Different Fates of Architectures

Abstract

This paper aims to problematize the issue of reuse and reoccupation of architectures and building materials in the Near East. So far, the vast majority of research and published work dealing with this topic (not only in the field of Islamic Archaeology and Art History) have focused on the monumental complexes of urban centres. In this framework, the concept of spolia has been at the centre of a long and still heated transdisciplinary debate. Vernacular architecture and rural contexts have, for the most part, been neglected. Frequent episodes of reoccupation of earlier structures, even if thoroughly described in archaeological reports are almost automatically branded as the result of pragmatic behaviour of local communities benefitting from the availability of abundant building materials from ruined structures. However, the vast number of ways in which reuse and reoccupation might have occurred is often overlooked. Even conceding that most of the evidence is likely due to some form or other of “pragmatism,” the different ways in which these appear need to be more fully explained and interpreted. This paper, which builds on existing scholarship of reuse and reoccupation, argues for a rethinking of the methodology. Other experiences, most notably those investigating the late Antique and early Medieval western Mediterranean, provide a useful point of reference for where to start the discussion. This paper will demonstrate how extending the perspective from the single building to the broader context, including the surrounding landscape, is ultimately the only way to fully comprehend the archaeological evidence and possibly better understand and explain the different “fates” of architectures.