Papers by Helen I Ackers
The Classical Review, 2017
The presence of Greek myth in Roman art is so pervasive that students and scholars of Roman archa... more The presence of Greek myth in Roman art is so pervasive that students and scholars of Roman archaeology are at times guilty of becoming accustomed to its presence, no longer wondering at its role in the Roman context. This book’s triumph lies in its ability to bring together much excellent discussion of Greek mythological iconography in Roman art to forge a new understanding. N. discards outdated theories, which reduce Greek myth in Roman contexts to unthinking Roman copying. Instead she argues for a need to consider how Greek myth was utilised in its Roman setting. What was it that made Greek myth so attractive to Romans and how did this inform and contribute to ‘Roman’ identity? The book breaks down into an introduction and seven main chapters. The introduction outlines N.’s major research question: the function and proliferation of Greek myth in Roman contexts. N. also defines the parameters of her study: geographical (Rome and Campania), chronological (mid-first century BC to mi...
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The purpose of this dissertation is to conduct a comprehensive study of Roman women's portrai... more The purpose of this dissertation is to conduct a comprehensive study of Roman women's portrait busts of the third century AD. The free-standing portrait bust forms a discrete historical category through which to trace developments in third-century women's portraiture. The high-status, commemorative tradition of the bust and the durability of this format, which could be displayed and utilised in a large range of different contexts, made this an important portrait genre for women in the third century. These busts consequently offer powerful insight into the ideological function and status of Roman women in the third century. By placing third-century women's busts in the context of their form, history and provenance, I hope to create a methodology that allows me to ascertain the ancient intention of these portraits. My hypothesis is that, while elements of self-styling and bust-format reveal innovation, the moral vocabulary of Empire as presented in women's portrait bus...
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The purpose of this article is to take a significant appurtenance of feminine fashion-the wig-and... more The purpose of this article is to take a significant appurtenance of feminine fashion-the wig-and demonstrate its ideological function. We know that Roman women wore wigs in 'real' life. References in the literary sources and rare yet significant examples of surviving wigs and hairpieces provide solid evidence for the use of wigs by Roman women. However, the explicit depiction of wigs seems to have been restricted to a selection of women's portraits dated to the late 2 nd to 3 rd century AD. This consequently marks a significant development in female representation, confined to a specific historical context. The purpose of this article is to understand why it was that these portraits presented women bewigged. What was the ideological function of these portraits and how can this more broadly inform our understanding of the cultural priorities of this era?*
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The aim of this paper will be to understand the role of the portrait bust in Roman practices of m... more The aim of this paper will be to understand the role of the portrait bust in Roman practices of mourning. The portrait bust held a special status in Roman funerary contexts. Even in funerary contexts where busts were inconvenient or where resources prevented the ‘real’ thing, the form of the bust was utilized, this is reflected in the large corpus of funerary reliefs and sarcophagi, which depict portraits in bust format. Despite the proclivity of portrait busts in funerary contexts an in-depth discussion of the societal function of these portraits and specifically the significance of the bust format, in the funerary context, is lacking.
Important work has been done on the use of myth in Roman funerary monuments, and of particular relevance here, the use of portraits within Roman mythological sarcophagi not only to assert social status but to channel, aid and express the grief of the mourning family and kin (Newby 2011 & 2014; Koortbojian 2005; Zanker & Ewald 2004). Portrait busts, from funerary contexts, however, are rarely discussed in these terms. Their societal function is limited to asserting the status of the depicted. As a result the funerary context is overlooked and the function of these portraits as stand-ins for the deceased, the focus of grief and commemoration, requires further exploration (Hope 2011; D’Ambra 1995, 673; Carroll 2006, 30ff.).
The intention of this article will be to re-marry the frequently separated themes of commemoration, memory, mourning and status affirmation. To do this I will take a holistic approach considering references in the literary sources and epigraphic evidence, as well as representations on funerary monuments, to mourners interacting with portraits of the deceased. Through this evidence I will explore the agency of portrait busts as loci of grief and commemoration for Roman mourners. For example Livia, who on the loss of her son Drusus, is reported to have surrounded herself with images of him which so embodied his presence that she would speak to them (Senecca, ad Marc. 3.2). More specifically, I will argue that the bust format, through focusing the viewers’ attention on the face of the deceased was uniquely appropriate for fostering the presence of the deceased. Further, in its more portable formulations, the portrait bust could be easily moved between contexts, carried, processed and easily interacted with. This is supported through the depiction of family members interacting with busts on funerary monuments. This is indicative of the role portraits, and specifically portrait busts, could play as mediates between the dead and living. In this way the Roman portrait bust not only immortalized the deceased, but also prolonged their present and even future familial relationships.
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Book Reviews by Helen I Ackers
E. A. Hemelrijk, Hidden Lives, Public Personae: Women and Civic Life in the Roman West. Oxford;... more E. A. Hemelrijk, Hidden Lives, Public Personae: Women and Civic Life in the Roman West. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. Pp. xx, 610; 16 p. of plates. ISBN 9780190251888. $85.00.
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Talks by Helen I Ackers
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This purpose of this talk will be to present some of the findings from my doctorate research on R... more This purpose of this talk will be to present some of the findings from my doctorate research on Roman women’s portrait busts of the third century AD. The commemorative tradition of the free-standing, Roman portrait bust and the durability of this format, which could be displayed and utilised in a large range of different contexts, made this an important portrait genre for women. At a time when portraits, especially in public spaces, were gradually declining the bust format retained its high-status associations and continued to function as a vessel for cosmopolitan fashions and ideals around empire. This consequently forms a discrete historical category through which to trace developments in third-century women’s portraiture. In this talk I will concentrate on the wider influence of the ‘bust format’ across empire and the adaption of this to suit regional cultures and contexts. The primary focus of this discussion will be a number of case-studies from the Greek East and Asia and evidence for the reception and response of the bust format in these areas. I will consider how display context affected bust format choice and the relationship of this ‘metropolitan’ format to alternative local relief bust traditions.
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Workshop and seminar series by Helen I Ackers
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News and Media by Helen I Ackers
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Papers by Helen I Ackers
Important work has been done on the use of myth in Roman funerary monuments, and of particular relevance here, the use of portraits within Roman mythological sarcophagi not only to assert social status but to channel, aid and express the grief of the mourning family and kin (Newby 2011 & 2014; Koortbojian 2005; Zanker & Ewald 2004). Portrait busts, from funerary contexts, however, are rarely discussed in these terms. Their societal function is limited to asserting the status of the depicted. As a result the funerary context is overlooked and the function of these portraits as stand-ins for the deceased, the focus of grief and commemoration, requires further exploration (Hope 2011; D’Ambra 1995, 673; Carroll 2006, 30ff.).
The intention of this article will be to re-marry the frequently separated themes of commemoration, memory, mourning and status affirmation. To do this I will take a holistic approach considering references in the literary sources and epigraphic evidence, as well as representations on funerary monuments, to mourners interacting with portraits of the deceased. Through this evidence I will explore the agency of portrait busts as loci of grief and commemoration for Roman mourners. For example Livia, who on the loss of her son Drusus, is reported to have surrounded herself with images of him which so embodied his presence that she would speak to them (Senecca, ad Marc. 3.2). More specifically, I will argue that the bust format, through focusing the viewers’ attention on the face of the deceased was uniquely appropriate for fostering the presence of the deceased. Further, in its more portable formulations, the portrait bust could be easily moved between contexts, carried, processed and easily interacted with. This is supported through the depiction of family members interacting with busts on funerary monuments. This is indicative of the role portraits, and specifically portrait busts, could play as mediates between the dead and living. In this way the Roman portrait bust not only immortalized the deceased, but also prolonged their present and even future familial relationships.
Book Reviews by Helen I Ackers
Talks by Helen I Ackers
Workshop and seminar series by Helen I Ackers
News and Media by Helen I Ackers
Important work has been done on the use of myth in Roman funerary monuments, and of particular relevance here, the use of portraits within Roman mythological sarcophagi not only to assert social status but to channel, aid and express the grief of the mourning family and kin (Newby 2011 & 2014; Koortbojian 2005; Zanker & Ewald 2004). Portrait busts, from funerary contexts, however, are rarely discussed in these terms. Their societal function is limited to asserting the status of the depicted. As a result the funerary context is overlooked and the function of these portraits as stand-ins for the deceased, the focus of grief and commemoration, requires further exploration (Hope 2011; D’Ambra 1995, 673; Carroll 2006, 30ff.).
The intention of this article will be to re-marry the frequently separated themes of commemoration, memory, mourning and status affirmation. To do this I will take a holistic approach considering references in the literary sources and epigraphic evidence, as well as representations on funerary monuments, to mourners interacting with portraits of the deceased. Through this evidence I will explore the agency of portrait busts as loci of grief and commemoration for Roman mourners. For example Livia, who on the loss of her son Drusus, is reported to have surrounded herself with images of him which so embodied his presence that she would speak to them (Senecca, ad Marc. 3.2). More specifically, I will argue that the bust format, through focusing the viewers’ attention on the face of the deceased was uniquely appropriate for fostering the presence of the deceased. Further, in its more portable formulations, the portrait bust could be easily moved between contexts, carried, processed and easily interacted with. This is supported through the depiction of family members interacting with busts on funerary monuments. This is indicative of the role portraits, and specifically portrait busts, could play as mediates between the dead and living. In this way the Roman portrait bust not only immortalized the deceased, but also prolonged their present and even future familial relationships.