Granite Funerary Stelae from Augusta Emerita by Jonathan Edmondson

220 PHOENIX To turn briefly to the statues themselves, I highlight only a couple of the more noteworthy entries. There is a new portrait head of Tiberius that probably went with a half-drapedstatueinthe Dresden Zeus type(265-267, no. 168,fig.27 andpi. 115).Zoilos, an influential freedman of Octavian known to us through inscriptions and an allegorical relief from his mausoleum, may well be represented in a Caesar-like togate portrait from the theatre (43-44, 102-104, no. 1, pis. 4-5). A rather awkward togate statue of a youth (108-112, no. 3, pis. 8-10) has caused much scholarly discussion, as Niels Hannestad and Marianne Bergmann have dated it to the fifth century a.d.1 Notwithstanding the "ungainly proportions"and lackoffinishat theback of thehead, Smith argues that the toga typeandnon-drilledeyesarebestparalleled inthe Hadrianic period (111).A striking statue of a priest in a crown was long considered Constantinian because of its drilled irises and clean-shaven face,2 but looking at aspects of the finish and drill work, the authors set it instead into the Antonine period with a group of "elder" portraits that emphasized a conservative look (164-166, no. 45, pis. 35-37). This sampling of broad conclusions, intriguing details, and select statues should demonstrate that there ismuch to learn, emulate, and debate within this thoughtful and synthetic volume. It sets a very high standard indeed for future sculptural publications. University of Manitoba Lea Stirling Granite Funerary Stelae from Augusta Emerita. By Jonathan Edmondson. Merida: Monografias Emeritenses 9. 2006. Pp. 303, pi. 39. Augusta Emerita (Merida), in origin a veteran colony founded by Augustus, was to become one of the most important cities in Roman Spain. The initial expansion and adornment of the colony were underpinned by the exploitation of the most readily accessible building stone, the local granite. Itwas used in both the grand and themundane, from the amphitheatre to the cemetery. Until the mid-first century a.d., when marble became more easily available, granite was used for grave markers, and was fashioned to form stelae, and also some funerary altars and larger tombs. It is the stelae, relatively simple gravestones, which are the focus of this study. The catalogue itemises fifty-three granite stelae that have been found at Emerita, publishing several of them for the first time and providing the first full discussion of the stelae both individually and as a group. Each stela has a detailed catalogue entry with due attention given to the history of its discovery, design, dating, and a full reading, reconstruction, and interpretation of the inscription. The stelae, and the epitaphs inscribed upon them, are simple. There is little decoration and little verbal information about those named. The odd sculpted rosette, an occasional formulasuchas "STTL" (sittibiterralevis,"maytheearthHe lightly upon you") and a few age statements are about as exciting as it gets. There are no lengthy eulogies, no career statements, in fact few indicators of status at all. Nevertheless, Edmondson admirably brings thismodest body of evidence to life,throwingnew lighton both the funerary traditions of Emerita and the lives of its early inhabitants. In a series of discussion chapters 1N. Hannestad, Tradition inLate Antique Sculpture (Aarhus 1994) 160;M. Bergmann, Chiragan, Aphrodisias, Konstantinopel: Zur mythologischen Skulptur der Spatantike (Wiesbaden 1999) 41, 64. 2 See J. Inan and E. Rosenbaum, Roman and Early Byzantine Portrait Sculpture inAsia Minor (Oxford 1966) 177-178. BOOK REVIEWS/COMPTES RENDUS 221 which precede the catalogue, Edmondson examines the form of the stelae, comparative material from elsewhere in the empire, the archaeological context, and dating criteria, as well as evaluating social aspects and the names found on the epitaphs. Edmondson argues that the early stelae, with rounded and triangular tops, were influenced by Italian prototypes, but thatwith time the stelae gained a distinctive Emeritan twist, with the rectangular stones carved to have a protruding arch in their upper sections. Many of the inscriptions included area dimensions, indicating that some stelae doubled as burial plot markers, and for some thismay have been their sole function. The granite stelae predominantly date to the earlier years of the colony, were ubiquitous in the cemeteries that lined the major roads, and were used

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Epitaph · Literature · Portrait · Sculpture · Statue · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeological and Historical Studies · History · Medieval Architecture and Archaeology