A New Portrait of Livia from Thysdrus (El Jem, Tunisia)

Bibliographic Data

ID4842333
AuthorsLea M Stirling, Lea Stirling (0000-0001-6505-709X, Willamette University, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume116
Issue4
Pages625-647
Publication date2012-10-01
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.116.4.0625
OpenAlexW2478613462
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited19

In the 1970s, a fragmentary sculpted portrait of the empress Livia wearing a wreath of wheat was found in a monumental building (dubbed the Imperial Cult Building) on the forum of ancient Thysdrus (El Jem, Tunisia). Published here for the first time, the head dates to ca. 10–20 C.E. The new Livia is part of a cluster of Augustan and Julio-Claudian statuary—an Augustus, a possible Octavia, and three hitherto-unpublished headless statues—that sheds new light on the prosperity and public ambitions of Thysdrus in the Early Empire. The unadulterated crown of wheat accentuates ties to Ceres with unusual emphasis but fits in with contemporary African coinage and dedications. Additional figures can be found under this article’s abstract on AJA Online

Ancient history · Art · Art history · Cult · Empire · Political science · Portrait · Prosperity · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeological and Historical Studies · Archaeology and Historical Studies · History · Law

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