Ancestor Masks and Aristocratic Power in Roman Culture

出版者:Oxford University Press, USA

作者:Harriet I. Flower

页数:434

出版时间:2000-1-20

价格:GBP 60.00

装帧:Paperback

isbn号码:9780199240241

图书标签:romanRoman

In the first comprehensive study of Roman ancestor masks in English, Harriet Flower explains the reasons behind the use of wax masks in the commemoration of politically prominent family members by the elite society of Rome. Flower traces the functional evolution of ancestor masks, from their first attested appearance in the third century BC to their last mention in the sixth century AD, through the examination of literary sources in both prose and verse, legal texts, epigraphy, archaeology, numismatics, and art. It is by putting these masks, which were worn by actors at the funerals of the deceased, into their legal, social, and political context that Flower is able to elucidate their central position in the media of the time and their special meaning as symbols of power and prestige.