Final Report Summary - THEATRICALITY (The Antitheatrical Prejudice: Roman Ban on Permanent Theater and the Triumph of Pompey)
My project “theatricality” analysed Republican Roman ban on the permanent theatre with an interdisciplinary method and within a global context. The existing literature building on literary sources in Rome, presents the ban as a consequence of an antagonism between the two kinds of Roman elites and the masses. Reading theatrical space and dramatic literature with a performative method and interpreting the results within a global Hellenistic context, my work presented the Roman ban on the permanent theatre as a symptom of an ongoing power struggle between the two kinds of Roman elites, the Roman senate and the powerful political actors like Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.
There existed no remaining theaters in Rome from the Republican period. Therefore, I have carried out research at Roman theatres from the Republican period in South Italy and Sicily. I first hand observed the architectural spaces of these theatres. I also studied archaeological reports to decipher their transformation from the Republican period until Imperial Age. I have also participated in a workshop where I observed first-hand the spatial dynamics between actors and chorus. These material helped me to verify my initial hypotheses, that 1) Diminishing size of the orkhestra, the communal dancing ground, corresponded to the diminishing power of the chorus (community)/democratic institution and increasing grandeur of the stage building indicated to the increased power of actors/political actors. 2) In each Hellenistic/Roman city state the power balance between the opposing poles of community and political actors was reflected in the size of the scenic space versus the shape and the materials of the stage.
The results of this research “Anti-theatrical Prejudice: The Roman Ban on Permanent Theatre and the Triumph of Pompey” has been presented in various conferences and finalized in the form of a research article with the same name. Since this research connects the evolution of Greco-Roman theatrical space with political transformation, i.e. that of transition from democracy to monarchy and from Roman Republic to Empire; its message is still valid vis-à-vis contemporary media studies and dynamics of civil society. As a cross fertilization between the disciplines of archaeology, history and media studies this research make the Roman archaeological and historical material of interest to broad audiences. While this broad focus is an advantage to reach wider audiences, it creates difficulties in scholarly publishing. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, I have difficulty in finding the right journal to publish this work. I have previously submitted this article to Oxford Journal of Archaeology and it has recently been returned. The submitted manuscript is attached as a supplementary document. Soon, I will re-submit it to another journal.
This research has been originally planned to have a follow-up section which would become a book together with the article “Antitheatrical prejudice.” This plan however could not be realized due to my full-time teaching load that continued throughout four year period not allowing for an uninterrupted research time. Some delay has also been caused by the transfer of the project from Kemerburgaz University to Kadir Has University, which took more than a year.
Since above described work was theoretically and methodologically tied to my dissertation research, the editing of my dissertation as a book has been carried out parallel to the research on the Antitheatrical prejudice. I have recently completed the editing of my dissertation research into a book manuscript. In the meantime, my research assistant completed the production of 3-d architectural imagery. The manuscript of "The City Behind Theater: On Looking into Hellenistic Pergamon" has been attached to the current report. I sent the manuscript to Beatrice Rehl, the editor of the University of Cambridge Press. I am expecting to hear from the reviewers by May 2019.
I have also completed the shooting of the short documentary “Looking into Hellenistic Pergamon.” This movie, which we completed in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Serdar Yılmaz conveys the main idea of my book in a visual form. It demonstrates, within the remains of ancient Pergamon, how the theatrical space and festival celebrations of the Hellenistic cities were appropriated by the Hellenistic kings. The visuals of my book and the movie complement each other and they are novel aspects of my research transferring my background in the field of architecture and visual culture into the fields of archaeology and architectural history. With its moving imagery, this movie is critical to promote my book to broader audiences. Since nowadays the reading culture is becoming increasingly replaced by a visual culture, I believe the dissemination of my research by means of this short documentary will be faster and more effective. The movie is accessible from the following link.
https://youtu.be/8YT81A5ESGQ
In the meantime, I have transited into a better academic institution, Kadir Has University. My reception of Marie Curie Career Integration Grant played a significant role in my transfer to Kadir Has University. Previously, at Kemerburgaz University I have been teaching in the Interior Architecture Program and I have also been teaching outside my field of speciality. At Kadir Has University, I have been hired in the architecture department and appropriate to my field of specialization, I only teach architectural history courses. This allows more time for my research activities and also a more direct overlap between teaching and research duties. I have been hired as Kadir Has University provides a secure base to develop my career as an architectural historian.
Publishing of my previously completed research on Asklepios sanctuaries were also included within the timeframe of Career Integration grant. Throughout the duration of four year project period, I have written and re-written two different versions of my draft titled “Travelling Objects. Ancient and Modern.” I have submitted this articles “Architecture as Gift: Tactility, Otherness and Healing Magic,” and "Architecture and Healing Magic: Pilgrimage to the Roman Sanctuary of Asklepios at Kos," to two different journals, Journal of Material Culture and Architectural Histories. In both instances, the article got rejected after double-reviews. Attached is the version titled "Architecture and Healing Magic." While I was continually working on the theoretical framework of this manuscript, its bibliography became outdated in the four year period, which requires further revision for re-submission. Happily, I was able to publish the results of another short project “The Story of My Desk” included in the Grant Proposal. “Counter: Design of a Body Conscious Study Desk” has been published in Aurum Journal of Social Sciences. I will continue my attempts at publishing unpublished material produced throughout four year research period.
There existed no remaining theaters in Rome from the Republican period. Therefore, I have carried out research at Roman theatres from the Republican period in South Italy and Sicily. I first hand observed the architectural spaces of these theatres. I also studied archaeological reports to decipher their transformation from the Republican period until Imperial Age. I have also participated in a workshop where I observed first-hand the spatial dynamics between actors and chorus. These material helped me to verify my initial hypotheses, that 1) Diminishing size of the orkhestra, the communal dancing ground, corresponded to the diminishing power of the chorus (community)/democratic institution and increasing grandeur of the stage building indicated to the increased power of actors/political actors. 2) In each Hellenistic/Roman city state the power balance between the opposing poles of community and political actors was reflected in the size of the scenic space versus the shape and the materials of the stage.
The results of this research “Anti-theatrical Prejudice: The Roman Ban on Permanent Theatre and the Triumph of Pompey” has been presented in various conferences and finalized in the form of a research article with the same name. Since this research connects the evolution of Greco-Roman theatrical space with political transformation, i.e. that of transition from democracy to monarchy and from Roman Republic to Empire; its message is still valid vis-à-vis contemporary media studies and dynamics of civil society. As a cross fertilization between the disciplines of archaeology, history and media studies this research make the Roman archaeological and historical material of interest to broad audiences. While this broad focus is an advantage to reach wider audiences, it creates difficulties in scholarly publishing. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, I have difficulty in finding the right journal to publish this work. I have previously submitted this article to Oxford Journal of Archaeology and it has recently been returned. The submitted manuscript is attached as a supplementary document. Soon, I will re-submit it to another journal.
This research has been originally planned to have a follow-up section which would become a book together with the article “Antitheatrical prejudice.” This plan however could not be realized due to my full-time teaching load that continued throughout four year period not allowing for an uninterrupted research time. Some delay has also been caused by the transfer of the project from Kemerburgaz University to Kadir Has University, which took more than a year.
Since above described work was theoretically and methodologically tied to my dissertation research, the editing of my dissertation as a book has been carried out parallel to the research on the Antitheatrical prejudice. I have recently completed the editing of my dissertation research into a book manuscript. In the meantime, my research assistant completed the production of 3-d architectural imagery. The manuscript of "The City Behind Theater: On Looking into Hellenistic Pergamon" has been attached to the current report. I sent the manuscript to Beatrice Rehl, the editor of the University of Cambridge Press. I am expecting to hear from the reviewers by May 2019.
I have also completed the shooting of the short documentary “Looking into Hellenistic Pergamon.” This movie, which we completed in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Serdar Yılmaz conveys the main idea of my book in a visual form. It demonstrates, within the remains of ancient Pergamon, how the theatrical space and festival celebrations of the Hellenistic cities were appropriated by the Hellenistic kings. The visuals of my book and the movie complement each other and they are novel aspects of my research transferring my background in the field of architecture and visual culture into the fields of archaeology and architectural history. With its moving imagery, this movie is critical to promote my book to broader audiences. Since nowadays the reading culture is becoming increasingly replaced by a visual culture, I believe the dissemination of my research by means of this short documentary will be faster and more effective. The movie is accessible from the following link.
https://youtu.be/8YT81A5ESGQ
In the meantime, I have transited into a better academic institution, Kadir Has University. My reception of Marie Curie Career Integration Grant played a significant role in my transfer to Kadir Has University. Previously, at Kemerburgaz University I have been teaching in the Interior Architecture Program and I have also been teaching outside my field of speciality. At Kadir Has University, I have been hired in the architecture department and appropriate to my field of specialization, I only teach architectural history courses. This allows more time for my research activities and also a more direct overlap between teaching and research duties. I have been hired as Kadir Has University provides a secure base to develop my career as an architectural historian.
Publishing of my previously completed research on Asklepios sanctuaries were also included within the timeframe of Career Integration grant. Throughout the duration of four year project period, I have written and re-written two different versions of my draft titled “Travelling Objects. Ancient and Modern.” I have submitted this articles “Architecture as Gift: Tactility, Otherness and Healing Magic,” and "Architecture and Healing Magic: Pilgrimage to the Roman Sanctuary of Asklepios at Kos," to two different journals, Journal of Material Culture and Architectural Histories. In both instances, the article got rejected after double-reviews. Attached is the version titled "Architecture and Healing Magic." While I was continually working on the theoretical framework of this manuscript, its bibliography became outdated in the four year period, which requires further revision for re-submission. Happily, I was able to publish the results of another short project “The Story of My Desk” included in the Grant Proposal. “Counter: Design of a Body Conscious Study Desk” has been published in Aurum Journal of Social Sciences. I will continue my attempts at publishing unpublished material produced throughout four year research period.