Historiae custos: Sculpture and Tradition in the Baths of Zeuxippos

Abstract

To coincide with the dedication of Constantinople in A. D. 330, the emperor Constantine decorated the Baths of Zeuxippos, one of the city's oldest and grandest thermal establishments, with a fine collection of sculpture. Three types of statuary were used: images of gods and demigods, figures of mythological heroes taken largely, though not exclusively, from the Trojan War cycle, and portraits of famous Greeks and Romans. These categories were generally consistent with the established traditions of Roman thermal decor in which statues of gods and demigods referred to the healing and cultural activities associated with the baths, mythological figures served to delight and entertain, and portraiture honored local citizens and benefactors. At the same time, however, the use of portraiture at the Zeuxippos proved distinctive. Representations of local citizens, traditionally a prominent feature in the programs of important public baths, were eschewed in favor of the great literary, philosophical, and political figures of Graeco-Roman antiquity. This singular choice reflected a desire to detach Constantinopolitan identity from the confining agenda of local history and link it with the universal cultural traditions of Greece and Rome. It was a vision that derived from contemporary ideas about education and the nature of power and that was, ultimately, appropriate to Constantinople's role as capital of the Roman Empire.