a cura di LETIZIA ERMINI PANI, IL TEMPO DELLE COMUNITÀ MONASTICHE NELL’ALTO MEDIOEVO Atti del Convegno internazionale di studio Roma - Subiaco, 9-11 giugno 2017, 2020
La relazione si ripromette di indagare le strutture ed il contesto archeologico della chiesa ipog... more La relazione si ripromette di indagare le strutture ed il contesto archeologico della chiesa ipogea di S. Nicola, sita nel suburbium romano, in quello che oggi è l’abitato di Marco Simone (Guidonia).
Basandosi sulla pianta, sulle caratteristiche architettoniche e sul contesto topografico, si tenterà di presentare la proposta secondo la quale, durante le prime fasi funzionali, l’ipogeo possa essere stato adibito a luogo di culto mitraico, nonché le possibili cause storiche del cambiamento religioso avvenuto al suo interno. Scopo del presente intervento sarà inoltre quello di proporre un’ipotesi ricostruttiva dei diversi passaggi di proprietà che hanno interessato il sito, culminati con l’incamerazione all’interno dei possedimenti dell’Ordine di San Benedetto e Scolastica a Subiaco, e successivamente di S.S. Ciriaco e Nicola in Via Lata. Determinanti nel comprendere le motivazioni di tali mutamenti saranno, secondo l’ipotesi presentata, i rapporti intessuti fra il sito di San nicola a Mar- co Simone ed un’area ben più centrale della Roma tardoantica e me- dievale, il Monte Celio, più precisamente l’area oggi occupata dal Padiglione Ospedaliero dell’Annunziata.
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Books by Nicola Luciani
The first half of the book is therefore dedicated to the examination of the archaeological evidence, focusing on the topographical connection between the mithraeum and some rich Roman domus belonging to the local élites. Vulci’s findings are examined as part of the wider context of the central-Italian Mithraic panorama, particularly in regard to the administrative division of the imperial region of Etruria.
The second half of the work focuses on the social and cultural aspects of the Mithras worship in Vulci. The composition of the Mithraic community is therefore analyzed, highlighting the possible attendance of the temple by individuals belonging to different strata of the population, as well as the socio/political role exercised by the cult in Vulci. Furthermore, through the examination of the archaeological evidence, to be presented are some possible interpretations concerning both the organization of the local Mithraic congregation and the ritual practices employed within the spelaeum.
The modalities of dismissal of the Mithras cult in Vulci are also discussed, through the contextualization of the demolition phase of the temple’s structures within the Late Antique local and wider cultural climate.
Papers by Nicola Luciani
The majority of the Early Medieval sources puts the emphasis on Christian elements, presented as topographical pivots, consequently downplaying civic buildings and temples. Nevertheless, as agreed upon by the scientific community, the presence of such elements was still prominent within the city fabric, and several areas were still associated with the memory of the religious past of the city.
The paper follows the path n. 8 of the Einsiedeln Itinerary, one of the main Early Medieval “guidebooks” for Christian pilgrims visiting the metropolis, onnecting the Vatican Basilica on NW to the Lateran Palace and Basilica on SE.
Aim of the article is to show how the actual cultural perception of the cityscape along such route could have been influenced not only by the new Christian buildings, but also, prominently, by Classical temples. Hence, to be addressed will be the Polytheistic religious sites mentioned by the itinerary and, most importantly, the unmentioned ones located in proximity of toponyms listed by the text. Such sites will be approached taking into account both the archaeological record and contemporary sources, trying to get a glimpse at the different ways (whether connected to still relevant Classical public roles or as framed within a new Early Medieval symbology) they could have been perceived by people coming from diverse social and cultural backgrounds (Rome’s citizens, Northern pilgrims, etc…).
Hence, a model of diffusion of the Mithraic marble religious artifacts across the region and through the Roman main viability is presented, highlighting its dependence on public officials, responsible for both spreading government-endorsed iconographies and managing the Imperial marble industry.
Consequently, the active role played by the Imperial administration in promoting the Mithras worship in Etruria is discussed, as well as the cult diffusion among the lower classes and (by the Middle/Late Empire) the aristocratic élites.
The last phases of the cult within the region are also explored, showing how the Mithraic spelaea were dismissed according to a variety of different modalities during the first decades of the 5th century AD, ranging from violent destruction to pacific abandonment of their structures.
Reprising an old theory formulated in the ’30s, the present study focuses on some references that the Actus makes to specific Pre-Christian cults when describing the liar of a dragon on the Capitolium, highlighting how they can be read as explicit references to the Mithras worship.
The archaeological record is accordingly explored, highlighting the rooting of such cult on the hill, confirmed by several dedicatory inscriptions and by one of the largest known Mithraic reliefs.
Ultimately, the article argues that the practice of the Mithras cult on the Capitoline Hill could have enjoyed such high prestige among the Late Antique upper classes to foster, at least during the 6th century, the perception of the local spelaea as particularly well-fitting settings for the abode of a monster symbolizing the Early Medieval concept of “Paganism” as a whole.
As a start, the link between the Ariadne and the Maffei family is addressed, highlighting the rooting of the dynasty’s presence in the area of the Campus Martius. The connection between the Maffei and the temple is further stressed by their ownership of at least one Classical piece of art almost certainly coming from the Egyptian religious complex, a sculpture representing the River Tiber, mentioned in a letter by the Renaissance humanist Grossino together with the Vatican Ariadne.
To follow is an examination of the archaeological structures of the Iseum itself, highlighting how at least part its structured continued to be preserved during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The unparalleled number of sculptures found at the site from the Late Middle Ages to the 20th century is also discussed, aiming at demonstrating how the Egyptian sanctuary can be regarded as one of the richest (if not the richest) context in terms of findings of the entire Campus Martius, and consequently a rather likely context of origin of marble pieces found in the area.
Furthermore, to be explored is the relatively common practice, throughout the Hellenistic and Roman world, of displaying Dionysiac iconographies within places of worship of Isis and Serapis. The urban context of Rome itself is discussed, where such phenomenon can be observed in at least two major religious areas connected with the veneration of Egyptian gods, therefore contributing in presenting the presence of images related to Bacchus’ mythology (as the sleeping Ariadne, waiting for the thiasos of the god) rather plausible also within the walls of the Iseum Campense.
Basandosi sulla pianta, sulle caratteristiche architettoniche e sul contesto topografico, si tenterà di presentare la proposta secondo la quale, durante le prime fasi funzionali, l’ipogeo possa essere stato adibito a luogo di culto mitraico, nonché le possibili cause storiche del cambiamento religioso avvenuto al suo interno. Scopo del presente intervento sarà inoltre quello di proporre un’ipotesi ricostruttiva dei diversi passaggi di proprietà che hanno interessato il sito, culminati con l’incamerazione all’interno dei possedimenti dell’Ordine di San Benedetto e Scolastica a Subiaco, e successivamente di S.S. Ciriaco e Nicola in Via Lata. Determinanti nel comprendere le motivazioni di tali mutamenti saranno, secondo l’ipotesi presentata, i rapporti intessuti fra il sito di San nicola a Mar- co Simone ed un’area ben più centrale della Roma tardoantica e me- dievale, il Monte Celio, più precisamente l’area oggi occupata dal Padiglione Ospedaliero dell’Annunziata.
At least two of them can be likely linked to production areas of the large Roman “domus of the Mithraeum”; thus mirroring other contexts where Roman weights come from rich private households or public buildings.
Talks by Nicola Luciani
News by Nicola Luciani
Ariadne, first “sleeping beauty” figure, as an iconographic contraction of all the
episodes of her story: an oscillation between the desperate and melancholic
abyss, and the erotic and Dionysian ecstasy.
The polysemy of Ariadne’s myth is reactivated in its polarity; the posture eludes
philological accuracy and plays with the braided weave of Mnemosyne.
A Symposium at the Warburg-Haus in Hamburg, the third stage of the research
project “Ariadne”, after Barcelona (September 2018) and Venice (October 2018).
A cura di: Maddalena Bassani, Monica Centanni, Anna Fressola.
Con: Sara Agnoletto, Giulia Bordignon, Maria Grazia Ciani, Micol Forti, Maurizio Ghelardi, Nicola Luciani, Luigi Sperti, Silvia Urbini, Claudia Valeri, Matias Julian Nativo, Alessia Prati, Thays Tonin.
The first half of the book is therefore dedicated to the examination of the archaeological evidence, focusing on the topographical connection between the mithraeum and some rich Roman domus belonging to the local élites. Vulci’s findings are examined as part of the wider context of the central-Italian Mithraic panorama, particularly in regard to the administrative division of the imperial region of Etruria.
The second half of the work focuses on the social and cultural aspects of the Mithras worship in Vulci. The composition of the Mithraic community is therefore analyzed, highlighting the possible attendance of the temple by individuals belonging to different strata of the population, as well as the socio/political role exercised by the cult in Vulci. Furthermore, through the examination of the archaeological evidence, to be presented are some possible interpretations concerning both the organization of the local Mithraic congregation and the ritual practices employed within the spelaeum.
The modalities of dismissal of the Mithras cult in Vulci are also discussed, through the contextualization of the demolition phase of the temple’s structures within the Late Antique local and wider cultural climate.
The majority of the Early Medieval sources puts the emphasis on Christian elements, presented as topographical pivots, consequently downplaying civic buildings and temples. Nevertheless, as agreed upon by the scientific community, the presence of such elements was still prominent within the city fabric, and several areas were still associated with the memory of the religious past of the city.
The paper follows the path n. 8 of the Einsiedeln Itinerary, one of the main Early Medieval “guidebooks” for Christian pilgrims visiting the metropolis, onnecting the Vatican Basilica on NW to the Lateran Palace and Basilica on SE.
Aim of the article is to show how the actual cultural perception of the cityscape along such route could have been influenced not only by the new Christian buildings, but also, prominently, by Classical temples. Hence, to be addressed will be the Polytheistic religious sites mentioned by the itinerary and, most importantly, the unmentioned ones located in proximity of toponyms listed by the text. Such sites will be approached taking into account both the archaeological record and contemporary sources, trying to get a glimpse at the different ways (whether connected to still relevant Classical public roles or as framed within a new Early Medieval symbology) they could have been perceived by people coming from diverse social and cultural backgrounds (Rome’s citizens, Northern pilgrims, etc…).
Hence, a model of diffusion of the Mithraic marble religious artifacts across the region and through the Roman main viability is presented, highlighting its dependence on public officials, responsible for both spreading government-endorsed iconographies and managing the Imperial marble industry.
Consequently, the active role played by the Imperial administration in promoting the Mithras worship in Etruria is discussed, as well as the cult diffusion among the lower classes and (by the Middle/Late Empire) the aristocratic élites.
The last phases of the cult within the region are also explored, showing how the Mithraic spelaea were dismissed according to a variety of different modalities during the first decades of the 5th century AD, ranging from violent destruction to pacific abandonment of their structures.
Reprising an old theory formulated in the ’30s, the present study focuses on some references that the Actus makes to specific Pre-Christian cults when describing the liar of a dragon on the Capitolium, highlighting how they can be read as explicit references to the Mithras worship.
The archaeological record is accordingly explored, highlighting the rooting of such cult on the hill, confirmed by several dedicatory inscriptions and by one of the largest known Mithraic reliefs.
Ultimately, the article argues that the practice of the Mithras cult on the Capitoline Hill could have enjoyed such high prestige among the Late Antique upper classes to foster, at least during the 6th century, the perception of the local spelaea as particularly well-fitting settings for the abode of a monster symbolizing the Early Medieval concept of “Paganism” as a whole.
As a start, the link between the Ariadne and the Maffei family is addressed, highlighting the rooting of the dynasty’s presence in the area of the Campus Martius. The connection between the Maffei and the temple is further stressed by their ownership of at least one Classical piece of art almost certainly coming from the Egyptian religious complex, a sculpture representing the River Tiber, mentioned in a letter by the Renaissance humanist Grossino together with the Vatican Ariadne.
To follow is an examination of the archaeological structures of the Iseum itself, highlighting how at least part its structured continued to be preserved during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The unparalleled number of sculptures found at the site from the Late Middle Ages to the 20th century is also discussed, aiming at demonstrating how the Egyptian sanctuary can be regarded as one of the richest (if not the richest) context in terms of findings of the entire Campus Martius, and consequently a rather likely context of origin of marble pieces found in the area.
Furthermore, to be explored is the relatively common practice, throughout the Hellenistic and Roman world, of displaying Dionysiac iconographies within places of worship of Isis and Serapis. The urban context of Rome itself is discussed, where such phenomenon can be observed in at least two major religious areas connected with the veneration of Egyptian gods, therefore contributing in presenting the presence of images related to Bacchus’ mythology (as the sleeping Ariadne, waiting for the thiasos of the god) rather plausible also within the walls of the Iseum Campense.
Basandosi sulla pianta, sulle caratteristiche architettoniche e sul contesto topografico, si tenterà di presentare la proposta secondo la quale, durante le prime fasi funzionali, l’ipogeo possa essere stato adibito a luogo di culto mitraico, nonché le possibili cause storiche del cambiamento religioso avvenuto al suo interno. Scopo del presente intervento sarà inoltre quello di proporre un’ipotesi ricostruttiva dei diversi passaggi di proprietà che hanno interessato il sito, culminati con l’incamerazione all’interno dei possedimenti dell’Ordine di San Benedetto e Scolastica a Subiaco, e successivamente di S.S. Ciriaco e Nicola in Via Lata. Determinanti nel comprendere le motivazioni di tali mutamenti saranno, secondo l’ipotesi presentata, i rapporti intessuti fra il sito di San nicola a Mar- co Simone ed un’area ben più centrale della Roma tardoantica e me- dievale, il Monte Celio, più precisamente l’area oggi occupata dal Padiglione Ospedaliero dell’Annunziata.
At least two of them can be likely linked to production areas of the large Roman “domus of the Mithraeum”; thus mirroring other contexts where Roman weights come from rich private households or public buildings.
Ariadne, first “sleeping beauty” figure, as an iconographic contraction of all the
episodes of her story: an oscillation between the desperate and melancholic
abyss, and the erotic and Dionysian ecstasy.
The polysemy of Ariadne’s myth is reactivated in its polarity; the posture eludes
philological accuracy and plays with the braided weave of Mnemosyne.
A Symposium at the Warburg-Haus in Hamburg, the third stage of the research
project “Ariadne”, after Barcelona (September 2018) and Venice (October 2018).
A cura di: Maddalena Bassani, Monica Centanni, Anna Fressola.
Con: Sara Agnoletto, Giulia Bordignon, Maria Grazia Ciani, Micol Forti, Maurizio Ghelardi, Nicola Luciani, Luigi Sperti, Silvia Urbini, Claudia Valeri, Matias Julian Nativo, Alessia Prati, Thays Tonin.