Book

City Gates in the Roman West: Forms and functions

This publication by Cornelis van Tilburg, will be published at Sidestone Press on September 28, 2022. It discusses various aspects of city gates in the Western Roman Empire: Italy, Spain, Gaul, Germany and Britain.

Author: Cornelis van Tilburg
Date: 15 September 2022

In these countries many Roman city gates are to be found, sometimes still in a good condition, like the Porta Nigra in Trier and the Porta Appia in Rome. Similarly to medieval or early-modern city gates, Roman city gates did not all have the same design, but show an evolution over time and depending on the circumstances, sometimes they appear as simple passages, sometimes as impressively monumental complexes. But city gates had more functions than being a part of the city defence system and the road infrastructure. In many cases, they played a role in the supply of drinking water and the removal of waste water. Furthermore they were connected to social and magico-religious aspects of city life.