PAINTERS & DECORATORS IN THE ROMAN ARMY TECTORES ET PICTORES

Researchers have known for some time that, although Roman military bases were predominantly functional, there was often an aesthetic element. The army are acknowledged to have been expert builders, but the fact that they frequently decorated their accommodation with wall paintings and colourful tiled flooring is sometimes forgotten. So, who exactly provided these decorative components?

By Duncan B Campbell

Three main Roman roads cut across Egypt’s desert from the Nile to the Red Sea. During the first and second centuries AD, each was dotted with military installations of various types. The so-called praesidium of Deir el-Atrash is one of these, situated on the northern route past the quarries at Mons Porphyrites. The roughly 50-metre-squared fortification with an annexe of a similar size attached to one side resembles the fortlets of the western provinces, except that the internal buildings cluster around the ramparts leaving space for a central well. The single gateway was originally flanked by projecting towers, but when the site was reoccupied in the Byzantine period, these were enclosed within new, more robust quadrangular towers. Recent excavation has shown that the original towers were preserved inside the Byzantine…

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Ancient Warfare (Digital) - 1 Issue, AW XVI.6

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