Symbolic figures in Early Imperial Asia Minor. Reshaping of funeral architecture?

Mrg Lucia Novakova

doi:10.21113/iir.v6i2.246

Abstract

The Hellenistic tradition of funerary monuments in Early Imperial Asia Minor was based equally on both, the form and decoration of tomb monument. Figural decoration on panel reliefs or sarcophagi embodied political allegory and civic ideology together with the depiction of the deceased. Unfortunately, various free standing statues and mural paintings are nowadays consider lost, despite numerous references of ancient authors and epigraphic evidence. How much of funerary decoration should be understood in terms of traditional civic ideas of the Hellenistic world and how much in terms of Roman concept, is one of the most important issues related to the Roman sepulchral landscape in Anatolia. Early Imperial architectural forms followed hellenistic tradition while communicating Roman ideas through orientation and organization of space. Similar system of public honours that Greek cities bestowed upon their citizens and foreign benefactors in previous period (praise, crown, statue, prohedria, tafé demosia) was maintained. Architectural changes in western Asia Minor came about in the Augustan Age, reflecting the major political transformation of the empire.

Highlights

A fundamental change in the political culture could be recognized already in the Hellenistic period, since important contribution of Hellenistic polis may be seen in kind of social and political organizations, which has become known as regimes of the notables
Epigraphic documentation indicates that boulé and démos were still deciding on the kind of issues that had been on the agenda centuries earlier (Van Nijf and Alston 2011, 1-27)
Imperial freedmen and people with close ties to Rome were largely responsible for new public building programs, and Rome can be seen as the motivating force behind the transformation of this space

Summary

Introduction

A fundamental change in the political culture could be recognized already in the Hellenistic period, since important contribution of Hellenistic polis may be seen in kind of social and political organizations, which has become known as regimes of the notables. Aphrodisias had long maintained good relations with Rome but remained a small polis until the late first century B.C. The monumentalization of the city began with the building activities promoted by Iulius Caesars freedman Zoilos, who became responsible for the planning of much of the civic centre and many of early monumental projects of the city. All allegories can be understood in the Greek and Roman complexion as well, but representations of civic virtue lack specific attributes Without inscriptions their interpretation depends on the context. Male figure can be interpreted as Démos, half-draped according to the classical scheme Both figures could be an allusion to communities, to which the deceased belonged: Rome and Hierapolis. Virtue of deceased was often associated with Mnémé, eternal memory of the deceased, understood in both, heroic and funerary context Both are known from the Zoilos frieze

Settings and public displays

Civic elite and benefactors

Intramural burials and heroa

Conclusion