The monuments of the medieval Mediterranean were beneficiaries of a considerable mobilization of knowledge. Construction techniques—especially approaches to structural geometry—were not simply the product of isolated local traditions; they were transmitted between far-flung coastlines, adapted to exploit the versatility of local materials, and flexed to generate a range of forms and spaces. A close look at the circulation and change of a particular constructional solution—the squinch dome—and its relationship to the geography of road networks, travel routes, and patronage on the Adriatic coast of Italy, hints at systemic links between the cosmopolitan repertoires of builders and the changing structures of Mediterranean trade.

Joseph Williams is the Phyllis W. G. Gordan/Lily Auchincloss/Samuel H. Kress Foundation Pre-Doctoral Rome Prize Fellow in Medieval Studies at the American Academy in Rome. He holds a PhD from the Department of Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University.

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