Professur für Mittelalterliche Geschichte (Späteres Mittelalter) Promotionsprojekt Federica Cosenza

The PhD project “Bobacterii et Mercatores in Late Medieval Rome: Topography and Epigraphy” focuses on two key professional guilds: the bobacterii (landowners and agricultural entrepreneurs) and the mercatores (merchants and financiers). These guilds were selected not only for their prominent economic role in Rome but also for their political influence and the remarkable social and economic advancement experienced by many families associated with them between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

This research takes a new approach by analysing these families through sources and artifacts that reveal their practices of self-representation. The central question is whether Romans themselves recognized their belonging to a middle social group, distinct from but akin to the Barones Urbis (the Roman high nobility). From this perspective, the study examines how these families constructed their identity—whether as a collective, individuals, or family units—to shape their public image.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, the research integrates archival records, epigraphy, and architectural evidence to investigate three key aspects of family identity and self-representation: the domus magna – the primary residence, symbolizing family stability and prestige within the urban landscape; the family chapel – a funerary space reinforcing the family's status and unity; epigraphy and status symbols – visual tools that conveyed social identity and belonging.

While these elements are not new to historical analysis, a deeper exploration of patronage practices reveals significant insights. Despite their relatively modest scale, especially in terms of topographical influence, the residential, epigraphic, and funerary commissions of these guild families played a crucial role in shaping Rome’s urban and social landscape. Their patronage influenced not only residential spaces but also burial topography and interior layouts of ecclesiastical structures, the influence of the nobility and ecclesiastical elite, and demonstrating their strategic efforts to assert social status.