Greek Myths in Roman Art and Culture Imagery, Values and Identity in Italy, 50 BC–AD 250

416 Pages·2016·44.62 MB·English

by  Zahra Newby

GreekMythsinRomanArtandCulture
ImagesofepisodesfromGreekmythologyarewidespreadinRoman
art, appearing in sculptural groups, mosaics, paintings and reliefs.
They attest to Rome’s enduring fascination with Greek culture, and
herdesiretoabsorbandreframethatculturefornewends.Thisbook
provides a comprehensive account of the meanings of Greek myth
across the spectrum of Roman art, including public, domestic and
funerarycontexts.Itarguesthatmyths,inadditiontofunctioningas
signifiersofapatron’seducationorpaideia,playedanimportantrole
asrhetoricalanddidacticexempla.Thechanginguseofmythological
imageryindomesticandfuneraryartinparticularrevealsanimpor-
tant shift in Roman values and senses of identity across the period
ofthefirsttwocenturiesAD,andinthewaysthatGreekculturewas
turnedtoserveRomanvalues.
zahra newbyisReaderinClassicsandAncientHistoryattheUni-
versityofWarwick.SheisauthorofGreekAthleticsintheRomanWorld:
VictoryandVirtue(2005)andofnumerousarticlesonPhilostratusand
Lucian, Greek cultural identity in the imperial period, as well as on
mythologicalsculptureandsarcophagi.Shealsoco-editedthevolume
ArtandInscriptionsintheAncientWorld(CambridgeUniversityPress,
2007).
greek culture in the roman world
Editors
SusanE.Alcock
UniversityofMichigan
Jas´Elsner
CorpusChristiCollege,Oxford
SimonGoldhill
UniversityofCambridge
MichaelSquire
King’sCollegeLondon
The Greek culture of the Roman Empire offers a rich field of study. Extraordinary
insightscanbegainedintoprocessesofmulticulturalcontactandexchange,political
andideologicalconflict,andthecreativityofachanging,polyglotempire.Duringthis
period,manyfundamentalelementsofWesternsocietywerebeingsetinplace:fromthe
riseofChristianity,toaninfluentialsystemofeducation,tolong-livedartisticcanons.
ThisseriesisthefirsttofocusontheresponseofGreekculturetoitsRomanimperial
settingasasignificantphenomenoninitsownright.Tothisend,itwillpublishoriginal
andinnovativeresearchintheart,archaeology,epigraphy,history,philosophy,religion,
andliteratureoftheempire,withanemphasisonGreekmaterial.
Recenttitlesintheseries:
TheMaeanderValley:AHistoricalGeographyfromAntiquitytoByzantium
peterthonemann
GreeceandtheAugustanCulturalRevolution a.j.s.spawforth
RethinkingtheGods:PhilosophicalReadingsofReligioninthePost-Hellenistic
Period petervannuffelen
SaintsandSymposiasts:TheLiteratureofFoodandtheSymposiumin
Greco-RomanandEarlyChristianCulture jasonko¨nig
TheSocialWorldofIntellectualsintheRomanEmpire:Sophists,Philosophers,
andChristians kendraeshleman
ReligionandIdentityinPorphyryofTyre:TheLimitsofHellenisminLate
Antiquity aaronjohnson
SyrianIdentityintheGreco-RomanWorld nathanielj.andrade
TheSenseofSightinRabbinicCulture:JewishWaysofSeeinginLateAntiquity
rachelneis
RomanPhrygia:CultureandSociety peterthonemann
HomerinStone:TheTabulaeIliacaeintheirRomanContext
davidpetrain
ManandAnimalinSeveranRome:TheLiteraryImaginationofClaudius
Aelianus stevend.smith
ReadingFictionwithLucian:Fakes,FreaksandHyperreality
karennı´ mheallaigh
GreekNarrativesoftheRomanEmpireundertheSeverans:CassiusDio,
PhilostratusandHerodian adamm.kemezis
TheEndofGreekAthletics sofieremijsen
RomanFestivalsintheGreekEast:FromtheEarlyEmpiretotheMiddle
ByzantineEra fritzgraf
Greek Myths in Roman Art
and Culture
Imagery, Values and Identity in Italy,
50 BC–AD 250
zahra newby
UniversityofWarwick
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learningandresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107072244
(cid:2)C ZahraNewby2016
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2016
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd.PadstowCornwall
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-Publicationdata
Names:Newby,Zahra,author.
Title:GreekmythsinRomanartandculture:imagery,valuesandidentity
inItaly,50BC-AD250/ZahraNewby,UniversityofWarwick.
Description:NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,2016.|Series:Greekculture
intheRomanworld|Includesbibliographicalreferences.
Identifiers:LCCN2016019206|ISBN9781107072244(hardback)
Subjects:LCSH:Mythology,Greek,inart.|Art,Roman–Greekinfluences.|
Art,Roman–Themes,motives.|Rome–Civilization–Greekinfluences.|BISAC:
ART/History/Ancient&Classical.
Classification:LCCN7760.N49 2016|DDC709/.38–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016019206
ISBN978-1-107-07224-4Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracy
ofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
ForOliverandGeorgia

Contents
ListofIllustrations [pageviii]
Acknowledgements [xviii]
ListofAbbreviations [xx]
Introduction:GreekMyths,RomanLives [1]
1. ArtandPowerinthePublicSphere [32]
2. RecreatingMythintheRomanVilla [80]
3. Paideia,RhetoricandSelf-representation:Responsesto
MythologicalWall-paintings [137]
4. MythologicalWall-paintingsintheRomanHouse [164]
5. FromHometoTomb:MythsintheFuneraryRealm [228]
6. TheRhetoricofMythologicalSarcophagi:Praise,Lament
andConsolation [273]
7. Epilogue:TheRomanPast,theCultureofExemplarityand
aNewRoleforGreekMyth [320]
Bibliography [348]
Index [385]
vii
Illustrations
FiguresinText
0.1 Detailofmarinescenefromtheso-calledAltarofDomitius
Ahenobarbus;Munich,StaatlicheAntikensammlungen.Glyptothek
inv.239.Photo:RuthLeader-Newby. [page12]
0.2 Detailofsacrificescenefromtheso-calledAltarofDomitius
Ahenobarbus;Paris,Louvreinv.975.Photo:Marie-LanNguyen,
usedundercreativecommonslicence. [13]
1.1 FarneseBull,Naples,MuseoArcheologicoNazionaleinv.6002.
Photo:KathrynThompson. [42]
1.2 MapofPompey’stheatreandportico.RedrawnafterCarettoni
1960:103. [45]
1.3 Femalehermsinblackmarble,probablytheDanaidswhich
decoratedtheporticooftheTempleofApolloonthePalatine.
Rome,MuseoPalatinoinv.1048,1056,1053.Photo:bypermission
ofilMinisterodeibeniedelleattivita` culturaliedelturismo–
SoprintendenzaSpecialeperilColosseo,ilMuseoNazionale
Romanoel’AreaarcheologicadiRoma. [54]
1.4 TerracottaplaqueshowingthecontestbetweenApolloandHeracles,
fromtheTempleofApolloonthePalatine.Rome,MuseoPalatino.
Photo:bypermissionofilMinisterodeibeniedelleattivita` culturali
edelturismo–SoprintendenzaSpecialeperilColosseo,ilMuseo
NazionaleRomanoel’AreaarcheologicadiRoma. [55]
1.5 ReliefshowingAeneassacrificing,Rome,AraPacis.Photo:Alison
Cooley. [59]
1.6 DetailofthesouthsideoftheAraPacis,showingAugustusin
procession.Photo:Sansaini,D-DAI-ROM57.883. [59]
1.7 PlanoftheForumofAugustus.Degrassi1937:1,annotated. [60]
1.8 ReconstructionofstatueintheForumofAugustus.Degrassi1937:
4. [61]
1.9 PunishmentofTarpeia,detailofthefriezefromtheBasilicaAemilia.
Rome,PalazzoMassimo.Photo:Marie-LanNguyen,usedunder
creativecommonslicence. [66]
viii
ListofIllustrations ix
1.10 DetailofarchitravefromDomitian’sForum,Rome,showingthe
mythofArachne.Photo:CaroleRaddato,usedundercreative
commonslicence. [67]
1.11 SilverdenariusofL.MarciusCensorinus,c.82BC,showingthe
statueofMarsyasintheForum.YaleUniversityArtGallery
2001.87.1480.Photo:CourtesyofYaleUniversityArtGalleryOpen
AccessPolicy. [72]
1.12 Detailoftheso-calledAnaglyphaTraiani,showingthestatueof
MarsyasintheForum.Rome,ForumRomanum.Photo:
Felbermeyer,D-DAI-ROM63.106. [73]
1.13 StatueofMarsyasfromtheForumatPaestum.Paestum,Museo
ArcheologicoNazionale.Photo:FrancescoVallettaandGiovanni
Grippo,GabinettofotograficodelMuseoArcheologicoNazionale
Paestum. [74]
1.14 StatueofthehangingMarsyas.Rome,PalazzodeiConservatoriinv.
1977.Photo:Rossa,D-DAI-ROM74.2741. [74]
2.1 BarberiniFaunStatue;Munich,Glyptothek.Photo:BibiSaint-Pol,
usedundercreativecommonslicence. [88]
2.2 Torsoofasatyr,fromCastelGandolfo.MuseiVaticaniinv.9975.
Photo:(cid:2)C MuseiVaticani. [89]
2.3 StatueofDionysus,CastelGandolfo,Antiquariuminv.36417.
Photo:ZahraNewby,bypermissionofMuseiVaticani. [91]
2.4 Reconstructionofthesculpturaldecorationofthecaveat
Sperlonga.A:Pasquinogroup,B:Scylla,C:BlindingofPolyphemus,
D:TheftofthePalladium,E:Ganymede.CourtesyofMiBACT,
SoprintendenzaperiBeniArcheologicidelLazio,Rome,provided
byMichaelSquire. [94]
2.5 StatueofAndromedafromSperlonga.Photo:Felbermeyer,
D-DAI-ROM36.1299. [100]
2.6 StatueofthesleepingPolyphemus,CastelGandolfoAntiquarium
inv.36410.Photo:ZahraNewby,bypermissionofMusei
Vaticani. [101]
2.7 Wall-paintingofPolyphemusandGalatea,HouseofthePriest
Amandus,PompeiiI.7,7.Photo:Koppermann,D-DAI-ROM
66.1794. [103]
2.8 ReliefshowingthewoundedAdonis;Rome,PalazzoSpada.Photo:
AlinariArchives,Florence. [104]
2.9 PlanoftheHortiLamiani,redrawnafterHa¨uber1990:
map1. [107]