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Six - Distinguishing the Mythological

Function and Form

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2023

Mont Allen
Affiliation:
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
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Summary

This chapter addresses the question of whether we have drawn too strong a distinction between the mythic and the non-mythic. What happens if we consider not iconographic criteria, but modal ones? Taken from the viewpoint of function rather than subject matter, the distinction between mythic and mythless imagery becomes shaky indeed. This chapter first revisits the relationship between the mythological and the so-called biographical sarcophagi, then shows how close attention to Roman sculptural technique – what we might call “material iconography” – provides traction for understanding how Roman viewers imagined the relationship between these genres.

Type
Chapter
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The Death of Myth on Roman Sarcophagi
Allegory and Visual Narrative in the Late Empire
, pp. 167 - 196
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Distinguishing the Mythological
  • Mont Allen, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
  • Book: The Death of Myth on Roman Sarcophagi
  • Online publication: 13 January 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039031.007
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  • Distinguishing the Mythological
  • Mont Allen, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
  • Book: The Death of Myth on Roman Sarcophagi
  • Online publication: 13 January 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039031.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Distinguishing the Mythological
  • Mont Allen, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
  • Book: The Death of Myth on Roman Sarcophagi
  • Online publication: 13 January 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039031.007
Available formats
×