Panel 6.8 – Recycling and reuse of sculpture in roman and late antique times


Organiser/Chair:

  • Caterina Parigi (University of Cologne)

External Discussants:

  • Dietrich Boschung (Universität zu Köln)
  • John Pollini (Internationales Kolleg Morphomata)

Panel abstract

Recycling and reuse of sculpture was a common practice in the ancient world, which took a variety of forms in different periods and places. The research on this topic underwent a strong increase in the last years in which the phenomenon of reusing sculpture was analysed from different points of view.

The panel stresses two main aspects in relation with this practice: on one hand sculptures and their parts were reused as building material. One example is the case of Athens, where several funerary reliefs and parts of statues were already reused in the classical period for the construction not only of buildings but also of fortification walls. On the other hand, sculptures could be reused maintaining their original function or as works of art. In the first case it happens in the original context through a new dedication of the statue, the practice of reinscribing the monument or of remaking parts of the sculpture – normally the portraits. In the second case the statues were placed in a new context, that often implies an alteration of the objects in function and meaning. This is the case in Ostia, where a lot of funerary material was reused to redecorate private domus and public buildings in late antiquity. The practice of recycling and reusing sculptures implies a number of consequences concerning socio-economical aspects. The economical factor plays an important role in recycling and is an integral part of this concept, which is why it always has to take discussing the chosen case studies into account.

The panel focuses on the roman and late antique periods and on the Mediterranean area. Through analysis and comparison of different case studies of recycling and reusing sculptures in several contexts the panel aims to highlight common features and local singularities of this practice with particular attention to the socio-economical aspects.

Paper abstracts

1. Christiane Vorster (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn)

Economy or added value – the reuse of statues in Late Antiquity
There were certainly many good reasons for the increased reuse of ancient statues in Late Antiquity. Primarily, we think in terms of economy as the scarcity of material and the deterioration of the transportation infrastructure throughout the Mediterranean became an ever growing difficulty regarding the purchase of new sculptures.
Yet, apart from these economic reasons, there may have been some socio-cultural reasons as well that prompted the reuse of sculpture in Late Antiquity.
Throughout the Roman Imperial Period ancient statues were highly esteemed in the décor of private and public spaces. While the senatorial residences in and outside Rome were repeatedly expanded and rebuild over the centuries, the statues, which were passed down for generations, were preserved and diligently reinstalled in these new surroundings. Many sculptures show traces of continuous presentation over the centuries, as is evident not only in the deterioration of their surfaces but especially in the numerous visible repairs and restoration.
In Late Antiquity a special regard for ancient statues in public spaces as well as in private villas is documented in literary sources and monuments. Selected examples aptly illustrate that the reuse of statues in late antique portraits was by no means induced by economic reasons only. In fact, there is abundant evidence that the recirculation of intentionally selected antiques was quite suitable for heightening the effect and the distinction of honorary statues.

"Economy or added value – the reuse of statues in Late Antiquity" (Fulltext)

 

2. Caterina Parigi (Universität zu Köln)

Recycling of sculptures as building material: the case of Athens
Il riutilizzo di sculture o parti di esse come materiale da costruzione è un fenomeno comune nel mondo antico, che si ripete in luoghi e periodi diversi.
Ad Atene, questa pratica trova particolare applicazione. Già in età classica, infatti, le mura della città vengono costruite con una grande quantità di materiale scultoreo riutilizzato. Nel periodo romano e tardo-antico ugualmente sono diversi i casi di riuso di sculture come materiale edilizio non solo per la costruzione o il restauro della cinta muraria, ma anche per la realizzazione di edifici.
Il contributo si sofferma in particolare sull’analisi di una serie di teste, appartenenti a rilievi funerari e con buona probabilità provenienti dalla necropoli del Ceramico, riusate, forse in due periodi diversi, per restaurare la cinta muraria nel settore occidentale della città. Attraverso questo e altri esempi – come le sculture (e le iscrizioni) provenienti dal muro di recinzione della piazza del Nuovo Bouleuterion nell’agora e quelle reimpiegate nelle mura post-erule nella zona orientale della città - il contributo cercherà di mostrare le caratteristiche di questa fenomeno nell’arco di tempo oggetto di studio. Infine, verranno presi in considerazione aspetti legati al significato della pratica, al suo valore, soprattutto dal un punto di vista economico, ma anche religioso e culturale, e alla connessione con eventi, che potrebbero stare alla base di questo fenomeno.

"Recycling and Reuse of Sculpture in Roman and Late Antique Times – An Introduction" (Fulltext)

 

3. Ralf Krumeich (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn)

Recalling the Past and Saving Money? Some Observations on the Reuse of Statue Bases and Sculptures on the Athenian Acropolis of the Late Hellenistic and Roman Imperial Periods
The reuse of pre-existing statue bases and the reinscription of Greek sculptures as honorific statues especially of Romans is well documented on the Athenian Acropolis from the 1st century BC on. Until recently, particularly the economical advantages of this recycling have been underlined. But new research during the last few years has made clear some more and quite unexpected aspects of this practice: It aimed not merely at avoiding the expenses of producing new statues and bases, but also at honouring prominent Romans with Greek monuments of the Classical and Hellenistic periods. These reinscribed statues were significant in terms of their iconography and quality (many of them still show the original signatures of Greek sculptors). Moreover, some reuses involved a great deal of modification of sculptures or groups of statues as well as scaffolding. By this, even the reuse of already existing sculptures contributed to flourishing Athenian workshops.
This paper focuses on the various facets of the reuse of pre-existing bases (including huge pillar monuments) and the reinscription of Greek sculptures as honorific statues of Romans on the Athenian Acropolis in the late Hellenistic and Roman imperial periods as well as on the economical, political and social aspects associated with this practice.

"Erinnerung an die große Vergangenheit, aber möglichst sparsam? Zur Wiederverwendung von Basen und Statuen auf der Athener Akropolis im späten Hellenismus und in der römischen Kaiserzeit" (Fulltext)

 

4. Panayiotis Panayides

The reuse of sculptures in public bath buildings in Late Antiquity
Public bathing establishments retained their importance as urban settings for the display of sculpture throughout the Roman and Late Roman periods. Bath complexes, largely neutral in cultic terms, not only received frequent and generous renovations and redecorations, but also continued displaying mythological sculptures well in Christian times.
In the late antique period, when the production of new sculpture dwindled, it was not an uncommon practice to remove statues from disused buildings and redisplay them in new contexts, either by retaining their original form or altering it intentionally. Although a frequent phenomenon, the translocation and redeployment of statues in late antique cities was less frequently documented epigraphically. The practice may, nevertheless, be discerned by assessing statuary assemblages against various variables.
During redecorations, a selection process may have presumably been in play while, the redisplay of old statues from buildings of a different function in bath complexes may also suggest that the statues too acquired a different function and meaning. This paper will probe into these issues and present preliminary results of ongoing research on the reuse of statues in late antique public bathing establishments, through the analysis of selected occurrences of the phenomenon across the Mediterranean.

"The reuse of sculptures in public bath buildings in Late Antiquity" (Fulltext)

 

5. Simon Barker (Norwegian Institute in Rome)

Beyond re-worked portraits: other forms of re-use and re-carving in Roman sculpture
The pervasiveness of re-carving in the Roman world ensured its place as one of the essential skills in the stone carver’s repertoire. To-date studies on re-carving have tended to focus on the re-working of portraits into new likenesses, particularly imperial male portraits as a result of what has become known by the modern name of damnatio memoriae. Although portrait heads provide some of the most compelling evidence for re-carving, Romans re-used sculpted material for a variety of purposes and new objects could cross entire boundaries of sculptural categories. Therefore, in order to assess sculptural production, especially in private contexts, a wider consideration must be given to such pieces.
This paper will examine a selection of re-carved stone sculptures (portraits, statues, sarcophagi, reliefs, sculpted architectural blocks) that were transformed into new objects through the practice of re-carving. The corpus investigated is drawn from across the empire during the first five centuries AD. It will explore the forms and varieties of sculptural re-carving, while considering aspects such as the sources of stone for re-carving projects and the sculpting techniques employed in recycling and adapting existing works to new objects. Overall, it will present new information about the supply and the organisation of sculptural production through re-carving and recycling of earlier sculpted stone objects.

"Beyond Reworked Portraits: Other Forms of Re-use and Re-carving in Roman Sculpture" (Fulltext)

 

6. Claudia García Villaba (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Images without power. The practice of recycling and reusing Roman imperial sculpture in the North-East of Hispania. Case studies from the 1 st to the 2nd century
In Roman times the practice of reusing and recycling sculpture was common. Indeed, first examples appeared at the late III rd century B.C. during Roman expansion through the Mediterranean. Although, it was not until the I st century A.D. when Roman statuary monuments became available for reusing.
On the other hand, activities connected with reusing have been conventionally linked to Late Antiquity, rise of Christianity and demystification of Roman objects and places. Indeed, scholars who have studied those practices have focused their attention specially on that period. However, reused or recycling sculpture was not just linked with the decline of classical cities. That practice has been a constant feature in the History of the Roman Empire and also in Hispania, where several examples from the I st and II nd centuries can be observed and analysed.
The aim of this paper is to stress that reusing and recycling practices were complex processes. I want to prove with archaeological evidences from the North-East of Hispania that those practices and urban crisis did not always went together. Incentives for recycling and reusing sculpture were varied and different. Political changes were one of them. In this way we can point out the Domitian portrait from Turiaso, transformed into Augustus, after his damnatio memoriae. In other cases there were economical reasons. For example in Bilbilis where some statuary monuments were reused because there was no good quality stone in the area.

"Images without power. The practice of recycling and reusing Roman imperial sculpture in the North-East of Hispania. Case studies from the 1st to the 2nd century" (Fulltext)

 

7. Cristina Murer (Freie Universität Berlin)

Recycling roman funerary sculpture in Italy and the West
Plundering and re-use of funerary sculpture is a phenomenon that is widely attested in the Greek and Roman world. Aside from written sources, there are several archaeological contexts that show to what extent the sculptural décor of tombs became a target of plundering in times of greater social political changes. This is especially true for the Late Roman Empire: from the 3rd to the 6th century, marble funerary sculpture (i. e. sarcophagus lids, funerary altars, epitaphs, reliefs and statues) was re-used invisibly but in many cases also visibly within new settings and in altered functions. This implies that plundering must have been a far more frequent occurrence than in previous periods. By discussing several public and private buildings from Italy and the Western Provinces, the paper assesses how far funerary sculpture became an integral part of the late antique décor of Roman houses, villas, churches and public buildings. It furthermore discusses literary and legal sources that concern the actors and agencies behind the social practice of tomb plundering and the common re-use of funerary sculpture in the Later Roman Empire.

"Recycling Roman Funerary Sculpture in Italy and the Late Roman West" (Fulltext)

 

8. Roberta Ruotolo (Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana)

Il fenomeno del reimpiego come pratica edilizia. Un caso di studio dalle aree centrali di Ostia
In età tardo antica Roma e Ostia sono interessate da un forte mutamento del paesaggio in cui i precedenti assetti urbanistici appaiono trasformati dall’impianto di nuovi edifici e dall’occupazione di spazi pubblici e strade non più in uso. In questo periodo l’arredo marmoreo continua a svolgere una funzione di autorappresentazione e adeguamento nei confronti della tradizione architettonica imperiale. Ma da dove provengono i marmi impiegati nei cantieri edilizi? Da un lato, essi sono il risultato del commercio di manufatti architettonici con le province, dall’altro, sono espressione del reimpiego di marmi da edifici più antichi o dalle loro destinazioni originarie.
Ad Ostia, in particolare, si assiste ad un’espansione del fenomeno del reimpiego da far ipotizzare che sia diventato già in età imperiale una pratica consueta nelle attività edilizie. Numerose sono le testimonianze provenienti dal riutilizzo di piedistalli intitolati a personaggi della vita locale attestate dall’ultimo terzo del III secolo d.C. In particolare, l’importanza del riuso dei marmi è evidente nella precocità con la quale ad Ostia sono dimostrati fenomeni di reimpiego di manufatti marmorei come materiale edilizio. Emblematici sono il riutilizzo come elemento di cornice nel Capitolium augusteo dell’iscrizione in travertino del duoviro Cornelius e di basi di statue dedicate dai collegi a membri dell’amministrazione statale per una muratura di sostegno del teatro tra la fine del IV e l’inizio del V secolo d.C.

"Il fenomeno del reimpiego come pratica edilizia. Un caso di studio dalle aree centrali di Ostia" (Fulltext)

 

9. Eva Christof (Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz)

Late antique statue bases made from former Roman grave monuments, the surprising life cycle of Roman stone artefacts
According to a well-known phenomenon, a very high percentage of late antique statue bases as supports of portrait statues were not made from freshly quarried marble or lime stone, but from already available, reused older material. Late antique statue bases are primarily investigated epigraphically for the content of their inscriptions, but their forms and ornaments are usually neglected. In some cases an attentive view can figure out, that they were originally grave monuments. This study will present some examples from Italy and discuss the social, legal and financial conditions, which allow that former grave monuments from a necropolis could assume a completely new function in the middle of the city, as bases for statues, which especially in the case of portrait statues were considered one of the highest honours attributed by society to an individual.

"Spätantike Statuenbasen aus einstigen römischen Grabdenkmälern, der überraschende Lebenszyklus römischer Steine" (Fulltext)