Group 3 Report-Clodia Publia.pdf
Posted at Feb 28/2011 10:37AM:
kmanalo: This stele possesses various similarities with the gravestone that my group studied - Eutychetus - regarding it's composition and manner of preserving the deceased's identity. First of all, the figure of a woman, while larger than the figure of Euthchetus at the top of his gravestone, does not take up a majority of the stone, giving more precedence to the inscription. However, the figure is more detailed, depicted a cornucopia and elaborate dress unlike Eutychetus's simple figure and horse crop, which are characteristics of his occupation. The guise of the woman figure is that of a goddesses and not necessarily saying that she is the actual person whose remains are interred beneath. However, the reference to the goddess of autumn does allot the viewer insight into the life of this freedwoman. The report states that the details suggest a Greek culture, possibly because of the couplet and the information that Clodia Publia was a slave. Instead of mentioning her achievements during life, this stone primarily meditates on the general theories of life and death, which differs from purposes of the other stele.
Posted at Feb 28/2011 02:39PM:
milardi: I found it very interesting that this tomb was dedicated to a woman, as most of the tombs that we have seen have been for men. Additionally, when there was a tomb constructed for a woman the content generally focused on her male relatives and her name was the only thing on the tomb about her (almost an afterthought). Perhaps, as a freed slave she did not have many important relations and therefore did not see fit to announce their accomplishments. It is interesting to note that instead of replacing this lack of information about male relatives with information about herself, the tomb just declares general warnings about life and death. Thus, this tomb is still not really about the woman for whom it is made, but death in general.
Posted at Feb 28/2011 05:05PM:
cbahamon: I am very intrigued by your suggestion that the owner of the stele was Greek. I wrote on Valerius Paprianus, a Greek tribune whose heritage was explicitly stated in Latin on his sarcophagus. The use of the Greek alphabet by both could be a similar allusion to their ethnicity. However, I question the group's statement that the Greek text "is actually given prominence over the Latin words." Though I think that mention of the past through use of Greek, past homeland, and L., past societal position, is important, I think that the take home message is that she is now a free member of Roman society and that is how she wants to be remembered. For this reason, as you rightly stated, the Latin text takes up the majority of the inscription. In addition, I think that Latin is given the focus because, should this stele (is it a stele?) end up on a roadside, the passersby would probably be more likely to read Latin than Greek, and her memory would therefore more likely be recalled by reading the Latin inscription. Though I guess that last statement really asks the question of how many people looking at these grave markers were literate.
Posted at Feb 28/2011 06:48PM:
c. hoffman: I find it quite interesting how often Roman art reflects and harps upon classical Greek thought and styles. I was a part of a group that studied a bust of Miltiades, a famous Greek leader who was victorious in the battle of Marathon. I also find it interesting that whenever women are depicted on funerary monuments or steles, they aren't regarded as women in human form but rather as goddesses, importing some eerie message to passersby. I find it curious that the monument says nothing about this freedwoman's accomplishments, rather it merely leaves a message about life and death to those that stop to read the inscription.
Posted at Mar 01/2011 02:46PM:
bchu: We have talked a lot in class about inscriptions that address the passersby, but I have been wondering for a while now what proportion of the population was literate and could actually read the inscriptions. Group 3 writes about how the letters are simple and separated by dots, but I don't think even this would help the general population. Instead, I propose that the dots are simply to save space on the stone, as they take up less horizontal space than leaving spaces between words. On the other hand, I agree that the inscription is very different from the typical "glorification" type of inscription. Perhaps the other missing months, especially spring and summer, commemorate Clodia. I also wonder about the original context of this stone. Do you think it could have been one of four sides of a pedestal for a portrait statue?
Posted at Mar 01/2011 06:02PM:
jdesrosier: In the Historical Analysis section, the group writes that "Clodia Publia" was most likely a household slave. Why would household slaves be more likely to have a particular type of funerary monument? Are there any comparisons to other types of freedmen's funerary inscriptions or sculptures? It would also be interesting to investigate how freedmen from different parts of Rome were presented in the afterlife and what advice they gave to passersby. I have one comment about the group's dating the piece to the Roman Republic: because the Republic spanned hundreds of years, I think it would be a more compelling argument if you specified at least a range of a century or two. Otherwise a well done project.
Posted at Mar 01/2011 06:33PM:
aiarocci: I really like this stone because of the rare glimpse of a woman in ancient rome it gives us. However, it proves a lot of the points that have been made in class about the role of women. It is interesting how women had to even in death be contextualized by their male relatives, and when that information is available, they are just generalized. This statue definitely reminds us of the strong influence Greek art had on Roman, especially how she is portrayed in an almost goddess like form. I wish that the accomplishments and facts about this woman had been recorded on the stone.
Posted at Mar 01/2011 07:22PM:
nwalker: I find it very intriguing that a woman who was once a slave can eventually create wealth to not only make a commemorative stelae for herself, but to create a collection of four that reflected the seasons. I also find it interesting that there is not an abundance of detailed information regarding her life but more generalizing the warnings of death. This was likely a more common practice than realized, as it seems unusual that a general warning of death would be placed on a tombstone. As we learned about in lecture, death was a much greater part of life than it is today and it seems that this notion has been suggested on the tombstone's inscription.
Posted at Mar 01/2011 07:46PM:
nvitrano: What makes this stele so intriguing is not only the fact that is gives insight into a free-slave female’s position and celebrated life in ancient Roman times, but it also gives insight into how the Romans regarded and depicted life. The use of the personification of Autumn to commemorate the cyclical journey that is life shows that Romans appreciation for natures cyclical processes. It shows an understanding and appreciation for the continuity of life and that it was something the Roman’s thought about and regarded as a natural process. Seeing how a culture deals with and talks about death can give tremendous insight into how they dealt with and regarded everyday life. This epitaph serves this purpose, especially if it is part of a four-season set. I find it fascinating how much can be learned from the art of the past, although mostly educated speculation.
Posted at Mar 01/2011 08:36PM:
nfadaifa: I find the text extremely confusing but I think the carving of Clodia Publia is very telling. Her drapery is not very heavy as seen in Byzantine and Gothic art, but it focuses on defining and emphasizing the human figure, specifically a woman's figure, which I think would be rare because generally perfection of the male form is emphasized and I feel like not until high Renaissance do we see much attention paid to the female figure, unless it was of Mary. Clodia clearly stands in contraposto position, the carving of the drapery emphasizes her feminine body and it looks like the artist responsible is representing Clodia as a diety for whomever the scripture is talking about. I think she is carrying gifts and sacrifices in order to immortalize that this man will never live the life of the joyless or tantulus.
Posted at Mar 01/2011 09:24PM:
jmiranda: Under visual epigraphy, the report reads "the text on the inscription of Clodia Publia's tomb is large, capitalized and separated by dots to make the words more legible." I've noticed several monuments also have the same dots in between text. While several groups have said that the dots are intended to make the text more readable, I personally find it more difficult to read. Perhaps this because I've been reading text with spaces instead of dots since I began reading. But I was wondering if there were any other ideas for why the dots appear, or history behind them.
Posted at Mar 01/2011 10:06PM:
sspiller: I find it interesting that Clodia monument contained a portrait of a woman holding a cornucopia. I'm a little confused as to WHY Autumn is on her tomb. She died in Autumn, but did it have further meaning in her life and does this goddess symbolize something deeper in Clodia's life?
Posted at Mar 01/2011 10:19PM:
amarks: I would have to agree with milard. I also found it very surprising that the monument was for a women. I also agree that most of the time in the rarity that the women has a monument dedicated to her that it generally is more reference towards that men in her life and in her family, almost going into more detail about the family then her life. It is interesting although the little bit of insight you get about her life and makes me wonder how Romans classified many similar lives like the womens in the monument. Also I find interesting how once again in this image Greek references are made.
Posted at Mar 02/2011 08:53AM:
haoki: As we have seen in most Roman funerary tombs and reliefs, the status of the deceased individual(s) is of utmost importance in forming an identity that is to be remembered and set in stone for eternity. This is quite clear in Clodia Publia's inscription, where "Freedwoman" follows her name. Moreover, this section of the inscription is 6.2cm high, while the other letters below are much smaller. This also sheds light on just how important social status was as for identifying an individual. Her husband makes references to the seasons, life, and the earth, in which Clodia Publia now lies. The "joyless" man has connected her with fertility, something he is now without. Since this last section is written in Greek, perhaps he is alluding to his true homeland, or--just as he displayed his wife as a "freedwoman"--he is proving his knowledge of the Greek language and culture.
Posted at Mar 02/2011 10:22AM:
hstrausser: I find the atypical inscription on Clodia's tomb interesting. I wonder if she left the world with a cautionary warning rather than an attempt to glorify herself because something happened in or life, or if she was a woman, or if there is another reason for it as well. Her emphasis on time is also interesting, as the inscription on the tomb ties in with the artwork, all lending back to the passage of time and the time of the year (autumn) that she died.
Posted at Mar 02/2011 11:00AM:
lfernandez:
I think that the stele of Clodia Publia is quite interesting and unique, for it commemorates a woman, not in terms of her husband, like the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, but in terms of her own life. Thus, the stele provides the viewer with small, rare glimpse of the life of a female freed slave in ancient Rome.
Posted at Mar 02/2011 11:30AM:
cklimansilver: Females are often shrouded in mystery in Roman and Greek art: thus, this stele is refreshing, for it gives us a glimpse into her life. I am confused as to why she is commemorated given her status as a slave. Was she particularly special to her owners? Were they unusually generous? Or is this some other custom?
Posted at Mar 02/2011 04:03PM:
rdwarner: I wonder if the separation by dots was to clarify the writing. Most educated romans would have been literate and been able to read proper latin which (I believe) didn't have spacing. Could this instead be some other intent? I also think the mention of the Compitalia must have more significance than to date the piece. Perhaps she was part of a cult that worshiped the patron deity, although it seems an odd deity to single out, or maybe she was instrumental in the festival and wanted her memory to be that of a party girl. Either way I wonder if there's more significance to that reference and would be interested to find out.
Posted at Mar 04/2011 10:01AM:
dporitz: The stele of Clodia Publia is both refreshing to see and very unique in the larger context of Roman culture. Clodia wanted to leave behind a message that future generations would see and hopefully learn from rather than a message of personal glory and recognition. Her decision is unique in this way because traditionally the Roman funerary tombs were central in helping the deceased individuals form an identity that would be remembered for all of eternity (as it was set in stone). I was interested as well as slightly confused by the presence of the cornucopia in her hands as well as the relationship to this symbolism to autumn? Was the cornucopia presented to represent her holiness? Was the relationship to the cornucopia and autumn used to represent her fertility and even possibility allude to her being a deity?
