Spolia: Image and History

– A Note on Historical Materialism

Spolia are elements of a structure—be it a building or work of art—that were not created for this purpose, meaning they were taken from a different context and put into a new one.

A building that makes use of spolia is, in this respect, heterogeneous. It displays a historical rupture. Spolia are enduring. Spolia are materials that persist into the present despite structural change. Metaphorically speaking, spolia are memories contained in material.