Gallienus, soldatkeiseren med størst betydning for kunsthistorien

Festskrift til Johan Henrik Schreine

Antikke samfunn i krig og fred

Festskrift til Johan Henrik SchreinerDenne boken er er festskrift ril professor Johan Henrik Schreiner i forbindelse med hans 70-årsdag. Den består av en samling artikler 0111 krig, konflikt og fredsslurninger i antikken. Krigen er alle tings mor, kunne det hete da, og mens verdenslitteraturen ofte fører sin stamtavle tilbake ril Homer og hans beskrivelse av Trojanerkrigen, fører hisroriefaget sin tilbake til Herodots og Thukydides' verker om perserkrigene og Peloponneserkrigen. Fascinasjonen for greske bystaters borger- og krigerkollekriv og store generaler som Alexander og Caesar har dessuten holdt seg godt i to tusen år. Denne boken vil forhåpentligvis bidra til videre interesse. Her vil man finne belyst mange sider ved antikke samfunns forhold til krig - både svært omdiskuterte og nye, lite omtalte. Bidragene strekker seg fra Assyrerriker ved jernalderens begynnelse til det seinantikke Romerriket. Artiklene er ført i pennen av antikkhistorikere, arkeologer og klassiskfilologer ved norske og danske universitet. De er skrevet også med tanke på et alminnelig inreressert publikum og bør kunne interessere både leg og lærd

The Arch of Constatine: Continuity and Commemoration through Reuse

The messages which can be discerned in the sculpture programme of the Arch of Constantine are here discussed, taking as a point of departure the collective memories of late-antique Rome. The direct involvement of Constantine in the erection of the Arch is sustained through a comparison with other examples of Constantinian public art, architecture, and topography in Rome. Particular focus is directed to the significance of recarved portraiture, and how it could be used to commemorate earlier individuals and periods. The stance taken is that although the Arch was a recycled monument with a new, Constantinian significance, the spolia were carriers of collective memories in a society where remembrance was central. The cultural adaptation of the eye as a source of error is taken into consideration in connection with the discussion of what the ancient viewer actually perceived. The general conclusion is that the Arch of Constantine is a monument which had different messages for different groups. These messages were presented in a montage of the past, present, and future. The interpretation of the details as well as of the totality of the monument dependent partly on the viewer

Re-carving Roman Portraits: Background and Methods

The portrait is regarded as a Roman invention. Facial features of many Romans come down to us through portraits in styles which were progressively developed from the time of Caesar (100-44 BC) to that of Justinian (AD 527-565), mostly in precious metals and marble. The workmanship of Roman portraits is, however, not always as straightforward as traditionally perceived. Since the discovery of the Cancelleria Reliefs in the 1930s, in which the portrait of the damnatio memoriae-convicted Emperor Domitian (81-96) was re-carved into that of Nerva (96-98), scholars have been aware of the fact that some portraits had already been altered in antiquity. This article is based on an investigation of more than 2000 portraits where c. 500 proved to be re-carved. The study provides thorough analyses of the different re-carving methods, some of which can be attributed to geographically localised workshops. The classification of re-carving methods and workshops provides a useful introduction to the understanding of the nature of Roman portrait art seen from below, from the artist’s and carver’s view

The Constantinian bronze Colossus: Nero's hairstyle and the beard of Commodus

The colossal Constantinian bronze portrait in the Capitoline Museum stands out as a unique example of Roman, large-scale portraiture. It is a rare bronze portrait of colossal size, which included a lot of material of a kind which was usually remolded into exchangeable goods in Late Antiquity. It was constructed from separately cast parts, and with a close look, there are traces of retouching and alterations. The reuse was undertaken by way of highly skilled refashioning techniques. In the present paper, I venture to suggest that the bronze colossus originally portrayed Nero (AD 54-68), thereafter Commodus (AD 177-192), before it was given its present appearance in the early fourth century.

The Kosmētai Portraits in Third Century Athens. Recutting, Style, Context and Patronage

Portraits of a group of thirty kosmētai, public philosophy teachers in Athens, were found among the fill in the Valerian Wall by the Roman Agora in Athens in 1861. From the Hellenistic period onwards, the kosmētai had taught the philosophy or Aristotle, though, with time, the teaching became more varied. In the first century AD, the number of students had a peak of three hundred a year. In the third century, when the portraits were buried in the Valerian Wall, the number of students had decreased, much as it had in other pedagogic institutions. The activity of the kosmētai ended about AD 280 when the Valerian Wall was built. The dating of the Valerian Wall is based on coins with the portrait of emperor Probus (AD 276-282), which have been found among the building debris. What we know about the kosmētai from the written sources leads to several questions, such as why the kosmētai portraits were used as building material at a time when the identity of the sitters could sill be remembered. Why were some of the portraits recut into those of other individuals shortly before they were put into the wall? Some of the kosmētai portraits were produced recut and discarded during the span of a few decades. This paper discusses the portraits of the kosmētai and their significance in Roman Athens and explores questions related to the disposal of them, as well as to context, style, workshop, and patronage

The Kosmētai Portraits in Third Century Athens Recutting, Style, Context and Patronage

Portraits of a group of thirty kosmētai, public philosophy teachers in Athens, were found among the fill in the Valerian Wall by the Roman Agora in Athens in 1861. From the Hellenistic period onwards, the kosmētai had taught the philosophy or Aristotle, though, with time, the teaching became more varied. In the first century AD, the number of students had a peak of three hundred a year. In the third century, when the portraits were buried in the Valerian Wall, the number of students had decreased, much as it had in other pedagogic institutions. The activity of the kosmētai ended about AD 280 when the Valerian Wall was built. The dating of the Valerian Wall is based on coins with the portrait of emperor Probus (AD 276-282), which have been found among the building debris. What we know about the kosmētai from the written sources leads to several questions, such as why the kosmētai portraits were used as building material at a time when the identity of the sitters could sill be remembered. Why were some of the portraits recut into those of other individuals shortly before they were put into the wall? Some of the kosmētai portraits were produced recut and discarded during the span of a few decades. This paper discusses the portraits of the kosmētai and their significance in Roman Athens and explores questions related to the disposal of them, as well as to context, style, workshop, and patronage

The Constantinian Bronze Colossus. Nero’s Hairstyle and the Beard of Commodus

The colossal Constantinian bronze portrait in the Capitoline Museum stands out as a unique example of Roman, large-scale portraiture. It is a rare bronze portrait of colossal size, which included a lot of material of a kind which was usually remolded into exchangeable goods in Late Antiquity. It was constructed from separately cast parts, and with a close look, there are traces of retouching and alterations. The reuse was undertaken by way of highly skilled refashioning techniques. In the present paper, I venture to suggest that the bronze colossus originally portrayed Nero (AD 54-68), thereafter Commodus (AD 177-192), before it was given its present appearance in the early fourth century