Two Reused "Blattkelch" Capitals from Patara. An Example of Reuse in the 2nd Century AD in the Context of the Building Activities in and around the Nero Bath

Abstract

During the excavations of the last few years in the so-called Nero bath in Patara, two Blattkelch capitals were found, which gave reasons to the following article. These two capitals were created in the early Roman Imperial Period, although they were not used in the bath until the 2nd century AD. They, and another six that have now disappeared, crowned columns of breccia marble in the frigidarium of the bath mentioned above, which was added around the middle of the 2nd century AD. It was therefore clear to us that this was a practice of reuse in the Roman Imperial Period. This phenomenon, the reuse of architectural elements in that time, has been little studied so far, in contrast to late antiquity and later periods. Although it was relatively easy to determine the reuse in this case of Patara, it is hardly possible to make any statements about the interpretation of its meaning. In this respect, it can only be hoped that more research will increase in the future. The following essay should serve as a contribution to such research.