Roman Sculpture in Context: A Hittite Ritual for the Ancient Gods (CTH 446) (Selected Papers on Ancient Art and Architecture)

This volume tackles a pressing issue in Roman art history: that many sculptures conventionally used in our scholarship and teaching lack adequate information about their find locations. Questions of context are complex, and any theoretical and methodological reframing of Roman sculpture demands academic transparency. This volume is dedicated to privileging content and context over traditions of style and aesthetics. Through case studies, the chapters illustrate multivariate ways to contextualize ancient objects. The authors encourage Roman art historians to look beyond conventional interpretations; to reclaim from the study of Greek sculpture the Roman originals that are too often relegated to discussions of "copies" and "models"; to consider the multiple, dynamic, and shifting contexts that one sculpture could experience over the centuries of its display; and to recognize that postantique receptions can also offer insight into interpretations of ancient viewers. The collected topics were originally presented in three conference sessions: "Grounding Roman Sculpture" (Archaeological Institute of America, 2019); "Ancient Sculpture in Context" (College Art Association, 2017); and "Ancient Sculpture in Context II: Reception" (College Art Association, 2019).

Peter D. De Staebler is assistant professor in the History of Art and Design Department, Pratt Institute. He has coedited volumes on ancient fortifi cations and the Aphrodisias Regional Survey and published articles and chapters on diverse aspects of Classical material culture including graffi ti, ceramics, tombs, city walls, and monolithic columns. Anne Hrychuk Kontokosta is assistant professor/faculty fellow of Roman art and architecture at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She has published articles and chapters on Roman sculpture, gladiatorial inscriptions and graffi ti, Roman baths and horti, and the freestanding Roman arch.