on religion and spectacle to maintain control in the provinces. Gladiatorial spectacles became multilayered cultural events, meaningful to locals and Romans alike, that both adhered to Greek traditions and reinforced imperial control. This thesis pushes memory studies in the eastern Mediterranean further by incorporating local memory into both imperial cult studies and gladiatorial architecture studies.MemoryCollective memoryGreek archaeologyArchitectureDisaster SpectaclesRoman archaeologyRoman GreeceImperial cultGladiatorsMaterialityEnglishRPB20200720In CopyrightCollection is open for research.10.26300/d69a-ec76