The colours of death: Roman cinerary urns in coloured stone
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S. Perna [1]
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[1] University of London
University of London
Reino Unido
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- Localización: Interdisciplinary studies on ancient stone: proceedings of the IX Association for the Study of Marbles and Other Stones in Antiquity (ASMOSIA) Conference (Tarragona 2009) / coord. por Anna Gutiérrez García-Moreno, María Pilar Lapuente Mercadal, Isabel Rodà de Llanza, 2012, ISBN 978-84-939033-8-1, págs. 787-800
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
As coloured marbles began to be imported to Rome, from the 1st century BC funerary urns in Egyptian alabaster, purple porphyry and, sometimes, granite, appear in Roman burials. Relatively rarer than the other ash receptacles they pose questions regarding their selection and use. Recorded find-spots are columbaria and funerary monuments belonging to wealthy individuals, including "liberti", and, in some circumstances, the Imperial family. In the realm of death the concern of certain Roman social groups for visibility and memory is evident, and the use of urns in exotic coloured stone may be seen as an important means of affirming social differentiation and prestige. This paper offers some interpretations of stone symbolism connected to death investigating in what ways these urns could be perceived as objects of self-promotion given the importance conferred to marble in Roman society
