Restricted Area or Space of Interaction between Emperor and Civitas? Degrees of Accessibility to the Imperial Residence in Trier

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To date, there are competing theses on the spatial relationship between late antique palace areas and their urban network, ranging from visibly restriced areas to imperial buildings that are open to the public. Trier serves as a case study to investigate the designed street lay-out between the palace area and its urban environment. This sheds light on communication practices between the imperial authority and the population within the urban fabric.The aim is to better understand whether the late antique palace complex was connected or separated from the surrounding city by streets and squares. In terms of structural modifications, re-use of buildings, streets, and squares, fundamental changes in accessibility and function of this quarter are analysed from the 1st to the end of the 4th century.The model developed on Trier will be compared with the tetrarchic residences in Milan and Thessaloniki. The case-specific situation in Trier will then be further developed into a structural model that takes into account the respective topographical and historical circumstances in order to contrast similarities with differences in the construction programs. The results illuminate changing concepts of rulership from the Roman Imperial Period to Late Antiquity. While former historical and archaeological research mainly focussed on individual monuments or ensembles this new approach broadens our understanding of late antique residences by embedding imperial architecture in its urban network.