Focusing on Pliny the Elder's insights, this book examines how his work, Natural History, serves as a vital source for understanding the figural arts of Classical antiquity. It delves into the construction of materials and artistic processes within Pliny's writings, while also reflecting on contemporary advancements in the study of Graeco-Roman art. Through this exploration, the book highlights the interplay between historical context and modern interpretations of ancient artistic practices.
Figural and non-figural supports are ubiquitous features of Roman sculpture in stone but have never before been the subject of a close investigation. This is the first full treatment of a fundamental subject and overturns previous assumptions about Roman visual traditions and the reception of Greek art.
Privacy is a widely debated concept today, and a paramount concern for modern societies: the ideas and prerogatives that it encapsulates are considered, nowadays, to be essential human rights and key issues when defining the mutual relationship between the individual and society at large. In order to investigate the boundaries and nuances of privacy in the Roman society, the city of Pompeii provides a rare case in point, due to the extraordinary concentration and readability of contextual archaeological data. The aim of this volume which originated from an International Workshop held at the Center for Advanced Studies of the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, is to contribute to a better knowledge of the domestic space in Pompeii and other cities of the Roman world as mirrored by the interplay between individual and social spaces. To this purpose, a small group of researchers from a variety of backgrounds and traditions have been invited to contribute papers on different aspects of privacy, emphasizing diversity in methodologies and approaches.
Riservatezza, condivisione e prestigio negli ambienti ad alcova di Pompei
This book revolves around the shaping of Roman domestic space and cultural issues of privacy and representativeness. At the core is a set of lavish rooms where layout, architecture and décor bespeak the presence of one or two beds suitable for sleep or daytime rest. For the first time, the author restores the rich contextual readings regarding the dense network of location, architecture, accessibility, lighting, landscape, decoration. In Pompeian houses alcove cubicula were among the key reception rooms. Their images acted as prime symbols of power, as real weapons in strategies of distinction. Luxury, lifestyle, prestige, and the debates around them seem to be primarily related to the design of these comparatively small environments. No other type of room shows such quick adaptation to the most up-to-date trends, owing to a series of real revolutions in fashion first developed for lavish patrician residences, then spread among medium-, later even small-size abodes throughout town. In the realm of domestic life, alcove rooms constitute a sound source for inquiring into the different tastes of Pompeii's various social groups. Defined by financial means and social affluence, their tastes ranged from aesthetics of luxury to an ordinary reception of trivialized clichés.