Ritualising the dead : decorated marble cinerary memorials in the context of early Imperial culture and art
This thesis explores the imagery of funerary ritual that expresses the commemoration of both the living and the dead in the art of the marble cinerary memorials of the early Empire. This group of objects includes decorated marble artefacts associated with cremation burial between the Augustan period and the reign of Antoninus Pius: ash chests (or cineraria); ash altars and grave altars (with or without ash cavities); as well as round urns and vase-shaped urns. The iconography chosen for cinerary memorials by individuals in the early Empire reflects those individualsâ concerns to remember families and friends and in turn to be remembered. This research approaches the analysis of funerary iconography holistically as embedded in its contemporary culture, as opposed to the focus on the art of various sub-cultures of Roman society, seen in recent scholarship. Items with adequate ancient provenance are used to create a sample dataset that represents individuals that belong to a middle to high income-group of society, individuals that are united through their ability to pay and commission these memorials, rather than by class. The epigraphic material, studied alongside the tomb analysis, indicates that this socio-economic
Mowat, Fiona Anne
archaeology ; Roman ; death art ; memorials ; funerary cult ; funerary ritual ; iconography ; society ; cultural norms
Ritualising the dead : decorated marble cinerary memorials in the context of early Imperial culture and art. This thesis explores the imagery of funerary ritual that expresses the commemoration of both the living and the dead in the art of the marble cinerary memorials of the early Empire. This group of objects includes decorated marble artefacts associated with cremation burial between the Augustan period and the reign of Antoninus Pius: ash chests (or cineraria); ash altars and grave altars (with or without ash cavities); as well as round urns and vase-shaped urns. The iconography chosen for cinerary memorials by individuals in the early Empire reflects those individualsâ concerns to remember families and friends and in turn to be remembered. This research approaches the analysis of funerary iconography holistically as embedded in its contemporary culture, as opposed to the focus on the art of various sub-cultures of Roman society, seen in recent scholarship. Items with adequate ancient provenance are used to create a sample dataset that represents individuals that belong to a middle to high income-group of society, individuals that are united through their ability to pay and commission these memorials, rather than by class. The epigraphic material, studied alongside the tomb analysis, indicates that this socio-economic
dead decorate marble memorial context early_imperial culture art explores imagery funerary_ritual express commemoration live_dead art marble memorial early_empire group object include decorate marble artefact associate cremation_burial augustan period reign ash ash altar grave altar without ash well round vase shaped urn iconography choose memorial individual early_empire reflect individual concern remember family friends turn remember approach analysis funerary iconography holistically embed contemporary culture oppose focus art various sub cultures roman_society see recent_scholarship adequate ancient provenance use create sample dataset represent individual belong middle high income group society individual united ability pay commission memorial rather class epigraphic_material study alongside tomb analysis_indicate socio_economic