Du culte aux sanctuaires : l'architecture religieuse dans l'Afrique romaine et byzantine : actes du colloque, 18-19 avril 2013, Paris, Fondation Simone et Cino del Duca : organisé dans le cadre des laboratoires d'excellence Resmed et TransferS

Includes bibliographical references.

The publication of this colloquium takes stock of a great wealth of new information as well as more intricate details of sanctuaries as they affect the core of African society in all its complexity. The volume presents a diachronic view of Africa in the Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic periods, with a wide geographic scope ranging from Western Mauretania to Cyrenaica. The continuity of religious life in the sanctuaries is the subject of close examination, illuminated by the findings of new excavations, techniques, and more precise perspectives. The book also features previously unpublished data on the permanence of cultic traditions, many dating back to the pre-Roman period and sometimes extending to late Islamic periods.

Cultural practices are also a fundamental element, explored by experts of diverse disciplines. While architectural analysis of the sanctuaries remains the central disciplinary approach, this book also highlights other promising issues, such as the investigation of gardens that adorned the sanctuaries and aspects of decor that have been neglected. The end of Antiquity, with the development of Christian architecture extending to rural Africa, and the emergence of the first Islamic monuments, closes this volume. In sum, this book provides an updated vision of many aspects of a field in constant renewal. [Publisher's text]

Proceedings.