Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans: Visual Representation and Non-Elite Viewers in Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 315 (Joan Palevsky Book in Classical Literature)

397 Pages·2003·7.57 MB·English

ART IN THE LIVES OF ORDINARY ROMANS
ART IN THE LIVES OF ORDINARY ROMANS
VISUAL REPRESENTATION AND
NON-ELITE VIEWERS IN ITALY, 100 B.C.––A.D. 315
JOHN R. CLARKE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
B E R K E L E Y • L O S A N G E L E S • L O N D O N
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2003 by the Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clarke, John R., 1945–
Art in the lives of ordinary Romans : visual representation and non-elite
viewers in Italy, 100 b.c.–a.d. 315 / John R. Clarke.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-520-21976-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Art, Roman—Themes, motives. 2. Art, Roman—Social aspects.
3. Social classes in art. 4. Social status—Rome. I. Title.
N72.S6 C58 2003
709'.37—dc21 2002154934
Manufactured in Canada
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).8
TO MICHAEL LARVEY
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • ix
INTRODUCTION • 1
PART 1: IMPERIAL REPRESENTATION OF NON-ELITES • 15
1. AUGUSTUS’S AND TRAJAN’S MESSAGES
TO COMMONERS • 19
2. THE ALL-SEEING EMPEROR AND ORDINARY VIEWERS:
MARCUS AURELIUS AND CONSTANTINE • 42
PART 2: NON-ELITES IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE • 69
3. EVERYMAN, EVERYWOMAN, AND THE GODS • 73
4. EVERYMAN AND EVERYWOMAN AT WORK • 95
5. SPECTACLE: ENTERTAINMENT, SOCIAL CONTROL,
SELF-ADVERTISING, AND TRANSGRESSION • 130
6. LAUGHTER AND SUBVERSION IN THE TAVERN:
IMAGE, TEXT, AND CONTEXT • 160
7. COMMEMORATION OF LIFE IN THE DOMAIN OF THE DEAD:
NON-ELITE TOMBS AND SARCOPHAGI • 181
PART 3: NON-ELITES IN THE DOMESTIC SPHERE • 221
8. MINDING YOUR MANNERS:
BANQUETS, BEHAVIOR, AND CLASS • 223
9. PUTTING YOUR BEST FACE FORWARD:
SELF-REPRESENTATION AT HOME • 246
CONCLUSIONS • 269
NOTES • 277
BIBLIOGRAPHY • 331
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS • 353
INDEX • 363
vi i i • C O N T E N T S
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Researching and writing this book has been an exciting and rewarding experience—a
very special part of my life for the past six years. I am most grateful for the generous grants
that supported the travel and uninterrupted research and writing time that this project
demanded. A Fellowship for College Teachers from the National Endowment for the Hu-
manities, coupled with a Research Grant from the University of Texas, permitted me to
live and work in Rome in the spring of 1999. To allow me to keep up the momentum of
my spring-term leave, Sherry and Tommy Jacks provided funds to allow me to work
throughout the summer without having to teach summer school. Dicky and Mary Gay
Grigg followed suit with generous grants that allowed me to work full-time on the book
during the summers of 2000 and 2001.
In the course of my researching and writing this book, many scholars generously
oªered their advice and criticism. I know from my own experience what a sacrifice it is
to put aside one’s own work and take the time to read and critique a colleague’s work.
Many individuals made that sacrifice, some returning to my manuscript and the ques-
tions it raised more than once. I wish to thank those who read the full manuscript: An-
thony Corbeill, Penelope Davies, Frank Fisher, Sandra Joshel, Natalie Kampen, Eric Moor-
mann, and Andrew Riggsby; and those who read individual chapters: James Packer,
Richard Shiª, and Michael Thomas. Their corrections, criticisms, questions, and answers
ix