Since the summer, I’ve started work (after successfully passing my dissertation proposal in my department) on my dissertation! Tentatively entitled, “Water-Display and Meaning in the High Roman Empire,” I hope to answer the question of why the Romans display water in the ways that they do. The dissertation will use archaeological evidence to elucidate trends in water-display across the empire, in addition to examining the ancient terminology associated with water-display and the ancient Roman perceptions of water, both of which will aid in a better understanding of the reasons for Roman water-display.

Pictured above is a statue of Oceanus, from Ephesus, 2nd century CE, now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.