Recontextualizing Nilotic Scenes

Interactive Landscapes in the Garden of the Casa dell'Efebo, Pompeii

Bibliographic Data

ID4536096
AuthorsCaitlín E Barrett (Cornell University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume121
Issue2
Pages293-332
Publication date2017-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9114 • E-ISSN: 1939-828X
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.3764/aja.121.2.0293
OpenAlexW2601073151
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited51

Despite long-standing scholarly interest in Roman “Aegyptiaca,” much work remains to be done to contextualize Egyptian or Egyptian-style material culture found in domestic settings. This need is especially pressing for “Nilotic scenes,” or wall paintings and mosaics depicting the Nile. While previous studies have identified general areas in ancient houses where such imagery was common, many questions remain open concerning the relationships between these Egyptian landscapes and their surrounding architectural installations, decorative ensembles, and artifactual assemblages. This study employs the frescoes from the garden triclinium of the Casa dell’Efebo, Pompeii, as a case study in the recontextualization of “Nilotica.” In contrast to older interpretations emphasizing Isis cult or anti-Egyptian stereotypes, a contextual analysis of this garden installation suggests new possibilities. Even as the Egyptian landscapes introduce a seemingly exotic element into domestic space, other aspects of the garden setting familiarize and domesticate the imagery. Simultaneously far away and familiar, the imagined landscapes of the garden transform domestic space into a microcosm of oikoumene and encourage viewers to engage in multiple possible ways with changing constructions of imperial, local, and cultural identities. Additional figures appear under this article’s abstract on AJA Online

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Cult · Fresco · Geography · Mosaic · Painting · Space (punctuation) · Style (visual arts · Visual arts · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · History

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