"A statue of bronze, by which times of old used to honor men of rare example": Materials of honorific statues in Late Antiquity

It is the purpose of this article to present the archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence on the materials of honorific statues in Late Antiquity with a fresh outlook to delve into their cultural meaning and potential for manipulation and power display. The article questions how material cho...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Öğüş, Esen (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: De Gruyter 2022
In: Byzantinische Zeitschrift
Year: 2022, Volume: 115, Issue: 1, Pages: 211-246
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Summary:It is the purpose of this article to present the archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence on the materials of honorific statues in Late Antiquity with a fresh outlook to delve into their cultural meaning and potential for manipulation and power display. The article questions how material choice and employment fits the conventions of state tradition and social customs, whether certain materials were deemed more prestigious and appropriate for the statues of the imperial family versus other honorands, and whether this prestige depended on the cost of the material or other visual/cultural factors. The results of the inquiry show that the choice of materials depended on a mix of factors and diverse local practices, and of all the available materials, bronze remained as the most widely-manipulated one.
ISSN:1868-9027
Contains:Enthalten in: Byzantinische Zeitschrift
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1515/bz-2022-0009