Nicola Luciani | Università degli Studi di Padova (original) (raw)
Books by Nicola Luciani
Quaderni Vulcenti , 2023
The mithraeum of Vulci represents a key archaeological context for the analysis of the Mithras cu... more The mithraeum of Vulci represents a key archaeological context for the analysis of the Mithras cult in imperial Italy. Starting from the material record, the present work aims at investigating both the different archaeological phases of the structures and the nature of the local Mithraic congregation.
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
Naming and Mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean Spaces, 2022
The article deals with the perception of areas and buildings associated with Polytheistic religio... more The article deals with the perception of areas and buildings associated with Polytheistic religions within the urban fabric of Early Medieval Rome.
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…).
The Mysteries of Mithras and Other Mystic Cults in the Roman World, 2018
The aim of the article is to cast a light on the nature of the cult of Mithras in Central Italy, ... more The aim of the article is to cast a light on the nature of the cult of Mithras in Central Italy, focusing on the administrative division of Roman Etruria. Indeed, the Regio VII has emerged as a privileged territory to explore different aspects of the cult, due to the great variety of its artefacts.
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.
Héros fondateurs et identités communautaires dans l'Antiquité entre mythe, rite et politique, 2018
Thie contribution deals with Rome’s urban landscape as it is presented within the Late Antique Ac... more Thie contribution deals with Rome’s urban landscape as it is presented within the Late Antique Actus of St. Sylvester, a legend concerning Christianity’s triumph in the metropolis. In the text, a number of locations can be recognized, presenting the cityscape as structured on a topographical dichotomy between the Lateran and the Capitoline Hill, respectively recontextualized as quintessential pivots of Polytheism and Christianity.
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.
La Rivista di Engramma , 2019
The paper deals with the identification of the original location, during Classical Antiquity, of ... more The paper deals with the identification of the original location, during Classical Antiquity, of the sculpture today known as the Vatican Ariadne, for the first time documented at the beginning of the 16th century as part of the properties of the Maffei family and subsequently absorbed within Pope Julius II’s personal estate. The article aims at presenting the vast sanctuary of Isis and Serapis in the Campus Martius as a plausible setting to have originally hosted the sculpture.
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.
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.
La domus del Mitreo a Tarquinia. Volume I. BAR , 2020
This paper examines four Roman units of weight discovered in the archaeological complex provision... more This paper examines four Roman units of weight discovered in the archaeological complex provisionally known as “domus of the Mithraeum” in Tarquinia, respectively during the 2016 and 2017’s campaigns.
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.
Mélanges de l'École française de Rome - Antiquité, 130/2, 2018
The article presents the results of the studies concerning the archaeological site located in Cas... more The article presents the results of the studies concerning the archaeological site located in Casal Bernocchi-Malafede, along the via Ostiense. The context can be divided in three main areas; a monumental thermal bath, a mausoleum, and a vast necropolis.The paper investigates the chronological development of the site, through the identification of four main phases: a) the first constructive interventions during the Republican Era; b) the monumental development of the site between 1st and the 2nd A.D., through the building of the Roman thermae and the mausoleum; c) the expansion of a large necropolis in the Middle and Late-Imperial Era; d) the dismissal of the structures and the cessation of use of the necropolis between the 4th and the 5th AD.Finally, an interpretation of the context is proposed, according to which the archaeological context can be read as part of a rich suburban villa, located on the via Ostiense.
Mysteria Etruriae. Testimonianze, diffusione ed impatto sociale dei culti “orientali” nella Regio VII, 2016
Testimonianze, diffusione ed impatto sociale dei culti "orientali" nella Regio VII ufficiale, qua... more Testimonianze, diffusione ed impatto sociale dei culti "orientali" nella Regio VII ufficiale, quando per scongiurare la minaccia annibalica durante la seconda Guerra Punica, il Senato ne avrebbe decretato l'importazione del culto sul Palatino dal nativo regno di Pergamo. La figura della dea traeva infatti origine dalle terre di Frigia, scenario del principale mito connesso alla sua figura, riferito agli amori della dea con il suo paredro Attis e all'evirazione di quest'ultimo. La tradizionale iconografia della dea la vedeva raffigurata con il capo incoronato in qualità di "signora degli animali", assisa in trona affiancata da due pantere. In età imperiale il culto si sarebbe codificato con la creazione di un nuovo apposito collegio sacerdotale, i dendrophori, accrescendo sempre più la sua importanza ed andando infine a costituire uno dei principali poli devozionali delle classi elevate ed aristocratiche della Roma tardoantica. Riguardo gli aspetti iconografici, mitografici e rituali del culto di Cibele in età romana si rimanda a: VERMASEREN 1978, SFAMENI GASPARRO 1985, LANE 1996, ALVAR 2006, SACCÀ 2012 città di Falerii 7 . Un'altra dedica da parte di un eminente funzionario alle dee Iside e Cibele proviene dal territorio del comune di Castel S. Elia, probabilmente originariamente pertinente alla vicina statio di Acquaviva sulla Flaminia, il cui dedicante, Caius Metilius Saturninus, ricopre la carica dei Sevir Augustalis, sacerdote del culto imperiale 8 . Sempre rimanendo nella fascia meridionale dell'Etruria, sono da segnalare due iscrizioni votive, una da Centum Cellae 9 , ed una seconda da Capena 10 , dedicata da due donne, Avonia Trebitia e Trebitia. Da Bolsena viene invece un oscillum su cui spicca un busto di Attis con berretto frigio, mentre non lontano, ad Orvieto, è conservata un'anfora sulle cui anse verticali sono rappresentate due piccole teste della stessa divinità presentanti la medesima iconografia . Altro centro di culto degli dei frigi doveva poi essere Perugia, dove trovava collocazione un altare, oggi perduto, di cui ci resta testimonianza grazie ad un'incisione cinquecentesca di Pirro Ligorio: su di un lato vi era la dea Cibele, seduta su di un leone, con la testa cinta da una corona turrita, mentre sull'altro era rappresentato un pino, dai cui rami pendevano, assieme a delle pigne, anche dei cembali ed un syrinx; sullo sfondo di questo secondo lato facevano mostra un berretto frigio, un paio di corna incrociate ed un'iscrizione 12 .
Talks by Nicola Luciani
Quarto Seminario Ostiense: Nuovi dati e studi inediti. Roma, École Française de Rome, 16-17 Novembre 2016
L’intervento ha lo scopo di presentare risultati degli studi riguardanti il sito archeologico sit... more L’intervento ha lo scopo di presentare risultati degli studi riguardanti il sito archeologico sito in località Casal Bernocchi-Malafede, lungo la via Ostiense, articolato in tre nuclei principali, costituiti da un impianto termale, una struttura interpretata come un mausoleo, ed una vasta necropoli. Viene conseguentemente presentato lo sviluppo cronologico del contesto, inquadrabile in quattro macro fasi: a) la realizzazione dei primi interventi costruttivi di incerta interpretazione in Età repubblicana; b) lo sviluppo monumentale dell’area fra I e II secolo d.C. attraverso la costruzione delle terme e del mausoleo; c) l’espansione di un’ampia area adibita ad uso sepolcrale in età Medio e Tardo-Imperiale; d) l’abbandono delle strutture e la cessazione dell’utilizzo della necropoli fra IV e V secolo d.C. Infine, viene presentata una proposta interpretativa del contesto, secondo cui i rinvenimenti costituirebbero parte di una ricca villa suburbana localizzata sul tracciato della via Ostiense.
News by Nicola Luciani
![Research paper thumbnail of ARIADNE | Arianna, variazioni sul mito [Venezia, 3rd June 2019]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/59495072/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](ARIANNA VARIAZIONI SUL MITO | Giornata di studi. Con l'intervento di: Sara Agnoletto, Maddalena B... more ARIANNA VARIAZIONI SUL MITO | Giornata di studi. Con l'intervento di: Sara Agnoletto, Maddalena Bassani, Giulia Bordignon, Maria Luisa Catoni, Monica Centanni, Maria Grazia Ciani, Victoria Cirlot, Micol Forti, Anna Fressola, Maurizio Ghelardi, Nicola Luciani, Luigi Sperti, Claudia Valeri.
![Research paper thumbnail of ARIADNE | Ariadne, Ecstasy & Melancholy [Hamburg, 15th March 2019]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/58665687/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](CONFERENCES | curators: Monica Centanni Università Iuav di Venezia, Micol Forti Musei Vaticani, G... more CONFERENCES | curators: Monica Centanni Università Iuav di Venezia, Micol Forti Musei Vaticani, Giacomo Calandra di Roccolino Hafencity Universität Hamburg. Including contributions by: Sara Agnoletto, Victoria Cirlot, Francesca Filisetti, Anna Fressola, Maurizio Ghelardi, Nicola Luciani, Matias Julian Nativo, Alessia Prati, Claudia Valeri.
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).
![Research paper thumbnail of ARIADNE | Arianna, estasi e malinconia [Venezia, 24th October 2018]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/57612197/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Giornata di studi | 24 ottobre 2018. Badoer, Venezia. dalle ore 10 alle 17. A cura di: Maddalena ... more Giornata di studi | 24 ottobre 2018. Badoer, Venezia. dalle ore 10 alle 17.
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.
Quaderni Vulcenti , 2023
The mithraeum of Vulci represents a key archaeological context for the analysis of the Mithras cu... more The mithraeum of Vulci represents a key archaeological context for the analysis of the Mithras cult in imperial Italy. Starting from the material record, the present work aims at investigating both the different archaeological phases of the structures and the nature of the local Mithraic congregation.
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.
Naming and Mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean Spaces, 2022
The article deals with the perception of areas and buildings associated with Polytheistic religio... more The article deals with the perception of areas and buildings associated with Polytheistic religions within the urban fabric of Early Medieval Rome.
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…).
The Mysteries of Mithras and Other Mystic Cults in the Roman World, 2018
The aim of the article is to cast a light on the nature of the cult of Mithras in Central Italy, ... more The aim of the article is to cast a light on the nature of the cult of Mithras in Central Italy, focusing on the administrative division of Roman Etruria. Indeed, the Regio VII has emerged as a privileged territory to explore different aspects of the cult, due to the great variety of its artefacts.
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.
Héros fondateurs et identités communautaires dans l'Antiquité entre mythe, rite et politique, 2018
Thie contribution deals with Rome’s urban landscape as it is presented within the Late Antique Ac... more Thie contribution deals with Rome’s urban landscape as it is presented within the Late Antique Actus of St. Sylvester, a legend concerning Christianity’s triumph in the metropolis. In the text, a number of locations can be recognized, presenting the cityscape as structured on a topographical dichotomy between the Lateran and the Capitoline Hill, respectively recontextualized as quintessential pivots of Polytheism and Christianity.
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.
La Rivista di Engramma , 2019
The paper deals with the identification of the original location, during Classical Antiquity, of ... more The paper deals with the identification of the original location, during Classical Antiquity, of the sculpture today known as the Vatican Ariadne, for the first time documented at the beginning of the 16th century as part of the properties of the Maffei family and subsequently absorbed within Pope Julius II’s personal estate. The article aims at presenting the vast sanctuary of Isis and Serapis in the Campus Martius as a plausible setting to have originally hosted the sculpture.
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.
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.
La domus del Mitreo a Tarquinia. Volume I. BAR , 2020
This paper examines four Roman units of weight discovered in the archaeological complex provision... more This paper examines four Roman units of weight discovered in the archaeological complex provisionally known as “domus of the Mithraeum” in Tarquinia, respectively during the 2016 and 2017’s campaigns.
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.
Mélanges de l'École française de Rome - Antiquité, 130/2, 2018
The article presents the results of the studies concerning the archaeological site located in Cas... more The article presents the results of the studies concerning the archaeological site located in Casal Bernocchi-Malafede, along the via Ostiense. The context can be divided in three main areas; a monumental thermal bath, a mausoleum, and a vast necropolis.The paper investigates the chronological development of the site, through the identification of four main phases: a) the first constructive interventions during the Republican Era; b) the monumental development of the site between 1st and the 2nd A.D., through the building of the Roman thermae and the mausoleum; c) the expansion of a large necropolis in the Middle and Late-Imperial Era; d) the dismissal of the structures and the cessation of use of the necropolis between the 4th and the 5th AD.Finally, an interpretation of the context is proposed, according to which the archaeological context can be read as part of a rich suburban villa, located on the via Ostiense.
Mysteria Etruriae. Testimonianze, diffusione ed impatto sociale dei culti “orientali” nella Regio VII, 2016
Testimonianze, diffusione ed impatto sociale dei culti "orientali" nella Regio VII ufficiale, qua... more Testimonianze, diffusione ed impatto sociale dei culti "orientali" nella Regio VII ufficiale, quando per scongiurare la minaccia annibalica durante la seconda Guerra Punica, il Senato ne avrebbe decretato l'importazione del culto sul Palatino dal nativo regno di Pergamo. La figura della dea traeva infatti origine dalle terre di Frigia, scenario del principale mito connesso alla sua figura, riferito agli amori della dea con il suo paredro Attis e all'evirazione di quest'ultimo. La tradizionale iconografia della dea la vedeva raffigurata con il capo incoronato in qualità di "signora degli animali", assisa in trona affiancata da due pantere. In età imperiale il culto si sarebbe codificato con la creazione di un nuovo apposito collegio sacerdotale, i dendrophori, accrescendo sempre più la sua importanza ed andando infine a costituire uno dei principali poli devozionali delle classi elevate ed aristocratiche della Roma tardoantica. Riguardo gli aspetti iconografici, mitografici e rituali del culto di Cibele in età romana si rimanda a: VERMASEREN 1978, SFAMENI GASPARRO 1985, LANE 1996, ALVAR 2006, SACCÀ 2012 città di Falerii 7 . Un'altra dedica da parte di un eminente funzionario alle dee Iside e Cibele proviene dal territorio del comune di Castel S. Elia, probabilmente originariamente pertinente alla vicina statio di Acquaviva sulla Flaminia, il cui dedicante, Caius Metilius Saturninus, ricopre la carica dei Sevir Augustalis, sacerdote del culto imperiale 8 . Sempre rimanendo nella fascia meridionale dell'Etruria, sono da segnalare due iscrizioni votive, una da Centum Cellae 9 , ed una seconda da Capena 10 , dedicata da due donne, Avonia Trebitia e Trebitia. Da Bolsena viene invece un oscillum su cui spicca un busto di Attis con berretto frigio, mentre non lontano, ad Orvieto, è conservata un'anfora sulle cui anse verticali sono rappresentate due piccole teste della stessa divinità presentanti la medesima iconografia . Altro centro di culto degli dei frigi doveva poi essere Perugia, dove trovava collocazione un altare, oggi perduto, di cui ci resta testimonianza grazie ad un'incisione cinquecentesca di Pirro Ligorio: su di un lato vi era la dea Cibele, seduta su di un leone, con la testa cinta da una corona turrita, mentre sull'altro era rappresentato un pino, dai cui rami pendevano, assieme a delle pigne, anche dei cembali ed un syrinx; sullo sfondo di questo secondo lato facevano mostra un berretto frigio, un paio di corna incrociate ed un'iscrizione 12 .
Quarto Seminario Ostiense: Nuovi dati e studi inediti. Roma, École Française de Rome, 16-17 Novembre 2016
L’intervento ha lo scopo di presentare risultati degli studi riguardanti il sito archeologico sit... more L’intervento ha lo scopo di presentare risultati degli studi riguardanti il sito archeologico sito in località Casal Bernocchi-Malafede, lungo la via Ostiense, articolato in tre nuclei principali, costituiti da un impianto termale, una struttura interpretata come un mausoleo, ed una vasta necropoli. Viene conseguentemente presentato lo sviluppo cronologico del contesto, inquadrabile in quattro macro fasi: a) la realizzazione dei primi interventi costruttivi di incerta interpretazione in Età repubblicana; b) lo sviluppo monumentale dell’area fra I e II secolo d.C. attraverso la costruzione delle terme e del mausoleo; c) l’espansione di un’ampia area adibita ad uso sepolcrale in età Medio e Tardo-Imperiale; d) l’abbandono delle strutture e la cessazione dell’utilizzo della necropoli fra IV e V secolo d.C. Infine, viene presentata una proposta interpretativa del contesto, secondo cui i rinvenimenti costituirebbero parte di una ricca villa suburbana localizzata sul tracciato della via Ostiense.
ARIANNA VARIAZIONI SUL MITO | Giornata di studi. Con l'intervento di: Sara Agnoletto, Maddalena B... more ARIANNA VARIAZIONI SUL MITO | Giornata di studi. Con l'intervento di: Sara Agnoletto, Maddalena Bassani, Giulia Bordignon, Maria Luisa Catoni, Monica Centanni, Maria Grazia Ciani, Victoria Cirlot, Micol Forti, Anna Fressola, Maurizio Ghelardi, Nicola Luciani, Luigi Sperti, Claudia Valeri.
CONFERENCES | curators: Monica Centanni Università Iuav di Venezia, Micol Forti Musei Vaticani, G... more CONFERENCES | curators: Monica Centanni Università Iuav di Venezia, Micol Forti Musei Vaticani, Giacomo Calandra di Roccolino Hafencity Universität Hamburg. Including contributions by: Sara Agnoletto, Victoria Cirlot, Francesca Filisetti, Anna Fressola, Maurizio Ghelardi, Nicola Luciani, Matias Julian Nativo, Alessia Prati, Claudia Valeri.
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).
Giornata di studi | 24 ottobre 2018. Badoer, Venezia. dalle ore 10 alle 17. A cura di: Maddalena ... more Giornata di studi | 24 ottobre 2018. Badoer, Venezia. dalle ore 10 alle 17.
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.