Medusa Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Investigación sobre la raigambre inconsciente que la emoción del miedo a Dios (o lo anterior al origen) supone. El horizonte de esta indagación fue trazado por la realización de un Taller de Dibujo en el Hospital Psiquiátrico Víctor Larco... more

Investigación sobre la raigambre inconsciente que la emoción del miedo a Dios (o lo anterior al
origen) supone. El horizonte de esta indagación fue trazado por la realización de un Taller de
Dibujo en el Hospital Psiquiátrico Víctor Larco Herrera, el cual desencadenó un grupo de preguntas
que, volcándose paulatinamente al plano consciente, aluden a la realidad espiritual.

This article contributes to the scholarly discussion of the relationship between cinema and dance using Giorgio Agamben’s understanding of dance as gesture. To render Agamben’s critical framework operative, however, one needs to consider... more

This article contributes to the scholarly discussion of the relationship between cinema and dance using Giorgio Agamben’s understanding of dance as gesture. To render Agamben’s critical framework operative, however, one needs to consider his reference to the concept of phantasmata (images) taken from Domenico da Piacenza’s Renaissance treatise on choreography. Agamben returns to this treatise to support his argument that dance is concerned first and foremost with time and memory rather than space and the present. To notate dance as a sequence of moving images is not simply to make visible on screen a series of bodily movements in space. Rather, it means acknowledging that dancing is primarily a mental activity. Taking Agamben’s reflections on dance and using Maya Deren’s work on screen dance as a case-study, this article discusses how cinema and dance together prompt us to undo the economy of bodily movements, restoring the body to us transfigured.

This article attempts to show whether, and if so, to what extent, John Milton’s portrayal of Sin in Paradise Lost is underlain by Lucan’s so-called “Medusa excursus”. Scholars have shown beyond reasonable doubt that Milton’s depiction of... more

A partir de la comparación entre fuentes iconográficas y literarias, se tratará de ofrecer una panorámica de la evolución del mito de Perseo y Medusa para tratar de dar razón de los cambios que se suceden a lo largo del tiempo,... more

A partir de la comparación entre fuentes iconográficas y literarias, se tratará de ofrecer una panorámica de la evolución del mito de Perseo y Medusa para tratar de dar razón de los cambios que se suceden a lo largo del tiempo, especialmente en la figura del héroe.

The essays on Aesthetics of philosopher Günther Anders are still almost unknown; for his part, painter George Grosz' production from the 1930s and during his American exile has been mainly despised by art historians. Both Anders and Grosz... more

The essays on Aesthetics of philosopher Günther Anders are still almost unknown; for his part, painter George Grosz' production from the 1930s and during his American exile has been mainly despised by art historians. Both Anders and Grosz considered themselves as holding up an unmerciful mirror to society. The aim of this paper is to offer an analysis on the short but poignant texts which Anders wrote on Grosz' artistic research, providing some of the most vitriolic social criticism of his time. The studies of Anders show unpredicted connections, unveiling in an unprecedented way the deep unity of Grosz' wide oeuvre marked by an absolute pessimism, and therefore particularly near to the philosopher's "negative ontology". Moreover, these texts raise key questions concerning modern art itself which are still central in our time, among others: the political engagement of artists, their relationship with the market, and their clairvoyance, the ethical use of montage practice, and the thin line between life and art.

O presente artigo tem como objetivo propor que a história de Medusa e Perseu foi utilizada para compor e reforçar uma visão hegemônica do mundo, dos sexos e dos gêneros. Apresento, brevemente, algumas imagens e excertos dos mitos; em... more

O presente artigo tem como objetivo propor
que a história de Medusa e Perseu foi utilizada
para compor e reforçar uma visão hegemônica
do mundo, dos sexos e dos gêneros.
Apresento, brevemente, algumas imagens e
excertos dos mitos; em seguida, demonstro
minha hipótese de que a objetificação da
Medusa aconteceu de duas formas, que
eu chamei de mito da monstruosidade e
mito da beleza. Na sequência, desenvolvo,
a partir de excertos teóricos, os papéis dos
mitos na construção da subjetividade e do
lugar da mulher na concepção de Simone de
Beauvoir. Depois, procuro aproximar alguns
acontecimentos comuns do mito da Medusa
com o que se passa nos dias de hoje: cultura
do estupro, rivalidade feminina, isolamento
das vítimas de violência, gravidez do
estupro, silenciamento. Por fim, proponho a
reconsideração, o deslocamento e a subversão
da interpretação dos personagens de Medusa
e de Perseu sob um olhar descolonizado e
desmasculinizado.

Throughout the history of art numerous representations of this Gospel passage are to be found, but the Johannesschüssel as an independent artefact arose only in the 13th century.3 Its genesis was no doubt stimulated by the influx of... more

Throughout the history of art numerous representations of this Gospel passage are to be found, but the Johannesschüssel as an independent artefact arose only in the 13th century.3 Its genesis was no doubt stimulated by the influx of numerous alleged skulls of St John the Baptist. The martyrologies claimed that his skull was found in the course of the fourth century.4 The existence of a head relic becomes apparent from the twelfth century onwards in letters and registries from the East.5 after the Fourth Crusade of 1204, a small deluge of supposed skulls of St John flowed westwards: no fewer than twelve skulls were venerated as John the Baptist’s by the end of the Middle Ages.6 In northern Europe the most popular of these skulls was without a doubt that of the Amiens cathedral where it is still displayed.7 (fig. 2) According to the translatio legend, Walo of Sarton found both skull and platter in Constantinople, but sold the latter for a considerable amount of money. Walo’s skull relic had a cut above the left eyebrow. This cut retroactively gave rise to the legend that Herodias had stabbed John’s severed head in a fit of rage.8 Genoa claims that this is a brown agate dish in its possession (the head was only added later, in 1420).9 (fig. 3) The intrinsic union between head and dish was therefore broken by greed for gain: a cruelly anomalous division that was avenged and repaired in the simulacrum of the Johannesschüssel. In the context of this anthology, I will discern four agencies of the round form related to the different media in which this peculiar »spinning head« appears.

Published in Livingstone, G., Hendren, T., & Daly, P. (2017) Re-visioning Medusa: From Monster to Divine Wisdom. A Girl God Anthology

Mi argumento es, lo anticipo, que la imagen simbólica de Medusa es una metáfora de la Filosofía misma en su sentido histórico más amplio y general, y en su esencia misma...

The Basilica Cistern, Yerebatan Sarnici in Turkish, is the largest of all the hundreds of ancient cisterns that rise below the city of Istanbul. In the NorthWest corner of the cistern, the bases of two columns reuse the carved blocks with... more

The Basilica Cistern, Yerebatan Sarnici in Turkish, is the largest of all the hundreds of ancient cisterns that rise below the city of Istanbul. In the NorthWest corner of the cistern, the bases of two columns reuse the carved blocks with the face of Medusa. The origin of the two heads is unknown; it is possible to say the same for a third (double) head located in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul. These three/four heads of Medusa are masterpieces from the late Roman art. The research presented here starts from a digital photogrammetric study of this set of Medusa's heads, this allowed to obtain a 3D digital model to study its morphology and shapes, then the model has been collocated inside the 3D virtual reconstruction of the cistern to have an overall view. The assumption formulated here, with the cross referencing obtained during the research phase and digital photogrammetry, lead us to the idea that the heads may come from a Doric temple dedicated to Athena, in this specific case used as a metope, or from the triumphal arch dedicated to Constantine in Constantinople. The aim is therefore to bring back to life, using a process of virtual reconstruction, with contemporary technology, such as virtual reality, an architectural element from the past, through a virtual journey that traces the history of these stone giants, placing them in their hypothetical original context with augmented reality.

An analysis of the use of Medusa in the feminist revisionist poetry of Ann Stanford and Rachel Blau DuPlessis. In this essay I address the creation of the (in)famous Gorgon as a monster by traditional patriarchal narratives, before... more

An analysis of the use of Medusa in the feminist revisionist poetry of Ann Stanford and Rachel Blau DuPlessis. In this essay I address the creation of the (in)famous Gorgon as a monster by traditional patriarchal narratives, before analysing the ways in which Stanford and DuPlessis seek to deconstruct this image by focussing on the part of the Medusa myth that makes her a victim - her rape at the hands of Poseidon. Using the work of Stanford and DuPlessis, I will demonstrate how feminist revisionist mythmaking has turned Medusa into a source of power as an icon of the female gaze and sexuality.

'Drone Poetics' considers the challenge to the theory and practice of the lyric of the development of drone warfare. It argues that modernist writing has historically been influenced by aerial technology; drones also affect notions of... more

'Drone Poetics' considers the challenge to the theory and practice of the lyric of the development of drone warfare. It argues that modernist writing has historically been influenced by aerial technology; drones also affect notions of perception, distance and intimacy, and the self-policing subject, with consequences for contemporary lyric. Indeed, drone artworks and poems proliferate; and while these take critical perspectives on drone operations, they have not reckoned with the phenomenological implications of execution from the air. I draw out six of these: the objectification of the target, the domination of visuality, psychic and operational splitting, the 'everywhere war', the intimacy of keyhole observations, and the mythic or psychoanalytic representation of desire and fear. These six tropes indicate the necessity for a radical revision of our thinking about the practice of writing committed poetry in the drone age.

The figure of the Gorgon Medusa, slain by the Greek hero Perseus, has lived in the Western imagination for more than 2500 years. Who is she, and how and when did she appear, and why was she decapitated? This complex image that spread... more

The figure of the Gorgon Medusa, slain by the Greek hero Perseus, has lived in the Western imagination for more than 2500 years. Who is she, and how and when did she appear, and why was she decapitated? This complex image that spread throughout the Greek world did not arise in a vacuum. Its roots reach deep into the Neolithic cultures of the ancient world. This article examines the polyvalent image of the Gorgon and related female imagery, coalesced from pre-Helladic elements, in relation to the cult of the hero that came to typify Greek society.

רישומי קרבות פרש הנלחם בדרקון, כפי הנראה היו רישומי הכנה לציור המורכב הערצת המאגים. יחד עם כתבי ליאונרדו והבנת התרבות בו הוא חי אני מפרשת את המשמעות הסמלית של פרש למול דרקון. אלו מעניקים לי מפתח לצופן החבוי בציור הלא גמור "הערצת המאגים"... more

רישומי קרבות פרש הנלחם בדרקון, כפי הנראה היו רישומי הכנה לציור המורכב הערצת המאגים. יחד עם כתבי ליאונרדו והבנת התרבות בו הוא חי אני מפרשת את המשמעות הסמלית של פרש למול דרקון. אלו מעניקים לי מפתח לצופן החבוי בציור הלא גמור "הערצת המאגים" החושף דיון עמוק בנושא הידע, כפי שליאונרדו ראה נושא זה, בוחנים את העולם האנושי כמצייט לחוקי הפיסיקה וחושפים ביקורת חברתית של ליאונרדו.

El propósito del presente trabajo es ofrecer una aproximación al estado actual de la investigación sobre tres figuras femeninas monstruosas de la Antigua Grecia: Medusa, Esfinges y Sirenas. Éstas, como especializaciones de las Keres,... more

El propósito del presente trabajo es ofrecer una aproximación al estado actual de la investigación sobre tres figuras femeninas monstruosas de la Antigua Grecia: Medusa, Esfinges y Sirenas. Éstas, como especializaciones de las Keres, son demones funerarios que arrancan a las personas de la vida, pero, a su vez, las conducen al Más Allá. En conjunto, son entes sobrenaturales y malignos que por su naturaleza híbrida y ambigua se constituyen como figuras de alteridad y provocan dos sentimientos contrapuestos: atracción y repulsión.

Perseus's decapitation of the Gorgon Medusa is suggested as a possible inspiration for the gruesome figurative drawings in PGM XXXVI. The same drawings prefigure an iconographic template later identified with Mars in the talismanic image... more

Perseus's decapitation of the Gorgon Medusa is suggested as a possible inspiration for the gruesome figurative drawings in PGM XXXVI. The same drawings prefigure an iconographic template later identified with Mars in the talismanic image magic of medieval and Renaissance Europe – one whose magical reputation persisted until very recently.

Platon dans sa République déclare: « Façonnons par la pensée une image de l’âme, pour que celui qui tient ces propos réalise ce qu’il dit. – Quelle image ? – Une image, comme celle de ces natures antiques dont les mythes rapportent la... more

Platon dans sa République déclare: « Façonnons par la pensée une image de l’âme, pour que celui qui tient ces propos réalise ce qu’il dit. – Quelle image ? – Une image, comme celle de ces natures antiques dont les mythes rapportent la genèse : la Chimère, Scylla, Cerbère, et un certain nombre d’autres êtres constitués d’un ensemble de formes naturelles multiples réunies en un seul être». Force est donc de constater que cette volonté créatrice fait intrinsèquement partie de l’être humain.
Cette volonté créatrice est fruit de l’imagination, qui selon le Vocabulaire Européen des Philosophies de Barbara Cassin dérive d’imaginatio, terme découlant d’imago qui évoque l’effigie, le portrait. La racine grecque phantasia dont la traduction française est la lumière s’est, elle, développée dans le sens de fantaisie, fantasme. « La différence phantasia / imaginatio, dont témoignent les difficultés que les Latins ont éprouvées à traduire le grec, est celle entre la force créatrice des apparitions et la faculté reproductive des images, chacun des termes pouvant lui- même être travaillé du dedans par cette tension et les jugements de valeur qui s’y attachent.... Cette même tension détermine la place de l’imagination dans le jeu des facultés et des modalités d’être au monde. Est-ce une faculté nécessaire à l’exercice des autres facultés, entre passivité et activité, ou, comme dit Pascal, une maîtresse d’erreur et de fausseté?».
Créativité, imagination, fantaisie et fantasme, il y a un peu de tout ceci dans cette création humaine que sont les hybrides et dès lors s’intéresser à eux, à leur genèse, c’est s’intéresser aux tréfonds de l’âme humaine. D’où viennent donc les créatures hybrides ? Pourquoi les hommes ont-ils imaginé des individus nouveaux en agglomérant des parties de ceux qu’ils pouvaient voir autour d’eux? Comment leur est venue l’idée d’assembler des parties hétéroclites pour en faire un nouveau tout, une création inédite, créée non pas par la divinité mais par eux-mêmes ? Tant de questions qui vont bien plus loin que le simple motif décoratif qui ornera les palais de la Renaissance. Au-delà des Grottesches, des grotesques, dont le nom dérive précisément du fait que ces motifs sont des créations qui s’inspirent de ce que les artistes ont découvert en visitant les grottes romaines, des caves qui par effondrement des voûtes antiques donnaient un accès direct aux palais romains, dont la fameuse Domus Aurea, la Maison Dorée de Néron ornée de ces créatures monstrueuses, ces hybrides furent un des premiers indices des civilisations anciennes que virent les érudits du XVIe.

The publication is dedicated to a bronze vessel found in a robbed burial of the second half of the 4th century BCE in the Burial-mound no. 1 of the Chastye Kurgany group on the outskirts of Voronezh, excavated by the Voronezh Scientific... more

The publication is dedicated to a bronze vessel found in a robbed burial of the second half of the 4th century BCE in the Burial-mound no. 1 of the Chastye Kurgany group on the outskirts of Voronezh, excavated by the Voronezh Scientific Archive Commission in 1910. A vessel with a handle attachment in form of a mask under the edge on the outside and a gorgoneion-medallion at the bottom inside is a patera with a handle lost in antiquity. Such pateras with similarly shaped edges of the bowl and handles ending in a ram's head are known after a very small number of finds of the second half of the 4th century BCE almost all of which come from Macedonia and Thrace. Given the fact that lion's paws are depicted on the sides of the neck of the person shown on the mask, there is every reason for its attribution as the head of Herakles. A similar iconography is typical for vessel attachments from Northern Greece. The treatment of hair strands, in particular symmetrical curls over the forehead (anastole / ἀναστολή), resembles the hairstyle in the portraits of Alexander the Great and imitations of them. Taking into account this observation, it is hardly possible to date the patera from Chastye kurgans earlier than the last quarter of the 4th century BCE. In the North Pontic region, bronze vessels of this shape have not yet been known, despite the fact that the finds of bronze vessels of the Macedonian-Thracian circle of the 4th century BCE are represented both in Scythia and in the Bosporus. Taking into account the known finds of bronze vessels of the Macedonian types at the Elizavetinskoe fortified settlement and in its necropolis at the mouth of the Don, it can be assumed that such vessels could have reached the Middle Don in this way. At the same time, given the relative rarity of bronze (silver) pateras in Macedonia and Thrace in the second half of the 4th — early 3rd century BCE and their finds in very rich complexes, including in the royal burials in Vergina and Golyamata Kosmatka, one cannot exclude the possibility of a different way for the patera from Chastye Barrows. In Macedonia and Thrace, such pateras, together with the oinochoai, were part of the banquet sets, therefore, in this case, the patera, which, perhaps, originally had a pair (oinochoe) could also be a diplomatic gift. In any case, the patera from Chastye Burial-mounds fits into the circle of finds of Thracian horse-bridle pieces and Thracian and Macedonian toreutics found in the burials of the Scythian nobility in the Middle Don region.

Nel saggio l'autore propone una nuova lettura globale della decorazione marmorea del cosiddetto "Succorpo di San Gennaro", l'ipogeo marmoreo fatto edificare sotto l'altare maggiore della cattedrale di Napoli tra fine '400 e inizi '500 dal... more

Nel saggio l'autore propone una nuova lettura globale della decorazione marmorea del cosiddetto "Succorpo di San Gennaro", l'ipogeo marmoreo fatto edificare sotto l'altare maggiore della cattedrale di Napoli tra fine '400 e inizi '500 dal munifico cardinale Oliviero Carafa. Esso fu cappella privata dei Carafa della Stadera, ma, al tempo stesso, anche il nuovo reliquiario destinato ad accogliere le spoglie del santo protettore di Napoli, da poco casualmente ritrovate a Montevergine. La presenza di numerosi riferimenti al mondo classico e a divinità pagane (alcuni dei quali posti in evidenza per la prima volta in questa occasione) sono ricondotti alla cultura umanistica del colto e potente cardinale napoletano e utilizzati per proporre una chiave di lettura in cui il mito di Medusa s'intreccia e si sovrappone con il mistero della liquefazione del sangue del santo beneventano.

In memory of Prof. Margarita Tacheva, who also looked into the problems of Thracian warfare and had the topic of the Gorgonieon as a favorite. The bronze fragments, found in Golyamata Mogila, near Duvanlii are defined by B. Filov as a... more

In memory of Prof. Margarita Tacheva, who also looked into the problems of Thracian warfare and had the topic of the Gorgonieon as a favorite.
The bronze fragments, found in Golyamata Mogila, near Duvanlii are defined by B. Filov as a neck guard, cheek pieces and parts of decorated calotte. According to him, all of them belonged to a helmet, the upper part of which was made of genuine leather (Fig. 1, I-3; 2, I-III). However, indisputable evidence allow to define the object as the back collar of a bell cuirass (Fig. 1, I-3). The collar is attached to the upper part of the back plate through some rivets. The rest of the bronze fragments (Fig. 2, I-III) are interpreted by Filov as cheek pieces of a leather helmet, but so far there are no other known cheek pieces as those from Golyamata Mogila. Analysing the helmets with their details and elements from 8th to 3rd centuries BC prove that the finds from Golyamata Mogila are not cheek pieces. Undoubtedly, the so-called by Filov “iron belt” is the conical extension of the bell cuirass (Fig. 1, I-1). The bell cuirasses from Bashova mogila, Svetitsa, Kazanlak (Fig. 1, II) and others have an identical iron extension. The gilded silver applications with Gorgon Medusa and lion heads (Fig. 2, IV), are a decoration of bell cuirass proven by their shape, workmanship, thickness, openings and iconographic scheme. Such identification is supported also by the bell cuirass from Chernozem-Kaloyanovo (mound № I), in which the application with Gorgon Medusa is golden and the heads of lions are replaced by golden hemispherical applications (Fig. 1, III). The dating of the Golyamata mogila in the middle - the third-quarter of the 5th century BC, when the Thracian warriors wore only armours, supports the identification of the discussed elements. The images of Medusa are used in Thrace as apotropaic symbols of life and the Hereafter and accordingly, it is natural to have images of ketos on the some bell cuirass. Keto is the mother of the Gorgon Medusa. Their depiction on the bell cuirasses in Thrace is related to their mythological functions as protectors and leaders of the souls of the dead warriors on the way to the Hereafter.

"Abstract: Of all the lost Foundation Poems attributed to Apollonius Rhodius, active at the court of Ptolemy II, the Ktisis of Alexandria must have been the most important for his contemporaries, and surely is the most intriguing for... more

"Abstract: Of all the lost Foundation Poems attributed to Apollonius Rhodius, active at the court of Ptolemy II, the Ktisis of Alexandria must have been the most important for his contemporaries, and surely is the most intriguing for modern scholars of the Hellenistic world. Unfortunately, only a brief mention of this epyllion survives, in a scholion to Nicander’s Theriaka, relating to the birth of poisonous snakes from the severed head of Medusa, carried by Perseus over Libya. Deadly and benign serpents belong to a multi-cultural symbolic imagery intertwined with the Greek, Macedonian, Egyptian and Jewish origins of the city. This paper explores the possible connections of the only episode preserved from Apollonius’ Ktisis with the most ancient known traditions on the foundation of Alexandria —possibly even created at the time of Alexander or of the first Lagid dynasts, Ptolemy I and II."

En un artículo publicado en esta revista el pasado mes de abril se comentaban algunos aspectos generales de la versión del mito de Perseo que se daba en la película "Furia de titanes". Hay, no obstante, algunos temas en los que se... more

En un artículo publicado en esta revista el pasado mes de abril se comentaban algunos aspectos generales de la versión del mito de Perseo que se daba en la película "Furia de titanes". Hay, no obstante, algunos temas en los que se puede profundizar y entre ellos tal vez el más interesante sea el de los monstruos. Los monstruos clásicos que aparecen en "Furia de titanes" son Pegaso, las Grayas, Medusa y las Gorgonas, y una criatura del mar que en la película llaman Kraken, nombre que, como ya dije en su día, pertenece a la mitología nórdica, aunque el monstruo aparece en las aventuras de Perseo.

The purpose of this research is to investigate, re-evaluate and synthesize earliest images depicting the Gorgoneion (gorgon’s head) and Gorgon (whole-body). These figures refer to prehistory covering a wide chronological frame in the... more

The purpose of this research is to investigate, re-evaluate and synthesize earliest images
depicting the Gorgoneion (gorgon’s head) and Gorgon (whole-body). These figures refer to prehistory
covering a wide chronological frame in the Aegean World. Ten artefacts in total comprising of pottery,
masks, seals are examined simultaneously for the first time. A detailed, critical evaluation of their dating,
and the trade connections between mainland Greece and the Aegean are discussed. The issue is about
making a symbol of the deceased introduced much earlier than the Archaic and later antiquity, showing
the evolution of this form and the associated mythology has deep roots in the remote past. The forms
of the Gorgon of the Archaic period depict a monster demon-like bellows, with feathers, snakes or spiral
tentacles in the head, tongue protruding from the mouth and tusks. Snakes are the predominant element
of this gorgon, which composes the gargoyle's hairstyle. This figure is identified and appropriately
assessed from a dozen of images in pottery and semiprecious stones, in the wider prehistoric Aegean,
making the related myths on Gorgon-Medusa interwoven with myths that have had a wide reflection
throughout the later ancient times.

The purpose of this research is to highlight some characteristic examples of the golden works depicting the gorgoneio and Gorgon. These works are part of the wider chronological and geographical context of the ancient Greek world. Twenty... more

The purpose of this research is to highlight some characteristic examples of the golden works depicting the gorgoneio and Gorgon. These works are part of the wider chronological and geographical context of the ancient Greek world. Twenty six artifacts in total, mainly jewelry, as well as plates, discs, golden bust, coins, pendant and a vial are being examined. Their age dates back to the 6th century. B.C. until the 3rd century A.D. The discussion is about making a symbol of the deceased persist for long in the antiquity and showing the evolution of this form. The earliest forms of the Gorgo of the Archaic period depict a monster demon-like bellows, with feathers, snakes in the head, tongue protruding from the mouth and tusks. Then, in classical times, the gorgonian form appears with human characteristics, while the protruded tusks and the tongue remain. Towards Hellenistic times and until late antiquity, the gorgoneion has characteristics of a beautiful woman. Snakes are the predominant element of this gorgon, which either composes the gargoyle's hairstyle or is plundered like a jewel under its chin. This female figure with the snakes is interwoven with Gorgo-Medusa and the Perseus myth that had a wide reflection throughout the ancient times.

Pendants made of jet are rare in Roman Britain, despite the prominence and availability of the material. The jet pendant subclass depicting an image of the Medusa is even smaller, numbering only ten from this province. These pendants are... more

Pendants made of jet are rare in Roman Britain, despite the prominence and availability of the material. The jet pendant subclass depicting an image of the Medusa is even smaller, numbering only ten from this province. These pendants are assessed in terms of their stylistic similarities and, where possible, depositional conditions. Although the sample is small, it is concluded that the jet gorgoneia of Roman Britain represent a dispersed group of stylistically and contextually similar grave goods associated with adult female inhumations in the later Roman period. A further discussion attempts to assess these objects within an applied framework of magical theory.