Statuary, the Secular and Remaining Powers in Late Antiquity
Ine Jacobs
Chapter from the book: Ritari, K et al. 2023. Being Pagan, Being Christian in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages.
Part of
Chapter from the book: Ritari, K et al. 2023. Being Pagan, Being Christian in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages.
This chapter focuses on the survival and diverse usage of pagan-mythological statuary until the end of Antiquity. In order to explain its continued functioning in late antique centuries, I discuss two ways of viewing: the secular (whereby gods and divinities are seen as symbolic or emblematic for specific aspects of life, particularly elite life), and the religious (whereby gods and divinities retain power and agency). Whereas secular explanations have been given ample attention in recent decades, the power of statues in Late Antiquity, and especially their positive power in the eyes of people who self-identified as Christian, has been largely neglected. I argue that it is worthwhile exploring this route further to help explain why these statues remained so omnipresent in the cityscape.
Jacobs, I. 2023. Statuary, the Secular and Remaining Powers in Late Antiquity. In: Ritari, K et al (eds.), Being Pagan, Being Christian in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33134/AHEAD-4-5
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Published on Dec. 28, 2023