Late antique paintings in Naissus : Historical, social and archaeological context

Abstract

The frescoes in public and private buildings testify to the importance of this kind of decoration in the Constantinian and post-Constantinian city of Naissus and its surroundings. Archaeological research established the fact that painted walls could be found in representative buildings within the Late Antique fortified city of Naissus and the economic-distributive centre with villas of rich citizens in the vicinity of the city, in the suburbium identified as Mediana. The problem regarding the workshops which made the frescos in the 4th century and later periods remains open since parallels can be found in a wider Balkans region, but also in important cultural centres of the eastern and western provinces of the Roman Empire.