The secret life of statues; ancient agalmatophilia narratives

Images in antiquity had a complex and yet crucial role both within the social nexus, and also the literary imagination. The response of agalmatophilia, that is, a physically sexual response, is described in a variety of types of narrative, and is found in a wide range of (almost entirely fictional) literary sources throughout antiquity. This thesis considers the ways in which agalmatophilia was dealt with in these narratives, and why stories of agalmatophilia were told at all. Tales of agalmatophilia highlight the way in which the image could take on numerous roles in antiquity, and the importance of the existence of images for occupying a cultural space that could not be filled by anything else. In addition, the narratives combined create a picture of ancient discourses on the role and function of the relationships between images and society, as well as individuals. The thesis covers the cultural conditions that allowed images to be perceived as potential sexual partners, the ways an individual performing agalmatophilia could be described and understood, and the responsibility of those creating and responding to images. It argues that agalmatophilia narratives set up the image as existing on the boundaries of the ancient world, and as objects almost impossible to categorise, because of their unlimited potential in conceptual terms. These ideas are all considered with the aim of understanding why agalmatophilia narratives existed, what cultural space they filled, and how the stories can illuminate the multifarious role of the image in the ancient Mediterranean world

Touching the Gods: physical interaction with cult statues in the Roman world

„Touching the Gods: physical interaction with cult statues in the Roman world‟ explores different forms of physical interaction with cult statues in the many cults and beliefs evident across the Roman world, and proposes wide-ranging implications of this for the understanding of Roman religions and Roman art. Despite the theoretical detachment of the cult statue in the Roman world, an ideological language of close physical interaction was developed, which manifested itself through both „regular‟ (for example, ritual decoration and washing) and „irregular‟ (such as sexual and violent) contact. Although modern scholarship accepts that cult statues formed part of religious worship within which physical interaction took place, they are generally treated as passive objects. This research addresses the implications of physical interaction for the active role of the statue within Roman societies, through the assessment of the anthropological, social and psychological functions the statue could embody. It establishes a socio-cultural definition of the cult statue in the Roman world, supported by an assessment of Greek and Latin vocabulary for statuary and an assessment of the physical evidence for cult images. The thesis separately considers the different types of interaction, including washing and clothing, verbal communication, transportation, embrace, violence and feeding. The conclusions drawn from these separate types are based partly on a broad study of the full range of interactions, with an additional focus on the points in the ancient dialogue at which their limitations are placed. The cumulative effect of the evidence, across the whole empire and across all interactions possible, illuminates the vast complexity and vast potential of images of the gods in forming, informing and being influenced by human relationships with the divine