Books by Benjamin Fourlas
Millennium Studies 35, Jul 2012
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Edited Books by Benjamin Fourlas
Byzanz zwischen Orient und Okzident, Band 8,1, Aug 2017
The collection of the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe contains numerous late antique and byzanti... more The collection of the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe contains numerous late antique and byzantine objects, which were only published in parts hitherto. The artefacts are mainly small finds of high scientific value. Among them are as well sacral as profane objects, passing on a wide range of everyday life, culture and arts in the Late Roman and Byzantine empire. 268 objects of bone, ivory, glass, ceramics, metall and stone, some of them bearing inscriptions, are basically documented, interpreted and classified in cultural history.
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B. Fourlas / V. Tsamakda (eds), Wege nach Byzanz (Mainz 2011), Nov 3, 2011
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Papers and Book Chapters by Benjamin Fourlas
Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum 32 (2024) 735-762, Feb 2024
Im Mittelpunkt des Lemmas stehen für die Auseinandersetzung des Christentums mit der Antike relev... more Im Mittelpunkt des Lemmas stehen für die Auseinandersetzung des Christentums mit der Antike relevante toreutische Erzeugnisse, ihr Bildschmuck u. ihre Funktion.
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Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum 31 (2022) 1047-1062, Dec 2022
Aufgrund der Fülle an Material können im Rahmen des Lemmas nur einige zentrale Aspekte der Funkti... more Aufgrund der Fülle an Material können im Rahmen des Lemmas nur einige zentrale Aspekte der Funktionen von Tellern thematisiert werden, die einen Beitrag zur Fragestellung Antike und Christentum leisten. Im Mittelpunkt stehen Teller und ihr Dekor als Bedeutungsträger im Kontext sozialer Handlungen, religiöser Praktiken und als Opfer- und Kultgerät. Nicht behandelt werden Teller als *Grabbeigabe. Unter Teller werden hier hauptsächlich runde, ovale, polygonale oder rechteckige Gefäße mit flachem oder keinem Rand mit oder ohne Standfuß verstanden. Eine auf formtypologischen Kriterien basierende Abgrenzung von Teller zu Platte sowie Schale und Schüssel kann hier nicht geleistet werden.
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M. Flecker (ed.), Zwischen Dionysos und Christus. Bild und Tafelgeschirr im römischen Nordafrika, Nov 23, 2022
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S. Schrenk / U. Verstegen (eds), Forschungsgeschichte als Aufbruch. Beiträge zur Geschichte der Christlichen Archäologie und Byzantinischen Kunstgeschichte, XXIV. Tagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christliche Archäologie, Bonn, 10.–12. Mai 2018, 279-302, Feb 2, 2022
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Mitteilungen zur Spätantiken Archäologie und Byzantinischen Kunstgeschichte 8. M. Giannoulis / M. Löx / A. Oepen (eds), Imaginum orbis. Bilderwelten zwischen Spätantike und Byzanz. Festschrift anlässlich des 80. Geburtstags von Johannes G. Deckers, 109-124, 2021
Asturius vivas! Pictorial Programme and Function of a Late Roman Belt Buckle
A Late Roman brass b... more Asturius vivas! Pictorial Programme and Function of a Late Roman Belt Buckle
A Late Roman brass belt buckle in the collection of the RGZM is decorated with the portrait medallion of a man between victories and two persons likely to represent apostles. An inscription on both sides of the portrait reads Asturius vivas. The object is likely to have been manufactured in North Italy or Pannonia in the second half of the 4th century. But its decorative features include elements known from a golden belt buckle from Asia Minor which belongs to a class of artefacts known to have been distributed as imperial largesse. In this paper, it is argued that the more humble piece it discusses was an object of largesse belonging to a dignitary or officer named Asturius who distributed it among his followers in imitation of imperial custom. In analogy to the golden imperial example, the decoration of the brass buckle is interpreted as an advertisement that its bearer was a loyal follower of Asturius.
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Byzantinische Zeitschrift 114, 1117-1159, Sep 1, 2021
The iconography of the Communion of the Apostles, a theme well established in Byzantine art after... more The iconography of the Communion of the Apostles, a theme well established in Byzantine art after Iconoclasm, first appears in a securely dated context in the silver patens from Riha and Stuma. These silver plates were produced in Constantinople sometime between 575 and 578. The iconography with the twofold depiction of Christ is usually explained as a reflection of the liturgical practice of the Eucharist, namely, as a reflection of the two actors in the Eucharistic rite, the priest and a deacon distributing bread and wine. I argue instead that during the early Byzantine period the twofold depiction of Christ is an expression of the two natures of Christ directed against the Miaphysites. I propose that the exceptional appearance of the scene in the two early Byzantine silver patens from church treasures from northern Syria is likely to be explained by its Christological significance with regard to Chalcedonian Eucharistic doctrine during the persecution of the Miaphysites in the 570s.
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Jahrbuch des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz 62, 2015, 341-375, Nov 2020
The silver hoard comprising six pieces, which the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe acquired in 19... more The silver hoard comprising six pieces, which the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe acquired in 1993, belonged to the inventory of a church dedicated to St Constantine. The hoard relates stylistically as well as typologically to Greater Syria and is particularly significant due to its inscriptions. Two of the objects feature Greek votive inscriptions that bear dedications to the memory of a certain Framarich and a certain Karilos. Both names suggest that their bearers originated from a Latin-speaking region, perhaps the Frankish kingdom. These men probably came to Greater Syria as soldiers during Caesar Tiberius II Constantin’s great recruiting campaign in the context of the Sasanian war in 574/575.
According to one votive inscription, St Constantine was the patron of the church and he is even depicted as a soldier in armour. This is an extraordinarily early example for his cult and for the depiction of this first
Christian emperor to become a saint. The cult of St Constantine clearly reflects the values and the self-perception of the congregation: the idea of a Christian-Roman empire, the concept of the victorious emperor and loyalty to him. The intention behind choosing this holy patron could have been a conscious binding of the foreign soldiers to the emperor and the empire. In general, the emergence and spread of the cult of St Constantine during the 6th and especially the 7th centuries was obviously related to the massive military threat posed and the eventual occupation of core territories of the empire by the Sasanians and later by the Muslim Arabs.
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V. Tsamakda / N. Zimmermann (eds.), Privatporträt. Die Darstellung realer Personen in der spätantiken und byzantinischen Kunst. Archäologische Forschungen 30 (Wien 2020) 147-190., Oct 2020
Two Bishops, a deacon and a presbyter
Thoughts on a mosaic panel of the 7th century in Hagios De... more Two Bishops, a deacon and a presbyter
Thoughts on a mosaic panel of the 7th century in Hagios Demetrios at Thessaloniki
The paper examines a badly damaged mosaic panel in the church of Hagios Demetrios in Thessaloniki that has not received the same attention as the better-preserved mosaics in this church. Until c. 1949–1950 it was covered by a marble revetment. The mosaic shows the portraits of two bishops, a deacon and a presbyter together with Saint Demetrios. As the heads of the bishops seem to have been deliberately destroyed, they are considered to have suffered a damnatio memoriae. In order to find a plausible explanation for this assumed damnatio we will discuss the condition of the mosaic, its relation to the other mosaics in the church with portraits of the 7th century, its chronology and the meaning of its iconography. The paper concludes that the image was fixed around 649 and that it is connected to the Monothelite controversy. The panel is interpreted as to depict the bishop of Thessaloniki as well as two leading clergymen of the city together with the patriarch of Constantinople. The intention of the image was to publically attest the acceptance of the Monothelite doctrine of the patriarch and, therefore, the loyalty to imperial church policy. Its covering would have been a consequence of the condemnation of Monothelitism on the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 681. Furthermore, some passages of the second collection of miracles of St. Demetrios will be discussed. Especially the introduction and the part dealing with the earthquake and subsequent burning of the church (c. 620–650) indicate that an Orthodox revision had taken place after 681. The covering of the mosaic is likely to have been a complementary action to the alterations in the text.
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S. Esders / Y. Fox / Y. Hen / L. Sarti (eds), East and West in the Early Middle Ages. The Merovingian Kingdoms in Mediterranean Perspecive, Apr 2019
This paper discusses a small hoard of early Byzantine church silver from Greater Syria at the Ba... more This paper discusses a small hoard of early Byzantine church silver from Greater Syria at the Baden State Museum at Karlsruhe (Germany). The Greek commemorative inscriptions on the objects hint to people from Western Europe (most probably Franks) as well as to a veneration of emperor Constantine the Great as a saint. The questions adressed are why foreigners from the West are commemorated in the East and how the exeptional veneration of Constantine fits into the historical setting.
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History and Culture of Byzantium, Brill's New Pauly Supplements II vol. 10, 2019
English translation of the chapter published in German in F. Daim (ed.), Byzanz. Historisch-kultu... more English translation of the chapter published in German in F. Daim (ed.), Byzanz. Historisch-kulturwissenschaftliches Handbuch. Der Neue Pauly Supplemente 11 (Stuttgart 2016).
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Spätantike und Byzanz. Bestandskatalog Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe: Objekte aus Bein, Elfenbein, Glas, Keramik, Metall und Stein. Byzanz zwischen Orient und Okzident, Band 8,1, 2017
Catalogue entries on an early Byzantine silver hoard of six pieces in the collection of the Baden... more Catalogue entries on an early Byzantine silver hoard of six pieces in the collection of the Baden State Museum at Karlsruhe (Germany).
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Spätantike und Byzanz. Bestandskatalog Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe: Objekte aus Bein, Elfenbein, Glas, Keramik, Metall und Stein. Byzanz zwischen Orient und Okzident, Band 8,1, 2017
Catalogue entries on some early Byzantine silver objects in the collection of the Baden State Mus... more Catalogue entries on some early Byzantine silver objects in the collection of the Baden State Museum at Karlsruhe (Germany).
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Spätantike und Byzanz. Bestandskatalog Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe: Objekte aus Bein, Elfenbein, Glas, Keramik, Metall und Stein. Byzanz zwischen Orient und Okzident, Band 8,1, 2017
Catalogue entries on two Late Antique copper-alloy door revetments with figural decoration in the... more Catalogue entries on two Late Antique copper-alloy door revetments with figural decoration in the collection of the Baden State Museum at Karlsruhe (Germany).
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Entry on Byzantine gold- and silverwork in: F. Daim (ed.) Byzanz. Historisch-kulturwissenschaftl... more Entry on Byzantine gold- and silverwork in: F. Daim (ed.) Byzanz. Historisch-kulturwissenschaftliches Handbuch. Der Neue Pauly Supplemente 11 (Stuttgart 2016) 799-807 chapter.
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A. Arbeiter / D. Korol (eds), Der Kuppelbau von Centcelles. Neue Forschungen zu einem enigmatischen Denkmal von Weltrang. Iberia Archaeologica 21, Oct 2016
The Interpretation of the Cathedra Scenes: ›Mappa‹, ›Censer‹ and Cathedra in the Mosaic of the Ce... more The Interpretation of the Cathedra Scenes: ›Mappa‹, ›Censer‹ and Cathedra in the Mosaic of the Centcelles Cupola
Within the discussion on the interpretation of the four cathedra scenes in the mosaic dome at Centcelles the depicted realia are readily used as arguments for controversial interpretative approaches. A critical analysis of the three central realia has provided significant evidence: as for the so-called censer, the conserved finding does not support such an interpretation. ›mappa‹ and cathedra form no viable arguments for an episcopal or an imperial interpretation, whereas they could be easily defined in an aristocratic representation context.
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A. Arbeiter / D. Korol (eds), Der Kuppelbau von Centcelles. Neue Forschungen zu einem enigmatischen Denkmal von Weltrang. Iberia Archaeologica 21, Oct 2016
Reflections on the Meaning of the Brands of the So-Called Master of Hunt-Horse in the Mosaic of t... more Reflections on the Meaning of the Brands of the So-Called Master of Hunt-Horse in the Mosaic of the Centcelles Cupola
The brands of the master of hunt-horse have not been appreciated sufficiently and involved into the discussion on the monument’s interpretation up to now. The LC-brands seem to indicate the ownership of the master of hunt. The letters possibly represent his monogrammed initials, whilst a connection with the local upper-class is conceivable. The significance of an unremarkable c-shaped brand cannot be determined clearly. In the context of late antique private representation
brands are considered to be elements which increase the reality content of hunting images. With regard to the overall interpretation of the mosaics from the domed hall, the brands seem to fit perfectly in the context of the aristocratic self-expression, whereas an explanation within the often mentioned imperial interpretation is not convincing.
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A. Arbeiter / D. Korol (eds), Der Kuppelbau von Centcelles. Neue Forschungen zu einem enigmatischen Denkmal von Weltrang. Iberia Archaeologica 21, Oct 2016
Mosaic Fragments in the Conchs of the Domed Hall of Centcelles:
Remains of Representative imagine... more Mosaic Fragments in the Conchs of the Domed Hall of Centcelles:
Remains of Representative imagines clipeatae
The little noticed mosaic remains that were in the conchs of the domed hall were object of a new systematical analysis
which revealed that the head fragment from the calotte of the northwest niche was once situated in the centre of a
clipeus and is showing references to the master of the hunt portrait. The centre of the northeast-conch was decorated
with a further clipeus which was manufactured separately as mosaic emblem and inserted into the calotte. Both conchs
were undoubtedly decorated with representative images, whereas the emblem contained the more important one. These
images seem to be portraits of the villa owner or family members / ancestors whose central meaning results from its
prominent position, directly opposite to the main entrance.
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Books by Benjamin Fourlas
Edited Books by Benjamin Fourlas
Papers and Book Chapters by Benjamin Fourlas
A Late Roman brass belt buckle in the collection of the RGZM is decorated with the portrait medallion of a man between victories and two persons likely to represent apostles. An inscription on both sides of the portrait reads Asturius vivas. The object is likely to have been manufactured in North Italy or Pannonia in the second half of the 4th century. But its decorative features include elements known from a golden belt buckle from Asia Minor which belongs to a class of artefacts known to have been distributed as imperial largesse. In this paper, it is argued that the more humble piece it discusses was an object of largesse belonging to a dignitary or officer named Asturius who distributed it among his followers in imitation of imperial custom. In analogy to the golden imperial example, the decoration of the brass buckle is interpreted as an advertisement that its bearer was a loyal follower of Asturius.
According to one votive inscription, St Constantine was the patron of the church and he is even depicted as a soldier in armour. This is an extraordinarily early example for his cult and for the depiction of this first
Christian emperor to become a saint. The cult of St Constantine clearly reflects the values and the self-perception of the congregation: the idea of a Christian-Roman empire, the concept of the victorious emperor and loyalty to him. The intention behind choosing this holy patron could have been a conscious binding of the foreign soldiers to the emperor and the empire. In general, the emergence and spread of the cult of St Constantine during the 6th and especially the 7th centuries was obviously related to the massive military threat posed and the eventual occupation of core territories of the empire by the Sasanians and later by the Muslim Arabs.
Thoughts on a mosaic panel of the 7th century in Hagios Demetrios at Thessaloniki
The paper examines a badly damaged mosaic panel in the church of Hagios Demetrios in Thessaloniki that has not received the same attention as the better-preserved mosaics in this church. Until c. 1949–1950 it was covered by a marble revetment. The mosaic shows the portraits of two bishops, a deacon and a presbyter together with Saint Demetrios. As the heads of the bishops seem to have been deliberately destroyed, they are considered to have suffered a damnatio memoriae. In order to find a plausible explanation for this assumed damnatio we will discuss the condition of the mosaic, its relation to the other mosaics in the church with portraits of the 7th century, its chronology and the meaning of its iconography. The paper concludes that the image was fixed around 649 and that it is connected to the Monothelite controversy. The panel is interpreted as to depict the bishop of Thessaloniki as well as two leading clergymen of the city together with the patriarch of Constantinople. The intention of the image was to publically attest the acceptance of the Monothelite doctrine of the patriarch and, therefore, the loyalty to imperial church policy. Its covering would have been a consequence of the condemnation of Monothelitism on the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 681. Furthermore, some passages of the second collection of miracles of St. Demetrios will be discussed. Especially the introduction and the part dealing with the earthquake and subsequent burning of the church (c. 620–650) indicate that an Orthodox revision had taken place after 681. The covering of the mosaic is likely to have been a complementary action to the alterations in the text.
Within the discussion on the interpretation of the four cathedra scenes in the mosaic dome at Centcelles the depicted realia are readily used as arguments for controversial interpretative approaches. A critical analysis of the three central realia has provided significant evidence: as for the so-called censer, the conserved finding does not support such an interpretation. ›mappa‹ and cathedra form no viable arguments for an episcopal or an imperial interpretation, whereas they could be easily defined in an aristocratic representation context.
The brands of the master of hunt-horse have not been appreciated sufficiently and involved into the discussion on the monument’s interpretation up to now. The LC-brands seem to indicate the ownership of the master of hunt. The letters possibly represent his monogrammed initials, whilst a connection with the local upper-class is conceivable. The significance of an unremarkable c-shaped brand cannot be determined clearly. In the context of late antique private representation
brands are considered to be elements which increase the reality content of hunting images. With regard to the overall interpretation of the mosaics from the domed hall, the brands seem to fit perfectly in the context of the aristocratic self-expression, whereas an explanation within the often mentioned imperial interpretation is not convincing.
Remains of Representative imagines clipeatae
The little noticed mosaic remains that were in the conchs of the domed hall were object of a new systematical analysis
which revealed that the head fragment from the calotte of the northwest niche was once situated in the centre of a
clipeus and is showing references to the master of the hunt portrait. The centre of the northeast-conch was decorated
with a further clipeus which was manufactured separately as mosaic emblem and inserted into the calotte. Both conchs
were undoubtedly decorated with representative images, whereas the emblem contained the more important one. These
images seem to be portraits of the villa owner or family members / ancestors whose central meaning results from its
prominent position, directly opposite to the main entrance.
A Late Roman brass belt buckle in the collection of the RGZM is decorated with the portrait medallion of a man between victories and two persons likely to represent apostles. An inscription on both sides of the portrait reads Asturius vivas. The object is likely to have been manufactured in North Italy or Pannonia in the second half of the 4th century. But its decorative features include elements known from a golden belt buckle from Asia Minor which belongs to a class of artefacts known to have been distributed as imperial largesse. In this paper, it is argued that the more humble piece it discusses was an object of largesse belonging to a dignitary or officer named Asturius who distributed it among his followers in imitation of imperial custom. In analogy to the golden imperial example, the decoration of the brass buckle is interpreted as an advertisement that its bearer was a loyal follower of Asturius.
According to one votive inscription, St Constantine was the patron of the church and he is even depicted as a soldier in armour. This is an extraordinarily early example for his cult and for the depiction of this first
Christian emperor to become a saint. The cult of St Constantine clearly reflects the values and the self-perception of the congregation: the idea of a Christian-Roman empire, the concept of the victorious emperor and loyalty to him. The intention behind choosing this holy patron could have been a conscious binding of the foreign soldiers to the emperor and the empire. In general, the emergence and spread of the cult of St Constantine during the 6th and especially the 7th centuries was obviously related to the massive military threat posed and the eventual occupation of core territories of the empire by the Sasanians and later by the Muslim Arabs.
Thoughts on a mosaic panel of the 7th century in Hagios Demetrios at Thessaloniki
The paper examines a badly damaged mosaic panel in the church of Hagios Demetrios in Thessaloniki that has not received the same attention as the better-preserved mosaics in this church. Until c. 1949–1950 it was covered by a marble revetment. The mosaic shows the portraits of two bishops, a deacon and a presbyter together with Saint Demetrios. As the heads of the bishops seem to have been deliberately destroyed, they are considered to have suffered a damnatio memoriae. In order to find a plausible explanation for this assumed damnatio we will discuss the condition of the mosaic, its relation to the other mosaics in the church with portraits of the 7th century, its chronology and the meaning of its iconography. The paper concludes that the image was fixed around 649 and that it is connected to the Monothelite controversy. The panel is interpreted as to depict the bishop of Thessaloniki as well as two leading clergymen of the city together with the patriarch of Constantinople. The intention of the image was to publically attest the acceptance of the Monothelite doctrine of the patriarch and, therefore, the loyalty to imperial church policy. Its covering would have been a consequence of the condemnation of Monothelitism on the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 681. Furthermore, some passages of the second collection of miracles of St. Demetrios will be discussed. Especially the introduction and the part dealing with the earthquake and subsequent burning of the church (c. 620–650) indicate that an Orthodox revision had taken place after 681. The covering of the mosaic is likely to have been a complementary action to the alterations in the text.
Within the discussion on the interpretation of the four cathedra scenes in the mosaic dome at Centcelles the depicted realia are readily used as arguments for controversial interpretative approaches. A critical analysis of the three central realia has provided significant evidence: as for the so-called censer, the conserved finding does not support such an interpretation. ›mappa‹ and cathedra form no viable arguments for an episcopal or an imperial interpretation, whereas they could be easily defined in an aristocratic representation context.
The brands of the master of hunt-horse have not been appreciated sufficiently and involved into the discussion on the monument’s interpretation up to now. The LC-brands seem to indicate the ownership of the master of hunt. The letters possibly represent his monogrammed initials, whilst a connection with the local upper-class is conceivable. The significance of an unremarkable c-shaped brand cannot be determined clearly. In the context of late antique private representation
brands are considered to be elements which increase the reality content of hunting images. With regard to the overall interpretation of the mosaics from the domed hall, the brands seem to fit perfectly in the context of the aristocratic self-expression, whereas an explanation within the often mentioned imperial interpretation is not convincing.
Remains of Representative imagines clipeatae
The little noticed mosaic remains that were in the conchs of the domed hall were object of a new systematical analysis
which revealed that the head fragment from the calotte of the northwest niche was once situated in the centre of a
clipeus and is showing references to the master of the hunt portrait. The centre of the northeast-conch was decorated
with a further clipeus which was manufactured separately as mosaic emblem and inserted into the calotte. Both conchs
were undoubtedly decorated with representative images, whereas the emblem contained the more important one. These
images seem to be portraits of the villa owner or family members / ancestors whose central meaning results from its
prominent position, directly opposite to the main entrance.
In 1977 an early Byzantine silver plate was purchased by the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz. It is part of the group of silverware marked with five Imperial stamps. According to these stamps it was manufactured during the reign of Emperor Justinian I. (527-565), probably in the period between 527 and the middle of the 6th century and perhaps during the tenure of the comes sacrarum largitionum Flavios Strategios (532-539). Owing to the specific head type the saint depicted in the central medallion of the plate can be identified as Theodore Tiron. The iconography of this image very probably originated during the first half of the 6th century. The type of image with the small cross held in front of his chest represents a novelty in the art of the 6th century, an image which would become well-established in the iconography of the saints in Byzantine art. The silver plate in Mainz seems to be the earliest securely dated example for this trend-setting iconography with the attribute of the small cross held in the hand.
Organized by Stefan Albrecht and Benjamin Fourlas.
International Conference, Freiburg University, 17-19 November 2021