Roman Baths at Antiochia ad Cragum: A Preliminary Evaluation of Bath Architecture as Social Signals in the Ancient Mediterranean World

In Rough Cilicia, monumental public architecture was built in the initial phase of the social and political formation of Asia Minor into the Roman Empire during the Imperial Period. As bathing complexes are the most abundant and diverse types of architecture in this region, it would be beneficial to analyze the role of the baths along with their importance in this new Greco-Roman society. This study will focus on two baths at the site of Antiochia ad Cragum, seating this effort in multi-level signaling theory to understand local scale patterning and revised world systems theory to understand regional scale patterning. By studying the monumental bath architecture as an example of the operation of the state, this research will highlight how the cities signaled their support to Rome and the rest of the empire. This attempt was likely utilized by cities in order to recruit citizens to the region and garner support from Rome. Overall, the relationship between the core of Rome and the periphery province of Rough Cilicia was a complicated one in which both sides had to balance social and political powers. A study of the bathing complex within Antiochia ad Cragum will help determine the overall role of bathing complexes in Rough Cilicia, which, in turn, will ultimately add to the knowledge of the complex relationship between the core, that of Rome, and the periphery, that of southwestern Turkey. Advisor: LuAnn Wandsnide