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‘Gnosticism’ in Fourth-Century Britain: the Frampton Mosaics Reconsidered

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2011

Dominic Perring
Dominic Perring
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of York, dp19@york.ac.uk
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Extract

Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the significance of the mosaic designs employed in Roman houses. Studies have concentrated on establishing the mythological sources of the images chosen, and on describing the social and architectural contexts within which such art was used. It has long been noted that some of the subjects preferred in fourth-century Britain suggest allegorical references to the hereafter, although it has also been observed that the ‘search for profound and coherent allegories may exaggerate the significance which the wealthy British patrons imparted to the floors of the great halls or dining-rooms of their villas’. Ling, in particular, has cautioned against reading exaggerated meanings into ambivalent images that may simply have been chosen to vaunt erudite taste.

Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 34 , November 2003 , pp. 97 - 127
Copyright
Copyright © Dominic Perring 2003. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

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