Already in antiquity, numerous harbour cities lined the Mediterranean Sea. The mare nos-trum, as it was called by the Romans, was a dynamic space for communication. Not only did consumer and luxury goods find their way across the sea but also troops, equipment, and trav-elers, and for a variety of reasons. The latest news, philosophical constructs, scientific find-ings, as well as cultural and technical innovations also spread in this way. And last but not least, self-presentations were transmitted – of both persons and cities. In a kind of "city brand-ing," cities in the classical Mediterranean tried to consolidate or improve their status in the Roman Empire. Port facilities offered opportunities to cities in two respects: they could serve as a space for communication as well as a visual showpiece, a "façade maritime." In a juxta-position of seven harbour cities of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, this dissertation investigates whether and to what degree these opportunities were used by cities to compete for status in the Early Roman Empire.weiterlesen