Roman Identity and Lived Religion

Baptismal Art in Late Antiquity
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-1-009-40865-3
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 280 Seiten, Format (B × H): 174 mm x 247 mm, Gewicht: 662 g

Reihe: Greek Culture in the Roman World

Christianity is often considered prevalent when it comes to defining the key values of late antique society, whereas 'feeling connected to the Roman past' is commonly regarded as an add-on for cultivated elites. This book demonstrates the significant impact of popular Roman culture on the religious identity of common Christians from the fifth to the seventh century in the Mediterranean world. Baptism is central to the formation of Christian identity. The decoration of baptisteries reveals that traditional Roman culture persisted as an integral component of Christian identity in various communities. In their baptisteries, Christians visually and spatially evoked their links to Roman and, at times, even pagan traditions. A close examination of visual and material sources in North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Italy shows that baptisteries served roles beyond mere conduits to Christian orthodoxy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lenk, Stefanie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. The absence of Christian iconography and the presence of Roman cult and culture in the baptismal complex of Cuicul, Numidia; 2. The use of non-Christian imagery in baptisteries; 3. The conversion of a personification – the River Jordan in Ravenna.

Über Autor(innen)

Lenk, Stefanie
STEFANIE LENK is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer in the Department of Art History and Art Collection at the University of Göttingen. She was Curator of the international exhibition 'Imagining the Divine. Art and the Rise of World Religions' held at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in 2017–18, Postdoctoral researcher on 'Global Horizons in Pre-Modern Art' at the University of Bern in 2018-21 and Fellow at the RomanIslam Center of the University of Hamburg in 2021–22.