Picta nilotica romana in context. The meanings and functions of Roman Nilotic paintings in archaeological contexts
Abstract
This paper is part of a research field that aims to study Roman paintings with a Nilotic theme in the Mediterranean between the 1st century BC and the 6th century AD. After the signing of the agreement of amicitia between Egypt and Rome in 273 BC, the impact of the former territory on the political, cultural, economic, and religious manifestations of the Mediterranean territories was clear. A good example was the artistic production of the pictorial type ―the picta nilotica―- which began to spread and become accepted in all the Roman territories from early times. This article deals with this topic in a systematic way. First, this figurative theme is introduced by a brief state of the matter, followed by an analysis of 74 cases of Roman Nilotic paintings, considering the context in which they were found, and their functional and symbolic values. The aim is to assess the influence of these paintings on the structuring of public and private spaces. Finally, some of the main results include a few observations on the archaeological contexts examined and an assessment of the value of these images as a representative element of the cultural dynamics in Roman society.Downloads
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