Roman Mosaics in Sicily
The African Connection
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4540787 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R J A Wilson, Ross J Wilson (0000-0001-6916-9419, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1982 |
| Volume | 86 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 413-428 |
| Publication date | 1982-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9114 • E-ISSN: 1939-828X |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/504430 |
| OpenAlex | W2315063234 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 1 |
The close relationship between the mosaics of Piazza Armerina and those of North Africa is well known, but African influence also pervades a great number of other Sicilian mosaics from the late second to the sixth century A. C. In this article a recent theory that Sicilian mosaics show evidence of genuine originality which in turn influenced the North African repertoire (Camerata-Scovazzo) is rejected; thirteen Sicilian mosaics are then examined in detail, with full reference to the most striking of the African parallels. In the final section are explored the possible implications of the close relationship between Sicilian and African mosaics. Three alternatives are first considered: that Sicilian mosaics were largely laid by Africans working on contract, away from their home base; that African workshops set up branch businesses in Sicilian cities; and that Sicilian mosaicists, using African copybooks, composed and executed the floors themselves, displaying virtually no originality. It is not easy to decide which possibility is likely to be correct in the case of each mosaic, in view of our ignorance about what precisely was contained in mosaicists' copybooks, and about how freely they were allowed to circulate. A fourth alternative, that large portions of Sicilian mosaics were prefabricated in North Africa and shipped to Sicily ready-made, is also considered, especially in relation to two floors; but definitive conclusions are impossible while both evidence for mosaic prefabrication in antiquity, and information about the organization of the mosaic industry in general, are so limited
Ancient history · Genealogy · Geography · Linguistics · Mosaic · Originality · Parallels · Qualitative research · Relation (database · Sicilian · Sociology · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Anthropology · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · Engineering · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,1 |
| Citation span | 1995 - 2024 (30) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |