This thesis examines the changing meaning and conceptualisation of the city boundary of Rome, from the late republic and imperial periods into late antiquity.
It is my aim in this study to present a range of archaeological and historical material from three areas of interest: the historical development of the city boundary, from the pomerium to the Aurelian wall, change and continuity in the ritual activities associated with the border, and the reasons for the shift in burial topography in the fifth century AD. I propose that each of these three subject areas will demonstrate the wide range of restrictions and associations made with the city boundary of Rome, and will note in particular instances of continuity into late antiquity. It is shown that there is a great degree of continuity in the behaviours of the inhabitants of Rome with regard to the conceptualisation of their city boundary. The wider proposal made during the course of this study, is that the fifth century was significant in the development of Rome – archaeologically, historically, and conceptually – but not for the reasons that are traditionally given. I have pushed back against the idea that this era was defined by its turbulence, and have constructed an argument that highlights the vast inheritance of the city of Rome that is so often ignored in discussions of the fifth century
