COLLECTION NAME:
Undergraduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Examining Hidden Meanings in the Sarcophagus of Hercules and Cerberus
Creator:
Moot, Helena "Laney" Van Ness
Subject:
Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"For the past three centuries, Roman sarcophagi have garnered a considerable amount of scholarly attention. However, much of this attention was paid to interpreting the figural reliefs without addressing their funerary context. Through this gap in knowledge emerged a question: How can modern scholars better understand the role that sarcophagi played in facilitating a dialogue between the living and the dead? In their works, early twenty–first scholars like Verity Platt and Barbara Borg are beginning to address this previous lack of consideration for function and context. This can be seen in a work both Borg and Platt use as an example entitled, the Sarcophagus of Hercules and Cerberus. It piqued both their interest since it is a rare depiction of a liminal space on a sarcophagus. My thesis will provide a monographic study of the Sarcophagus of Hercules and Cerberus utilizing both iconographic and contextual approaches to better understand how this work functioned within the larger death culture of ancient Rome in the late second century. Since the work does not contain an inscription, little is known about the patron. However, Dr. Casagrande–Kim mentions the find spot for this work in her dissertation. With this information, it is possible to better understand its original context. Therefore, it lends itself well to an iconographic study which will examine the frontal reliefs in conjunction with the myths of the Twelve Labors of Hercules and Alcestis. Both myths depict Hercules bridging the gap between the worlds of the living and the dead. These myths will be analyzed in conjunction with the frontal reliefs to decipher possible intended meanings. To further contextualize the sarcophagus, I will compare it to the Velletri Sarcophagus and Euhodus Sarcophagus. These works are comparable since they both depict Hercules emerging from the Underworld, are dated to the latter half of the second century, and have known patronage with monographic studies. I will conclude my study by discussing the shifting social climate of late second century Rome and how it correlates to changing death practices. This thesis will hopefully contribute to the ongoing discussion about the potential relationship between death culture and sarcophagi." --Abstract
Keywords: Alcestis, Barbara Borg, context, death culture, Hercules, iconography, monograph, Roman sarcophagi, underworld, Verity Platt
Keywords: Alcestis, Barbara Borg, context, death culture, Hercules, iconography, monograph, Roman sarcophagi, underworld, Verity Platt
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2020-03
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 81 pages, color illustrations, maps)