Local identities in the Greek East, and micro-level interactions between Greek and Roman cultures, are a fruitful subject in current literature, and a subject that continues to give: Longfellow's monograph, a revised and expanded version of her 2005 PhD thesis, deals with one tangible manifestation of ideologies and aspirations of local and imperial players, the nymphaeum or monumental civic fountain. Beside its obvious purpose as vital infrastructure and embellishment of a cityscape, the nymphaeum played a rôle that far transcended pipes, bricks and marble. It offered a public stage for civic patrons, urban communities and imperial authority, a place where honour and prestige could be traded. Since a comprehensive study of all examples of such a key feature of Roman cities would far exceed the scope of a monograph, L. focuses on nymphaea in Rome and the Greek world dedicated by or for the emperor (for the western part of the Empire, see now A. Schmölder-Veit, Brunnen in den Städten des westlichen römischen Reiches (2010)).
The study considers archaeological, epigraphic and numismatic evidence for such monuments. Its stated goal is not to establish typologies of the architecture, statues or portraits, but rather to address what L. perceives as an under-appreciated aspect: how did monumental fountains impact not only on the urban, but also on the social and cultural fabric of the community? How did they shape civic identities? To this end, she explores ‘the social, political, and cultural expectations embodied in monuments associated with emperors’ (5). This ambitious goal is fully achieved in this fine study.
The book proceeds in roughly chronological order, from Rome to the Greek East and back again. The limited number of case studies (some twenty monuments) allows for detailed discussions, each following more or less the same structure: archaeological remains; reconstruction, comparison and context; ideological significance. Each chapter ends with brief conclusions, which are recapitulated in the final chapter. Chs 1 and 2 deal with late republican and early imperial public fountains. One common type of monumental nymphaea, which would be replicated for centuries to come, was the ‘basilical’ type, a barrel-vaulted hall subdivided lengthwise by colonnades, with an apsidal niche at the far end. But already at this early date, there was a remarkable variety of designs and decorations. Another aspect, which L. emphasizes here (but less so in later chapters), is the religious connotations of fountains, as exemplified in the close tie between the Meta Sudans in the Colosseum valley and the cult of Apollo on the nearby Palatine.
Chs 3–5 deal with Greece and Asia Minor. In both areas the pivotal reign of Hadrian brought an unprecedented intensity and diversity of construction. In Greece, a monumental fountain had since Classical times typically consisted of a basin at the back wall of a short stoa. Such traditions were now combined and supplemented with new hydraulic technologies, curvilinear designs and lavish decorations. In Asia Minor (to which Antioch is mis-attributed here) the situation was different. Builders and benefactors could plug into long-standing traditions of locally-sponsored hydraulic displays and well-established designs. The result is a large variety of idiosyncratic monuments with little similarity to one another. Yet despite such striking disparities, L. rightly insists that through their designs and decorations, these nymphaea were in like manner striving ‘to extol the past glories of the Greek mythical, literary, and cultural heritage; the city's history and place in the Greek world; and the present-day benefits of Roman amenities’ (94), thanks to the largesse of emperors and local benefactors. The study of these monuments thus provides an insight into the mechanics of status, honour, competition and euergetism.
Lavish nymphaea were must-haves for every self-respecting city in the Greek East, just like baths, odea, city walls and colonnaded streets. Also the modules and décor elements of these monuments are virtually interchangeable: the same broken pediments, aedicular façades, and alternating round and rectangular niches. As a consequence, questions arise which to my mind deserve more consideration: how would the inhabitants perceive public fountains as opposed to other public monuments? Does it make a difference whether one has one's statue in the nymphaeum façade rather than in the agora, the baths or the theatre? What, if any, is the specific appeal and significance of nymphaea as opposed to these other urban armatures? This is, however, material for another day.
L.'s monograph is a well-structured and well-researched study relying on up-to-date literature (including a good number of items in Italian and German) and recent excavation results. Written in an approachable style that appeals to laymen and scholars, this study manages to throw new light on familiar monuments and to re-place them firmly in their original cultural context.
