Memory and the urban environment: experiencing the streets of Severan Timgad

Urban landscapes in antiquity were not just physical spaces but also repositories of collective memory, shaped by both top-down planning and bottom-up practices. A study on Severan Timgad reveals how the city's grid plan, public buildings, and honorific inscriptions were deliberately staged to evoke a sense of continuity and development, reinforcing the urban environment as a living memory. Inhabitants further contributed to this memory through everyday interactions, demonstrating that memory was not solely an architectural or political construct but also a dynamic product of daily life. The research combines spatial analysis with epigraphic evidence to illustrate how Timgad's streets served as both a stage for imperial propaganda and a canvas for communal identity.

Lamare, N. (2022). Memory and the urban environment: experiencing the streets of Severan Timgad. Libyan Studies, 53, 129–141. https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2022.12