2022/2023 Lecture Series Event – The Spaces for Poor Relief in Late Antique Rome

Posted by seashoic on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 in Uncategorized.

The Department of Classical and Mediterranean Studies Lecture Series presents The Spaces for Poor Relief in Rome, a lecture by Gregor A. Kalas, Associate Professor of Architectural History and Rigsby director of the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This event will be held in 203 Cohen Memorial Hall on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 4:10pm with reception to follow the presentation. Free event parking will be available in Lot 95 by Cohen Memorial Hall in all non-reserved spaces.

This talk examines late antique and early medieval charitable hostels known as xenodochia and food distribution centers called diaconiae, which often re-used ancient public buildings. In seeking to explain why charities occupied civic architecture, this discussion explores evidence that sponsors of elite standing utilized public space while disavowing the ownership of these centers of assistance, thereby avoiding controversies over the individual possession of wealth.

This lecture is sponsored by the Department of Classical and Mediterranean Studies with co-sponsorship from the Department of History of Art and Architecture, the Department of Anthropology, the Department of History, and Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It is free and open to the public.