AKTI XII.

MEUNARODNOG
KOLOKVIJA O RIMSKOJ
PROVINCIJALNOJ UMJETNOSTI
Datiranje kamenih spomenika
i kriteriji za odreivanje kronologije

Pula, 23. 28. V . 2011.

AKTI XII. MEUNARODNOG KOLOKVIJA

O RIMSKOJ PROVINCIJALNOJ UMJETNOSTI
Datiranje kamenih spomenika i kriteriji za odreivanje kronologije
Pula, 23. 28. V. 2011.

Urednica: Ida Koncani Uha

Pula, 2014.

AKTI XII. MEUNARODNOG KOLOKVIJA

O RIMSKOJ PROVINCIJALNOJ UMJETNOSTI
Datiranje kamenih spomenika i kriteriji za odreivanje kronologije
Pula, 23. 28. V. 2011.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE 12th INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM

ON ROMAN PROVINCIAL ART
The dating of stone monuments and criteria
for determination of chronology

AKTEN DES XII. INTERNATIONALEN KOLLOQUIUMS

BER RMISCHE PROVINZIELLE KUNST
Die Datierung von Steinmonumenten
und Kriterien fr die Chronologiefestsetzung

LES ACTES DU XIIME COLLOQUE INTERNATIONAL

SUR L'ART ROMAIN PROVINCIAL
La datation des monuments en pierre et les
Criteres de determination chronologique

ATTI DEL XII COLLOQUIO INTERNAZIONALE SULL'ARTE

ROMANA DELLE PROVINCE
Datazione dei monumenti lapidei e criteri utilizzati
per la determinazione cronologica

AKTI XII. MEUNARODNOG KOLOKVIJA

O RIMSKOJ PROVINCIJALNOJ UMJETNOSTI

Datiranje kamenih spomenika i kriteriji za odreivanje kronologije

Prijevod na talijanski jezik / Italian translation

Elis Barbalich - Geromella
Oblikovanje / Design

Pula, 23. - 28. svibnja 2011.

KADAR d.o.o.

Izdava / Publisher
Arheoloki muzej Istre, Pula / Archeological Museum of Istria, Pula

Priprema za tisak / Layout

KADAR d.o.o.

Za organizatora i izdavaa / For the organizer and publisher

Darko Komo

Tisak / Print
Printera, Zagreb

Organizacijski odbor / Organising Committee

Darko Komo, Alka Starac

Naklada / No. of copies

700

Znanstveni koordinator / Scientic Coordinator

Alka Starac

Tiskano / Date of print

Srpanj / July 2014.

Urednica / Editor
Ida Koncani Uha

Arheoloki muzej Istre, Pula, 2014 / Archeological Museum

of Istria, Pula, 2014.

Urednitvo / Editorial board

Ondina Krnjak
Kristina Mihovili
Adriana Gri torga

Zatieno autorskim pravom Arheolokog muzeja Istre.

Sva prava pridrana.
Copyright by the Archeological Museum of Istria.
All rights reserved.

Tajnica urednitva / Editorial board secretary

Adriana Gri torga

ISBN 978-953-6153-88-6

Stilska lektura / Stylish lecturer

EDITOR PLUS d.o.o., Milena pigi (hrvatski jezik)
Korektura / Proofs
EDITOR PLUS d.o.o.
Prijevod na engleski jezik / English translation
EDITOR PLUS, Milo Ilgo

Na korici / On the cover

Agrippina Minor (?), sredina 1. st.,
fotograja iz Arhive Arheolokog muzeja Istre /
Agrippina Minor (?), mid of the 1st century, the photo from
the Archive of the Archeological Museum of Istria

SADRAJ
CONTENTS

PREDGOVOR FOREWORD

RIJE UREDNICE A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

10

ZBIRKA RADOVA COLLECTION OF WORKS

13

Nenad Cambi
Roman Sculpture from Illyricum (Dalmatia and Istria).
Import and Local Production. A Survey

14

Ilona Skupiska-Lvset
Roman Fashion as a Chronological Criterion for the Dating
of Palestinian Portraits

40

Marianne Tabaczek
Zur Datierung eines Grabbaus an der Grenze des Imperiums
(Frankfurt-Zeilsheim)

46

Katarina mid
The Mythological Battle Scene on a Funerary Stele from Celeia:
Menelaus Saving the Body of Patroclus?

50

Claire K. Lindgren
Provincial Ladies in Sculpture: Criteria for Determining Chronology

55

Jasna Jelii - Radoni

The Relief of the Salona Tyche

59

Wolfgang Wohlmayr
Rmische Weihedenkmler im nrdlichen Teil der Provinz Noricum

64

Ingrid Weber-Hiden
Versuche zur Datierung des Inschriftenmaterials von Carnuntum
anhand der Grabstelen.

70

Rachel Feig Vishnia | Vassiliki Gaggadis-Robin

Female Carved Representations from Southern Gaul in the Light
of Iconography and Epigraphy

74

Gabrielle Kremer
Gtter- und Weihedenkmler aus Carnuntum Die Frage der Datierung

81

Marija Kolega
Problems in Dating Portraits from the Julio-Claudian Period
in Liburnia

87

Felix Teichner | Andreea Drgan

A Rider between the East and the West? Old and New Finds from
Municipium Ulpianum (Kosovo)

95

Nade Proeva
Sur la datation des monuments funraires de Haute Macdoine :
Critres et difficults

101

Iphigeneia Leventi
Grave Reliefs from Roman Thessaly

108

Annarena Ambrogi
Determinazione cronologica dei ritratti rilavorati in et tardoantica:
indizi e criteri utilizzati nel caso di un ritratto dallAgora di Atene

115

Georgia A. Aristodemou
Representations of Women and Children in Roman Banquet Scenes

123

Yvan Maligorne | Serge Fvrier | Jean-Nol Castorio

Les monuments funraires augusto-tibriens de Langres

129

Florian Blanchard | Geert Veerbrugghe

La datation de la colonne du cavalier languipde de Brienne-la-Vieille
(Tricasses, Gallia Lugdunensis).

136

Exhlale Dobruna-Salihu
Portrait Busts on Stelae in Dardania Style, Fashion and Dating

141

Mojca Vomer Gojkovi

Women from Poetovio

148

Holger Wienholz
Grenzen der Datierung

154

Paolo Barresi | Javier . Domingo | Patrizio Pensabene

Gigantismo nellarchitettura templare delle province romane
e le sue implicazioni nellapprovvigionamento e nella messa in opera
delle componenti marmoree

159

Alfred Schfer
Neue Ergebnisse zur Chronologie der rheinseitigen Grobauten der CCAA

166

Giorgio Sobr | Filippo Masino

Theatre Buildings of the Early Imperial Age in Asia Minor:
Some Dating Elements

173

Javier . Domingo
I monumenti architettonici ispanici: alcuni problemi
di datazione stilistica

177

A. Badie | R. Robert | D. Tardy

Les productions des sculpteurs de lEcole dAquitaine au IIe sicle:
les transformations du dcor architectural Bordeaux.

182

Daniela Mateti Poljak

Les blocs dcor architectural antrieurs au palais de Diocltien Split

189

R. Facsdy Annamria
Les traits iconographiques des stles funraires familiales Aquincum

194

Draen Mari
Female Fashion on Late Antique Monuments from Salona (3rd 4th c. A.D.)

203

Piotr Dyczek
New Head of Caryatid from Ancient Risinium (Montenegro)

211

Ivana Popovi
Jewelry and Hairstyle of the Woman on the Family Tombstone from
Kosmaj (Vicinity of Belgrade)

216

Mihai Brbulescu (Roumanie)

L ornatrix de Potaissa

222

Mara Isabel Rodrguez Lpez | Claudina Romero Mayorga

Luxury and Beauty: An Approach to Jewelry worn by Women in Hispania.

226

Pilar Fernndez Uriel | Marta Bailn Garca

Plantae Pedum lamphithtre dItalica. Une reprsentation
des dvots ou une prsence directe de Nemesis Dea?

231

Marija Buzov
The Findings of Sarcophagi Reused as Building Material in the
Church of St. George in Mateko Selo

234

Angela Palmentieri
Materiali marmorei di spoglio dai teatri e anfiteatri campani

237

Licnia Wrench
Mobilier liturgique palochrtien. Quelques exemplaires provenant
du territoire actuellement portugais

240

POPIS AUTORA LIST OF AUTHORS

243

Predgovor Foreword

Bijenalni meunarodni kolokvij o rimskoj provincijalnoj umjetnosti

ima dugu tradiciju, stariju od dvadeset godina. Mjesto odravanja se
mijenja, a Hrvatska je imala ast organizirati kolokvij dvaput, kao i
Austrija, Maarska i Njemaka.
Kolokviji su usmjereni na diskusiju o pitanjima vezanim uz
rimsku skulpturu u kamenu i uz raznoliku tematiku provincijalnog
stvaralatva. Broj sudionika raste svakim kolokvijem, te je njegovim
radom pokriven vei dio rimskih provincija i obuhvaeno dvadesetak
dananjih drava.
Na sastanku Znanstvenog odbora XI. meunarodnog kolokvija
o rimskoj provincijalnoj umjetnosti, odranome 19. svibnja 2009.
godine u Mridi (panjolska), dogovoreno je da e se XII. kolokvij
odrati u svibnju 2011. u Puli.
U razdoblju od 23. do 28. svibnja 2011. u sjeditu Zajednice
Talijana u Puli, u organizaciji Arheolokog muzeja Istre odran je
XII. meunarodni kolokvij o rimskoj provincijalnoj umjetnosti pod
nazivom Meunarodni kolokvij Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani/
Rimska kamena skulptura, s glavnom temom Datiranje kamenih
spomenika i kriteriji za odreivanje kronologije. Ostale teme
kolokvija bile su Prikazi ene i obitelji te Novi nalazi.
Na kolokviju je odrano ukupno 56 predavanja te je izloeno
17 postera. Uz predavanja, tijekom kolokvija su odrani i brojni
popratni dogaaji: otvorenje izlobe Pula raanje grada,
promocija Akta XI. kolokvija iz Mride koji je odran 2009. godine,
vodstvo po Arheolokom muzeju Istre, razgledavanje Pule, posjet
Nezakciju, cjelodnevni izlet na Brijune, Buzet i Labin te dvodnevni
izlet u Zadar, Naronu i Split.
Ciljevi pulskog kolokvija bili su pruiti svim specijalistima za
rimsku umjetnost mogunost neposrednog upoznavanja s temama
i mogunost sudjelovanja u diskusiji. Ujedno, cilj je bio omoguiti
studentima i specijalizantima visoku pedagoku razinu upoznavanja
strune problematike.
Na skupu su doneseni vani zakljuci o datiranju kamenih
spomenika i kriterijima za odreivanje kronologije, prikupljeni
su osvrti i razmiljanja na temu prikaza ene i obitelji u rimskoj
umjetnosti, te su prezentirani novi arheoloki nalazi i znanstveni
rezultati.
Zadovoljni smo jer je kolokvij usmjerio interes najeminentnijih
strunjaka za znanstveno podruje od velikog znaaja za poznavanje
rimske civilizacije na bogatu arheoloku batinu i znanstveni rad u
Arheolokom muzeju Istre, potaknuo razvoj studija rimske umjetnosti
u Puli, Istri i iroj geografskoj regiji, te unaprijedio prihvaanje i

The biennial International Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art has

a long-standing tradition that goes back more than twenty years. The
venues change and Croatia has twice had the honor of organizing this
event, as did Austria, Hungary and Germany.
These colloquia are focused on the discussion of issues related to
Roman stone sculpture, as well as a variety of themes associated with
provincial creativity. The number of participants has been growing
with each such event, for which we can say that it covers most Roman
provinces that extend themselves across the boundaries of more than
twenty present-day countries.
At a meeting of the Scientic Committee of the 11th International
Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art, held on May 19, 2009, at
Mrida in Spain, it was agreed that the 12th Colloquium will be
organized in May of 2011 at Pula.
This event was staged at the headquarters of the Italian Union
at Pula in the period from May 2328, 2011, and organized by the
Archaeological Museum of Istria. The ocial title of the 12th
International Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art was International
Colloquium Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani/Roman stone
sculpture, the main topic of discussion being The Dating of Stone
Monuments and Criteria for Determining the Chronology. The
other examined themes were Depictions of Women and Families,
and New Finds.
A total of 56 lectures were held and 17 posters were exhibited
at the colloquium. In addition to lectures, a variety of accompanying
events were also organized during the colloquium: the opening of
the exhibition Pula - the Birth of a Town, the promotion of the
Proceedings from the 11th Colloquium held at Mrida in 2009, a
guided tour around the Archaeological Museum of Istria, a sightseeing
tour around Pula, a visit to Nesactium, a day trip to the Brioni Isles,
Labin and Buzet, and a two-day trip to Zadar, Narona and Split.
The objectives of the colloquium at Pula can be summarized
as an attempt to oer all experts in the eld of Roman art an
opportunity to acquaint themselves rst-hand with the issues at
stake, and to participate in the ensuing discussions. At the same time
we also sought to introduce on a high educational level the various
professional issues to both students as well as individuals specializing
in this eld.
This event saw the adoption of important conclusions regarding
the dating of stone monuments, and the criteria for determining
the chronology. A series of reviews and reections were collected on
the topic of how women and families were depicted in Roman art,

poznavanje arheoloke batine i rimske umjetnosti u lokalnom

i regionalnom drutvenom kontekstu.
Glavni cilj po okonanju samog projekta je bila objava Akta
XII. meunarodnog kolokvija o rimskoj provincijalnoj umjetnosti.
U zborniku koji je pred nama prikupljeno je i prezentirano ukupno
37 radova, koji e posluiti kao referenca za najuglednija sveuilita
i istraivake centre.
Ovom prilikom bih zahvalio svim djelatnicima Arheolokog
muzeja Istre koji su uloili velike napore kako bi se kolokvij
pripremio i odrao na najvioj razini, te ijim je radom i pripremljen
ovaj zbornik, koji zatvara priu o pulskom XII. meunarodnom
kolokviju o rimskoj provincijalnoj umjetnosti.
Darko Komo
Ravnatelj Arheolokog muzeja Istre, Pula

coupled by presentations of new archaeological nds and scientic

results.
We are satised because the colloquium focused the interest of
the most eminent experts from a scientic eld that is of paramount
importance for the understanding of Roman civilization, to the
rich archaeological heritage and scientic work at the Archaeological
Museum of Istria. It furthermore encouraged the development of
Roman art studies not only in Pula, but also in Istria and the wider
geographical region, and promoted the acceptance and understanding
of archaeological heritage, and Roman art, in the local and regional
social context.
After the conclusion of the event itself, the main goal was the
publication of the Proceedings from the 12th International Colloquium
on Roman Provincial Art. In these Proceedings we collected and
presented a total of 37 papers that will serve as reference in the most
prestigious universities and research centers.
On this occasion I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude
to the sta of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, who have made
huge eorts to prepare and carry out this colloquium on the highest
level, and whose work was also essential for the compilation of these
Proceedings that draw to an end the story about the 12th International
Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art held at Pula.
Darko Komo
Director of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, Pula

Rije urednice A word from the Editor

Dvanaesti meunarodni kolokvij o rimskoj provincijalnoj umjetnosti

odran je u Hrvatskoj, u Puli, u razdoblju od 23. do 28. svibnja 2011.
Glavna tema kolokvija bila je problematika pod naslovom Datiranje
kamenih spomenika i kriteriji za odreivanje kronologije uz koju su bila
odrana predavanja na temu Prikazi ene i obitelji te Novi nalazi.
Od izuzetne i nacionalne vanosti bilo je ugostiti itav
niz znanstvenika koji su svojim radom doprinijeli cjelovitijem
sagledavanju materijalne kulturne i umjetnike antike batine.
Hrvatska je imala ast, po drugi put, ugostiti strunjake s podruja
dananje Europe. Istraivaki rad, upoznavanje, diskusija i valorizacija
batine te razmjena informacija temeljne su odrednice svakog lana
arheoloke zajednice koji koraa u znanost i promie svijest o prolosti
ovjekova djelovanja. Fantastino zamiljena ideja o promicanju
informacija i vrednovanju umjetnikog opusa antikog stvaralatva
objedinjena je i realizirana kroz susrete na znanstvenim kolokvijima
pod nazivom Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani. Temelje sad ve
uvrijeenoj, dugogodinjoj tradiciji odravanja ovih znanstvenih
susreta, koji se odravaju svake druge godine u razliitoj dravi,
udarili su 1989. u Austriji, u Grazu, strunjaci Manfred Hainzmann
i Erwin Pochmarski. Ideja, pretoena u djelo, rezultirala je bogatim,
sadrajnim i strunim publikacijama koje su valorizirale arheoloku
struku s povijesno-umjetnikog i stvaralakog aspekta rimskih
majstora na razliitim prostorima rimskih provincija. Kolokviji su
posveeni razliitim pitanjima iz iroke teme o rimskoj provincijalnoj
umjetnosti. Nakon prvog kolokvija u Austriji (Graz), kolokviji
su odrani u sljedeim dravama: 1991. Maarska (Veszprm,
koordinatorica Sylvia Palgyi), 1993. Njemaka (Bonn, koordinator
Gerhard Bauchhen), 1995. Slovenija (Celje, koordinatorica Vera
Kolek), 1997. Nizozemska (Maastricht, koordinator Titus Panhuysen),
1999. Maarska (Budimpeta, koordinatorica Paula Zsidi), 2001.
Njemaka (Kln, koordinator Peter Noelke), 2003. Hrvatska (Zagreb,
koordinatori Mirjana Sanader i Ante Rendi Mioevi), 2005. Austria
(Innsbruck, koordinatorica Elisabeth Walde), 2007. Francuska (Arles,
Aix-en-Provence, koordinatori Vassiliki Gaggadis-Robin, Antoine
Hermary, Michel Redd i Claude Sints), 2009. panjolska (Mrida,
koordinatori Trinidad Nogales Basarrate i Isabel Rod de Llanza) te
2011. Hrvatska (Pula, koordinatorica Alka Starac).
Ve 2003. godine u Zagrebu se odrao VIII. meunarodni
kolokvij o problemima rimskog provincijalnog umjetnikog
stvaralatva.
U okviru XII. meunarodnog kolokvija o rimskoj provincijalnoj
umjetnosti koji je obradio teme pod naslovom Datiranje kamenih

10

The Twelfth International Colloquium on Roman provincial art

was held in Croatia, at Pula, in the period from May 23 to 28, 2011.
The main themes of the colloquium were issues that can be collectively
titled The Dating of Stone Monuments and Criteria for Determining
the Chronology. A series of lectures were held at the same time,
their themes being Depictions of women and families and New Finds.
It was indeed a momentous event of national importance to
be able to host a whole series of scientists who, with their work,
contributed towards a better understanding of material culture and
artistic heritage of the ancient world. For the second time Croatia
had the honor to host European experts from this eld. Research
activities, the exploration, discussion and evaluation of heritage,
and exchange of information, are fundamental elements for every
member of the archaeological community, who is on the scientic
route, promoting an awareness of past human activities. A brilliantly
conceived idea regarding the promotion of data, and the evaluation
of the artistic spectrum of ancient creativity, were merged and realized
in the course of meetings at scientic colloquia titled Corpus Signorum
Imperii Romani. The groundwork for this nowadays well-established,
longtime tradition of maintaining scientic gatherings in dierent
countries on a biennial basis was prepared at Graz, Austria, in 1989,
by experts Manfred Hainzmann and Erwin Pochmarski. This
idea, turned into reality, resulted in scores of rich, meaningful and
professional publications that enriched the archaeological profession
from the historical-artistic and creative aspects of Roman masters
from dierent areas of Roman provinces. These colloquia dealt with
various issues related to the broad theme of Roman provincial art.
After the rst colloquium held in Austria (Graz), there followed a
series of other colloquia that were organized in the following countries:
1991 in Hungary (Veszprm, coordinated by Sylvia Palgyi), 1993 in
Germany (Bonn, coordinated by Gerhard Bauchhen), 1995 in
Slovenia (Celje, coordinated by Vera Kolek), 1997 in the Netherlands
(Maastricht, coordinated by Titus Panhuysen), 1999 in Hungary
(Budapest, coordinated by Paula Zsidi), 2001 in Germany (Cologne,
coordinated by Peter Noelke), 2003 in Croatia (Zagreb, coordinated
by Mirjana Sanader and Ante Rendi Mioevi), 2005 in Austria
(Innsbruck, coordinated by Elisabeth Walde), 2007 in France
(Arles, Aix-en-Provence, coordinated by Vassiliki Gaggadis-Robin,
Antoine Hermary, Michel Redd and Claude Sints), 2009 in
Spain (Mrida, coordinated by Trinidad Nogales Basarrate and
Isabel Rod de Llanza), and 2011 in Croatia (Pula, coordinated by
Alka Starac).

spomenika i kriteriji za odreivanje kronologije i Prikazi ene i obitelji,

nalazi se trideset sedam (37) autorskih radova u kojima su razraena
pitanja i problemi oko datiranja i identikacije kamenih spomenika
iz razliitih rimskih provincija, preko Afrike, Hispanije, Grke,
Dalmacije, Macedonije, Dacije, Norika, Germanije, Moesije, Italije.
Zadaa ureivanja Zbornika povodom XII. meunarodnog
arheolokog kolokvija Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani, bila je
veliki izazov proet raznim radnim zadacima i postupcima nunima
za objavu publikacije. Nimalo lagan zadatak, od faze upoznavanja
s graom, prikupljanja tekstova preko suradnje s prevoditeljima,
lektorima, dizajnerom do korekture, nalizacije i konane objave,
pretvorio se naposljetku u harmonian rad i dobro upravljanje
dodijeljenom mi zadaom. Glavnina posla bila je pisana ili usmena
komunikacija sa sudionicima XII. kolokvija koji su objavili radove u
ovom Zborniku. Susretljivost, naklonost i elja za objavom znanstvenih
spoznaja, rijei su kojima bih opisala suradnju s autorima radova.
Neizmjerno zahvaljujem kolegama iz struke, koji su mi svojim
savjetima svesrdno pomogli da Zbornik bude konano objavljen.
Tiskanjem ovog Zbornika dananja je arheoloka javnost zavidno
bogatija za znanstvena saznanja o rimskom umjetnikom stvaralakom
izriaju civilizacijske kulture prolog vremena.
Knjiga je ispred nas tolle legge!
Ida Koncani Uha

Already in 2003, the 8th International Colloquium on problems

regarding Roman provincial art was held at Zagreb.
Within the framework of the 12th International Colloquium on
Roman provincial art, which has addressed topics titled The Dating
of Stone Monuments and Criteria for Determining the Chronology, and,
Depictions of Women and Families, there were 37 papers by dierent
authors, which dealt with questions and issues regarding the dating
and identication of stone monuments from dierent Roman
provinces, across Africa, Hispania, Greece, Dalmatia, Macedonia,
Dacia, Noricum, Germania, Moesia and Italy.
The task of editing the Proceedings on the occasion of the 12th
International Archaeological Colloquium Corpus Signorum Imperii
Romani was a big challenge that encompassed various duties and
procedures that were necessary for a successful publication. No easy
task, from the starting phase that included familiarization with the
materials, and collection of texts, followed by collaboration with
translators, language editors, and designers, to the nalization phase
and nal publication, this whole undertaking eventually became a
harmonious, well-coordinated and managed homework. Most of the
work consisted of written correspondence or verbal communication
with the participants of the 12th Colloquium, who published their
papers in these Proceedings. Helpfulness, goodwill and a desire
to publish scientic notions are words with which to describe the
collaboration with the authors of the papers. I am immensely grateful
to my professional colleagues, who with their advice wholeheartedly
helped the publication of the Proceedings.
By printing these Proceedings, the archaeological public at
large is today quite a bit richer as regards scientic knowledge about
Roman artistic, creative expression of the civilizational culture from
ancient times.
The book is facing us - tolle legge!
Ida Koncani Uha

11

Georgia A. Aristodemou

Representations of Women and Children

in Roman Banquet Scenes
Recenti ricerche tendono a considerare la cena come una finestra sulla vita sociale
e religiosa dell antichit greco-romana. Questarticolo cerca di dimostrare quanto il
motivo e il concetto del banchetto abbiano contribuito alla formazione dell identit
sociale nel mondo greco-romano. Le scene di banchetti sono importanti perch
illustrano sia ambienti domestici che cene rituali funerarie. Scene di banchetti
raffigurate su pitture murali, su mosaici o rilievi funerari, che rappresentano uomini,
donne e bambini, cio famiglie intere a cena, ci offrono informazioni significative tanto
sulla struttura familiare quanto sulla formazione dellarte romana nel periodo imperiale.
Key words banquet, symposium, convivium, Roman, family, iconography, funerary,
reliefs, frescoes, mosaics.

Information about Greek symposia and Roman banquets (convivia) is

gathered from archaeological evidence, written sources, art and literary
descriptions. The Roman convivium diers from the Greek symposium
since it focuses on the eating session and the meals (cena) rather than
on the following drinking session1. Their dierence is underlined
by Cato commenting that Romans rightly emphasized the aspect of
living together by calling a group of reclining friends a convivium
rather than a symposium2.
Another dierentiation lies in the presence and the role of
women at them. It is generally accepted that respectable and married
women in Classical and Hellenistic Greece were not present in
symposia or other traditionally male gatherings3. Special occasions
when respectable women attended common banquets were limited,
e.g. family weddings and funerals or certain religious ceremonies.
Regarding family feasts of the Classical and Hellenistic period, it is
most probable that women would not even sit in the same room with
men4. Athenaeus in his Deipnosophists (14.644d-f) describes a wedding
feast preparation where men and women were sitting at separate
tables5. Furthermore, house women (married women, daughters and
slaves) were served half the food portion in comparison to men6.
Contemporary art reects the above described norms. As can
be deducted from the archaic and classical vase painting, the only
women present at male symposia were of a lower social status - slaves,
dancers, ute girls or courtesans (hetaerae) obliged to serve the guests7.
These women were depicted reclining among men and they were very
lightly -or not at all- dressed. The only occasion when respectable
women appeared in banquet scenes of that period was in a dierent

category of monuments, the so-called banquet reliefs. The earliest

examples of these banquet reliefs go back to the archaic period, and
according to Dentzer they were votive reliefs intending to consecrate
a hero cult, whereas during the Hellenistic and the Roman periods
they were also used for a dierent category of sculpted monuments,
the funerary reliefs8. The main composition remains relatively stable
from the archaic period until late antiquity: a central male gure is
depicted reclining on a couch, sometimes holding a wine cup with
his right hand. An elegant table full of food and pastry is placed in
front of him. A female gure is depicted at the left side of the scene,
in prole view. She is modestly dressed, sitting, sometimes standing,
but never reclining9. The central pair is usually environed by other
gures, e.g. servant-slaves ready to serve wine and food. They are
smaller and carved in lower relief than the main gures10. The scene
is supplemented by a dog, either lying under the couch or eating
leftovers11. The woman present in those early monuments would be
identied either as the divine companion of the hero or as the spouse
of the deceased12. Although these women did not actually participate
in the banquet, their modestly seated position conrms beyond
doubt their status as legitimate companions of the male gure.
In contrast to the women of the Classical and Hellenistic Greece
and under the inuence of their Etruscan predecessors, Roman women
gained more freedom and their presence in banquets with men became
more distinct13. At rst they would sit, later on they would recline at
the same couch with men, thus provoking the conservative Roman
Elite who would always consider the reclining position for women as

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Toiles 1943, pp. 98-100.

Cited in Alcock 2006, p. 197.
Dunbabin 2003, pp. 22-23.
On funerary feasts as family gatherings, Cumont 1922, pp. 58-54; Dalby 1996, pp. 5-6.
Cited in Burton 1998, p. 158.
Corley 1993, p. 31 no. 41.
Corley 2002, p. 1; Dunbabin 2003, p. 22; Roller 2006, p. 96.

10
11
12
13

Dentzer 1981, p. 18. For an early discussion on the hero cult reliefs, Broneer 1942, p. 129
no. 4, p. 131, g.1.
Marks-Good 1987, pp. 210-214, gs. 2 (woman seated), 3 (woman seated), 4 (woman
standing).
On slaves at Roman convivia, DArms 1991. On the servant iconography, Dunbabin
2003b and Petrut - Musta 2010.
Broneer 1942, p. 134.
Dunbabin 2003, p. 22.
Corley 1993 p. 35, no. 10; Corley 2002; Roller 2006, p. 123.

123

shameful14. This gradual change in the female posture is apparent both

in literature and art iconography15. Etruscan artists depicted husbands
and wives reclining on the same banquet couch, conveying in art what
they knew as normal in the Etruscan Elite banqueting habits16. Written
sources of the early 1st c. A.D. testify that Roman wives were allowed
to attend banquets with their husbands17. In the same period, painted
depictions of elegantly dressed wives lying at the same couches with
their husbands show that Roman artists used the already established
iconography of symposia to depict the Roman concept on banqueting
habits18. However, frequent depictions of both seated and reclining
women in the same scenes show ambivalence between iconographical
conventions and real-life banquets19.
Roman banquets evolve around adults. In Roman society
children were considered outsiders and were not frequent participants
in banquets, at least not in the public ones20. When children of the
upper class attended private family banquets, they were probably not
given much attention21. According to Tacitus (Annales, 13.16), children
of the nobility participated in formal banquets, however they sat at
a dierent table behind their fathers couches and were served dishes
of smaller portions and poorer quality22. The existing evidence, too,
reveals no more than a circumstantial interest in children. Children
appeared in banquet reliefs from the Hellenistic period and they
became more frequent during the imperial period. However, in the
majority of sculpted or painted banquet scenes from the Roman
world that include children, they seem to be servants; family children
become more recognizable from some point on23. They are usually
depicted seated under or at the edge of the dinning couch or next to
their mothers chair and in some cases in the arms of their mothers24.
In the case of more than one child present in the scene, they are
usually boys; daughters, compared to sons, are not depicted so often25.
The names of children are usually not mentioned epigraphically.
During the Roman period, the banquet scenery applied both
to domestic and funerary grounds. In wealthy Roman households
banquet scenes were depicted in mural paintings and mosaic oors. In
funerary environments banquet scenes were depicted in tomb frescoes
and in funerary sculpture (banquet reliefs, grave stelae, ossuaries,
altars, sarcophagi, round sculpture)26.

14
15
16

Dunbabin 2003, p. 23; Roller 2003, pp. 379, 394; Roller 2006, p. 96.
Roller 2005, p. 51; Roller 2006, p. 96.
Indicative examples are the Tarquinia tomb frescoes, see Dunbabin 2003, pp. 27-29 nos.
59-60, g. 9 (Tomb of Hunting and Fishing), g. 10 (Tomb of the Leopards), g. 11
(Tomb of the Ship), p. 32 no. 69.
17 Bronner 1942, pp. 129-131, g. 1; Corley 1993, p. 35 no. 60
18 Dunbabin 2003, pp. 27-28, pp. 55-60, g. 26 (Pompei, House of the Chaste Lovers), g.
28-29 (Pompei, House of the Triclinium), pl. II (Herculaneum, Napoli, Museo Nazionale
9015), pl. III (Herculaneum, Napoli, Museo Nazionale 9024).
19 Dunbabin 2003, p. 68.
20 Donahue 2004, p. 22; Prescendi 2010; Laes 2011.
21 Nielsen 1998, p. 58.
22 Bradley 1998, p. 46; Nielsen 1998, p. 58; Alcock 2006, p. 198; Roller 2006, p. 164.
23 Dixon 1992, p. 117; Fabricius 1999, p. 102 no. 10 (reliefs from Odessa, Tomoi, Byzantion:
PM1690-1704, 1747-1750, 1785, 1787-1790, 1812, 1815, 1878-79, 1937, 1971-72).
24 Children seated on a stool: Fabricius 1999, p. 102 no. 11, PM 1656 (Nicaea), PM 1791 (g.
8, Cyme), PM 1792 (Kyzikos); Children seated at the edge of the dining couch, Fabricius
1999, p. 102 no. 11, IKyz530 (Kyzikos), 158 (pl. 7b, Samos); Infants in mothers arms:
Pfuhl - Mbius 1977/1979, pp. 423-24, pl. 254.
25 On depictions of girls, Fabricius 1999, p. 102 no. 12: H 155B, g. 166c, 171g, PM 1823
(Smyrna), 1841, 1861, 1868, 2001.
26 Dunbabin 2003, p. 107. J. M. Dentzer (1982) dealt with the subject thoroughly by
studying at least 510 reliefs and K. M. D. Dunbabins monograph in 2003, focused on the
iconography of the Roman banquet.

124 Representations of Women and Children...

Different societies of the eastern Graeco-Roman world

as reflected in funerary banquet scenes.

The funerary banquet iconography spread throughout the

Mediterranean world from the Archaic and Classical periods until the
Late Roman period27.
The Hellenistic period was a period of prosperity which gave
the opportunity to wealthy citizens to project their wealth. One way
to achieve this was through expensive family funerary monuments,
among them the impressive multi-gured banquet reliefs. Multigured banquet reliefs appeared in the eastern part of the Greek
world by the second half of the 3rd c. B.C.28, and two of their major
production centers were the city of Kyzikos and the island of Samos.
Kyzikos is known for a large series of multi-gured banquet
reliefs, dated mainly in the 2nd c B.C.. In the Kyzikos reliefs carved
inscriptions conrm that the displayed persons belong to the same
family. Each participants name, including those of women and
children, is written on the relief. When two men are depicted reclining
on the same couch, they are probably father and son29 or brothers30. In
the Kyzikos reliefs the mother gure stands out, dierentiating herself
from the other women. Though families with many children were not
uncommon, scenes like these were not the rule. Multi-gured reliefs
reected the economic opulence of the displayed family and they were
most probably specically ordered31.
The island of Samos holds a massive production of funerary
banquet reliefs, abundant in the Hellenistic period, decreasing in
Roman times32. Some of the Hellenistic reliefs were re-used in the
Imperial period, as deducted from the newly carved inscriptions.
Samian banquet reliefs are also multi-gured and characterized by
a paratactic arrangement of the depicted persons. Half of the reliefs
gathered by Fabricius reproduce the reclining man motif. In some
cases more than one man recline on the same couch33. The scene is
supplemented with one woman sitting on the left side, or with two
women anking the food table34. They usually sit on a difros, rarely on
the couch itself. Women are almost always depicted in prole view,
modestly dressed in a long chiton and himation, while their names
are not mentioned in the funerary inscriptions. No connection, e.g.
through gestures, is visible between men and women35. The Samian
reliefs reveal that in the Samian community women, regardless the
social status of the family, were considered inferior to their husbands36.
The banqueting scene is completed with gures of children. Children
were depicted either standing in front of the couch or sitting on it or
on their mothers knees37. In case of standing children it is not always
clear whether they are free born or servants.
27 Dunbabin 2003, pp. 104 -108. On funerary reliefs from Italy, Frenz 1985. On funerary
banquet reliefs from Greece, Thnges-Stringaris 1965, Schmaltz 1983. On grave reliefs
from Attica, Diepolder 1965, Von Moock 1998 and Himmelmann 1999.
28 Fabricius 1999, p. 101.
29 Fabricius 1999, p. 102, pl. 44a (IKyz 51), pl. 46a (IKyz 54, 127, 128), pl. 37a (IKyz 150), pl.
26b (IKyz 321, 327, 421, 160, F 35).
30 Fabricius 1999, p. 102 (IKyz 172, 303, PM 1994).
31 Fabricius 1999, p. 101; Roller 2006, p. 166.
32 Fabricius 1999, p. 111 (H 117, 118, 127, 127a, PM 1215, 1324, 1324, 2132, 2178), p. 132.
33 Fabricius 1999, p. 113, taf. 3b (H 162, Samos, Vathy Arch. Museum Inv. no. 302), taf. 9 b
(H 161, Venice, Arch. Museum Inv. no. 25).
34 Fabricius 1999, p. 115, taf. 12 b (H 168, Samos, Vathy Arch. Museum Inv. no. 205), 13 (H
169, Samos, Vathy Arch. Museum Inv. no. 215)
35 Fabricius 1999, p. 113, pl. 10a (H 160, Vathy, Archaeological Museum, no. 214).
36 Fabricius 1999, p. 160.
37 Fabricius 1999, taf. 5 (H 142, Samos, Vathy, Archaeological Museum, Inv. Nr. 212), taf. 7
(H 158, Samos, Pythagoreion Inv. No. 350).

During the rst two centuries of the Imperial period, funerary

banquet reliefs were massively produced in the Greek East38. Between
the 1st and the 2nd c. A.D. the Roman banquet scenery evolved,
presenting numerous variations of the main subject. The divergences
of the basic iconographic motif are usually regional and include the
increased number of the participants, the presence of family children
or the elaborate furniture and background details39.
The island of Thasos is known for its sculptural production.
Funerary banquet reliefs constitute a long relief series dating from
the classical period until the late Roman period40. They reproduce
the iconographical scheme of the man reclining on a couch and the
modestly dressed woman sitting on a chair on the left side of the
scene. The elegant table in front of the couch is full of fruits and
dishes. No other men are depicted except some small servant gures.
The relief of Demetria and Pankarpos is a characteristic example and
according to the epigraphical and typological criteria is dated in the
1st c. A.D.41. It repeats the motif of the seated woman and the reclining
man. The Greek inscription informs us that they are not a married
couple, but siblings. The same iconographical motif continues in later
periods, executed in a rather dry stereotypical manner. A married
couple is depicted in the 2nd c. A.D. relief no. 60 (Figure 1). The
husband reclines holding a scroll (evidence of his higher status) while
the wife is seated at the left edge of the couch, modestly dressed in
a long chiton and a himation. Small servant gures ank the couch
ready to serve their masters. In front of the landlord, an elegant round
table with leonine feet is full of food and fruits. The married couple
does not hold hands or connect to each other on an emotional level.
In the contemporary relief of Vyzes two variants are detected42: the
small gure on the right recognized rather as a servant than a family
child, and the gesture of the banqueter towards the seated woman
which reveals their marital connection and evokes the apocalypses
gesture by her. Though not of a high artistic quality, this relief is
characterized by a warmer and more spontaneous spirit than the
previous one. An interesting variant where a baby gure is depicted
on the mothers knees leaning towards the father comes from another
relief of the early Imperial period and portrays close familial relations43.
The iconographical subject of the reclining couple was not
developed in funerary art of the Greek world until the Imperial period,
and when it did, it rst appeared on the island Greece44.
The island of Rhodes which provides us with a continuous series
of funerary banquet reliefs constitutes an exception. Though most of
the Rhodian reliefs date as early as the 2nd c. B.C., they demonstrate a
dierent social status of women in the Rhodian society45. The majority
reproduce the basic motif of the reclining man and the modestly dressed
seated woman, which in this case is sitting on the dining couch instead
of a chair. However, it is noteworthy that certain Rhodian reliefs
depict women reclining, either with men or with other women46. In
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46

On funerary reliefs from the East, Dentzer 1978. On funerary reliefs from NW Asia
Minor, Cremer 1991. On funerary reliefs from the eastern Greek world, Pfuhl-Mbius
1977/1979 and Fabricius 1999.
Dunbabin 2003, p. 106.
Holtzmann 1972.
Grandjean 1973, p. 153 nr.9, g. 9.
Grandjean 1973, p. 156 no. 10, g. 10.
Grandjean 1973, p. 161 no. 12, g. 12.
Pfuhl-Moebius 1977/1979, nos. 1410, 1844-1858, 2018-2029.
Fabricius 1999, p. 165, p. 183, pp. 185-189.
Fabricius 1999, pl. 16b (PM 1845, Rhodes, Archaeological Museum, nr. 13659), pl. 20a
(PM 2027, Rhodes, Archaeological Museum, nr. 13604).

1. Thasos, Archaeological Museum, no. 60. 2nd c. A.D. Photo: G. Aristodemou.

one outstanding case a woman is depicted reclining while the man is

seated47. These reliefs are an exception to the established iconography.
The reclining posture for a woman is revolutionary for it does not
portray a hetaera, as seen in the Classical period, but a free citizen, a
lawful wife, a mother. This novelty challenges the established social
and familial morals of the Greek world. It probably corresponds to the
social niveau of the depicted Rhodian women, although the
inscriptions do not clarify their status (free citizens or metoikoi)48.
Rhodian reliefs indicate that women enjoyed a dierent status in the
more liberated Rhodian society49. Wealthy Rhodian women during
Hellenistic times exercised patronage and enjoyed general recognition
among their co-citizens50. Additionally, inscriptions inform us that as
early as in the Hellenistic period such wealthy women nanced open
banquets in which they undoubtedly participated51. These inuential
women were expected to express their power by reclining among
men52. This behavior is directly connected to the nancial prosperity of
the island of Rhodes which enabled the local Elite to promote itself,
using both secular and funerary art 53.
Despite the example of Rhodes, in terms of portraying the
position of women in banquet scenes, the Roman art remained
inconsistent for a long time. Art depictions of both seated and reclining
women co-existed during the Imperial period. Especially in the
funerary iconography the reclining posture was still considered a taboo
and depictions of seated females outnumber those of reclining ones54.
The subject of the married couple is also reproduced in the series
of funerary banquet reliefs from the city of Byzantion. Pfuhl and
Mbius have gathered almost 150 reliefs, 2/3 of which are dated in the
imperial period (2nd c. A.D.)55. Women are depicted modestly dressed
and usually seated on a throne, a chair or at the edge of the dining
couch, but not reclining56. This posture indicates that the Byzantion
society is more conservative than the Rhodian one and that women
are considered inferior to men57. On the other hand certain gestures
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57

Fabricius 1999, p. 173 g. 31, pl. 20b (PM 2026: Rhodes, Archaeological Museum, no no.).
Fabricius 1999, g. 27, pl. 19a (PM 1547: citizens), g. 26, pl. 16b (PM 1845: metoikoi).
Fabricius 1999, p. 183, pp. 185-189.
Fabricius 1999, p. 189. On educated women from the Roman East participating in public
life, Hemelrijk 2004; Kirbihler 1994; Mantas 1994; Mantas 1997; Kearsley 1999.
Burton 1998, p. 157.
Dunbabin 2003, p. 25.
Fabricius 1999, p. 221.
Bradley 1998, p. 47; Dunbabin 2003, p. 114; Wilkins - Hill 2006, p. 69.
Fabricius 1999, p. 225.
Fabricius 1999, p. 229.
Fabricius 1999, p. 253.

Georgia A. Aristodemou

125

2. Byzantion. Konstantinople, Archaeological Museum, nr. 724. 2nd c. AD. Photo: Phul-

Mbius 1979, pl. 247 (1690).

3. Odessa.Varna, Archaeological Museum, nr. II 329. 2nd c. AD. Photo: Phul-Mbius

1979, pl. 254 (1749)

4. Paros, Archaeological Museum, nr. A198. Late 2nd c. AD. Photo: Zapheiropoulou

1991, fig. 23.

2
3

like the dexiosis handclasp, the man touching his wifes shoulder or
crowning her with a wreath indicate the emotional connection of the
couples represented58. (Figure 2) These gestures reveal the mental and
emotional bond between the husband and his wife and at the same
time they testify to the importance of women in the family life of the
Byzantion society. Children are also present, standing under or next
to the chair of the mother59. Sometimes little boys are depicted seated
between their parents, a subject that gained more popularity during
the Imperial period60.
The same familial bond is visible in a series of 2nd c. A.D. reliefs
from Odessa. These monuments reproduce the subject of the married
couple, with the husband reclining on the couch and the modestly
dressed wife sitting on a chair61. These reliefs present a tender family
moment, apparent from the aectionate way in which the mother
embraces the infant as well as in the gesture of her husband crowning
her with a wreath. (Figure 3) The bond between them is strong and
obvious and goes beyond life and death.
A similar family atmosphere is demonstrated in a series of 2nd
c. A.D. funerary banquet reliefs from the Paros island62. Here the
iconographical motif of the reclining couple dethroned the scheme of
58
59

Fabricius 1999, p. 274.

Fabricius 1999, pl. 24b (F82a: Byzantion. Constantinople, Archaeological Museum, no.
5495), pl. 32a (F36: Byzantion. Constantinople, Archaeological Museum, no. 16).
60 Fabricius 1999, pl. 29b (Sayar 5: Bayrampaa, Constantinople, Archaeological Museum,
nr. 74.4), pl. 29a (F77: Byzantion. Constantinople, School of Philosophy).
61 Pfuhl - Mbius 1977/1979 pp. 423-424, pl. 254.
62 On banquet reliefs from the Aegean islands, Le Dinahet-Couilloud 1974; Zaphiropoulou
1991; Mercky 1995.

126 Representations of Women and Children...

the reclining man and the seated wife; both gures are lying on their
left elbows, with their torso in frontal view and their legs stretch on
the side. The husband usually holds the right shoulder of his wife,
pointing out the sentimental bond between them63. Their children are
represented lying on the same couch with their parents64. (Figure 4)
These reclining women of Paros enjoy the same status and rights as
their husbands.
Funerary monuments of the early Imperial period that depict
banquet scenes usually inform us on a specic social class, that of
the free Roman citizens65. A late 2nd c. A.D. relief from Thessaloniki
depicts the funerary banquet of a former slave, called Onesimus66.
Onesimus is reclined and surrounded by three female members of
his family. His wife is standing, depicted in the type of Aphrodite
Louvre/Naples, indicating that she is the deceased. The two seated
women at each end of the relief are his daughter Neike and his mother
Onesime. According to the inscription the relief was commissioned
for the Onesimus family tomb. According to Roller, freed men who at
some point obtained Roman citizenship would choose to be depicted
as members of the Roman elite67. However, being conservative by
nature and origin they usually preferred depicting the female members
of their family in a modest and restrained way, i.e. seated, and
dierentiating them from the reclining Roman women.
A close familial relationship is reected in another relief from
Thessaloniki. It is dated at the early 4th c A.D. and depicts Serapanos
and his family68. (Figure 5) Serapanos is reclining on the same couch
with a young man, probably his son. His wife is sitting in a chair next
to him, wearing a chiton and himation which covers her head. With
her right hand she is holding the left hand of her husband. A young
boy is depicted sitting on a stool with his legs crossed, writing on a
scroll. According to the funerary inscription, Paramonos and Serapas,
the two sons of Serapanos, dedicated this relief to their parents. It is
not clear whether the young writer is the youngest son of the couple.
Funerary banquets with men and women derive also from
tomb and catacomb paintings of the early Christian period69. They
form a homogeneous art context which increases between the late
3rd and early 4th c. A.D.70. The best preserved examples come from
the catacombs of Rome and they depict multi-gured banquets
reproducing the Hellenistic and Roman banquet iconography71. One
basic dierentiation is that in Christian banquets the participants are
not drinking. In early Christian painting, too, each persons social
niveau is stated through the body posture. That is, standing women
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71

Zaphiropoulou 1991, gs. 1, 3, 5, 8, 11-13, 19-20.

Zaphiropoulou 1991, gs. 22-23.
Dunbabin 2003, pp. 114-120. Roller 2006, p. 123.
Thessaloniki, Archaeological Museum, no. 1524, Despinis et al. 1997, pp. 151-152 no. 123,
g. 324 (Em. Voutyras).
Roller, 2003, pp. 378-379.
Thessaloniki, Archaeological Museum, no. 10105, Despinis et al. 1997, pp. 161-163 no. 132,
g. 330 (Em. Voutyras).
Corley 1993, pp. 76-77. On early Christian banquets, Smith 2003; Taussig 2009.
Dunbabin 2003, p. 175.
Bisconti 2000.

5. Thessaloniki, Archaeological Museum, nr. 10105. 4th c. A.D. Photo: Despinis, et al. 1997,
nr. 132, fig. 330.

are probably servants, while the seated or reclining ones are probably
the ladies of the house72. Within this framework some of these late
funerary banquets depict women reclining and dinning without the
company of men73. During the 5th c. A.D., banquet scenes both from
secular and funerary context decrease. This is probably due both
to the spiritual prohibitions of the new religion (Christianity) and
the troubled times. In biblical iconography, the banquet scenery is
adopted for narrating Old and New Testaments banquets, e.g. the
Herodes banquet, the Cana wedding, the Secret Dinner74.
The banquet iconography functions as a visual comment on the
social values and moral perceptions of the Roman period. According
to M. Roller, the way families were represented on their tomb stones,
corresponds to what they used to do when they lived75. Family bonds
are visible through gestures. The so called dexiosis-gesture (dextrarum
72 Dunbabin 2003, pp. 183-184.
73 Roller 2003, p. 406. A funerary banquet of three women is depicted in a mosaic of the
late 4th c. AD, uncovered in the Antioch necropolis (sector 24-L (Worcester Art Museum,
no. 1936.26). See, Kondoleon 2000, pp. 121-122 no. 9; Dunbabin 2003, p. 184 no. 28, pl. XIV.
74 Dunbabin 2003, pp. 198-200.
75 Roller 2003, pp. 377-8.

iunctio), i.e. the handclasp between a man and a woman is an evidence

of the most intimate relationship, the marital bond76. This gesture
denitely reveals the continuing connection between the deceased and
the living members of a family. Sentimental bonds are also expressed
when the man touches his wifes shoulder or when he crowns her with
a wreath77. Roller comments, however, that the motif of the seated
woman indicates the inferior position of women in the house; even
when the wife enjoys a reclining position next to her husband, she
does not enjoy the same pleasures, e.g. the food table is placed closer
to the husband, implying that women had an unequal participation in
the life or afterlife pleasures unlike their husbands78.
Banquet scenes of the imperial period depicted in murals, mosaics
and banquet reliefs, represent men, women and children sharing a
meal, thus providing us with valuable information on the structure of
the Roman family79. Scholars should bear in mind that each banquet
scene must be approached separately, in relevance to its context,
medium and provenance. The situation varies according to the factors
such as the era, the place or the cultural and social level of the depicted
client and the artist of the monument80. Mosaics, frescoes literary
sources focused on earthly pleasures, evidently follow a more relaxed
iconography81. Funerary monuments with banquet scenes are about
family bonds and family memories, and that makes them by nature
more conservative.
Common dinners express the systems through which families
and communities connect with each other82. The form and content of
the banquet scenery are a combination of social and cultural factors,
mirroring the close link in the Roman thought between the afterlife
and the convivium of the living.
76 Cf, Fabricius 1999, pl. 22a (F 80: Byzantion. Constantinople, Archaeological Museum,
no. 4953).
77 Fabricius 1999, pl. 11b (H 166b: Pythagoreion, Samos, Archaeological Museum, no. 346),
pl. 26b (F35: Byzantion, Constantinople, Archaeological Museum, no. 5045).
78 Roller 2003, p. 408.
79 Nielsen 1998, p. 62.
80 Dunbabin 2003, p. 58; Roller 2003, p. 387; Roller 2006, p. 98, p. 122.
81 Roller 2006, p. 148.
82 Bradley 1998, p. 36.

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