Spoila
Spoila is a term mostly used in archaeology and art history. Spoila in arts describes the reuse of architectural and structural elements from earlier buildings to build more recent buildings. Mostly, the Greek and Roman architectural sculptures were reused to construct the early Christian and medieval structures. The occurrence of spoila mostly happens due to two main reasons: one is that there is the availability of unused, abandoned, and old structures that provide essential sources for cutting slabs and shaping new building materials for new construction (Hall Heinrich). The convenient availability of materials makes it easier to source out spoila. Secondly, is the need to use old structures for aesthetic and impressive carvings. Ideologically, spoilas are also made to convey meaning by reusing denigrated structures to make them more meaningful in the new structures. Sometimes the material structures are used to reinterpret the previous meaning of structure to a new one. Thus, spoila was mostly used as a stylistic choice or as a form of non-verbal communication to an audience (Grzesiak Larissa). In the early days, churches were known to use spoila, which communicated deep messages about Christian identity.
Spoila practice was most common during the late antiquity period. During this time, structures were demolished to allow the construction of others. Such examples were the two churches of Worcester, one that existed in the 7th century and the other in the 10th century, both demolished and their stones used to St. Wulstan, a cathedral in 1084. The arch of Janus was reused on the arch of Constantine, the colonnade of old St. Peter’s basilica (“Spoila”). Another example is the 15th-century castle of the knights in Turkey, made from reused pieces of the 4th century BC mausoleum.
Without measure, spoila has changed the significance of artwork to which it is applied. Artwork has now become deeper content for communicating messages to a new audience. It is a form of preservation of the message that people are reminded every day from the sculptures and structures. This makes a group identify with the individuals that existed there before. Spoila is also a reminder of the extent of human imagination and creativity and how those efforts have grown through the ages. Artists, poets, or writers learn and make their creations from the works of those before them; therefore, spoila is also a representation of artistic evolution in history.
Work cited
Hall Heinrich. Spoila-recycling the past. Peter Sommer travels.2013. Retrieved from https://www.petersommer.com/blog/archaeology-history/spolia
Grzesiak Larissa. Beyond reuse: Spoila’s implications in the early Christian church. The University of British Columbia. 2011. Retrieved from https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0071815
Spoila. Wikiwand. Retrieved from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Spolia