Prof. Sophie Crawford-Brown publishes new book on Religious Architecture and Roman Expansion

Congratulations to Dr. Sophie Crawford-Brown, Assistant Professor of Art History and Director of the Program in Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations, on the release of her new book Religious Architecture and Roman Expansion: Temples, Terracottas, and the Shaping of Identity, 3rd-1st c. BCE (Cambridge University Press).

Dr. Crawford-Brown's new book uses architectural terracottas as a lens for examining the changing landscape of central Italy during the period of Roman military expansion, and for asking how local communities reacted to this new political reality. It emphasizes the role of local networks and exchange in the creation of communal identity, as well as the power of visual expression in the formulation and promotion of local history. Through detailed analyses of temple terracottas, Dr. Crawford-Brown sheds new light on 'Romanization' and colonization processes between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE.  She investigates the interactions between colonies and indigenous communities, asking why conquerors might visually emulate the conquered, and what this can mean for power relations in colonial situations. Finally, Dr. Crawford-Brown explores the role of objects in creating cultural memory and the intensity of our need for collective history-even when that 'history' has been largely invented.

Religious Architecture and Roman Expansion is currently released in the UK and will be coming out soon in the US next month.

Sophie Crawford-Brown’s research centers on the art and archaeology of Republican and Early Imperial Italy, using material culture as a lens for addressing broader historical problems such as colonization processes, cross-cultural interaction, and the transition from Republic to Empire.