Conference Paper

This contribution will examine the role(s) the extra-urban space played in the human and divine landscape of ancient cities. Commonly defined as pro-asteion or pro-polis in the Greek world, and suburbium or peri-urban area in Roman examples, the emphasis has been all too strongly on the dichotomy between urban and non-urban, highlighting a landscape that is falling short of urban elements. By introducing the idea of the urban borderscape, this paper will turn its attention to the active role the extra-urban played, and explore agency, interaction and experiences within that borderscape. Drawing from archaeological and epigraphic data from the Greco-Roman world, this paper aims to illustrate that the extra-urban was not distant at all, but a multifaceted space full of interaction, fulfilling a crucial and unique role in the wider urban landscape.