The Female Portrait Gallery in Pompey’s Theatre Complex in Rome: Appearance and Impact

Abstract

Pompey’s large complex in the Campus Martius (55 BC) comprised in addition to the theatre a colonnade portico containing various works of art, among them a gallery of statues representing famous Greek Women. The statues, which were presumably in bronze, have disappeared, but the names of the women are preserved in written sources. Using these sources as well as our knowledge of Greek female portrait statues in general, this article discusses the purpose of the gallery and the possible appearance of the statues.