Roman - Funerary Monument of a Husband and Wife - Walters 2320

Funerary reliefs of married couples were common in

Roman funerary art Roman funerary art changed throughout the course of the Roman Republic and the Empire and comprised many different forms. There were two main burial practices used by the Romans throughout history, one being cremation, another inhumation. The ves ...

. They are one of the most common funerary portraits found on surviving

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...

reliefs. By the fourth century, a portrait of a couple on a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

from the empire did not necessarily signify the burial of two spouses but instead demonstrated the importance of the material bond.

Lucius Antistius Sarculo and Antistia Plutia

This relief originally was part of the funerary monument of Lucius Antistius Sarculo. This relief consists of two figures: a free-born Roman priest of the

Salian The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the l ...

order, and his wife and freedwoman (former slave) Antisia Plutia. The relief is typical of the realistic style with the lined eyes, the hollowed cheeks and the prominent ears of the Antistius, along with other characteristic. Furthermore, the couple’s hairstyles indicate a date towards the end of the first century BC. Antistius' hair is cut close to his head, emphasizing his retreating hairline. Antistia's hair, drawn back into a small

bun A bun is a type of bread roll, typically filled with savory fillings (for example hamburger). A bun may also refer to a sweet cake in certain parts of the world. Though they come in many shapes and sizes, buns are most commonly round, and are ...

, with some curls brought forward and a small topknot at the front of the head, follows exactly the hairstyle of the

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Roman emperor, Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption in ancient Rome, adoption into the J ...

, wife of Emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

().

Via Statilia relief

An example of a Late

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

double portrait of a man and a woman, a husband and wife, that once decorated a tomb of the Via Statilia in Rome. The wife and husband were probably former slaves because slavery in ancient Rome was common. It has been estimated that Italy alone had about two million slaves. Some slaves gained freedom in return for their service, while other died as slaves in service of their original or new owner. As slaves, couples had no legal standing, after they had been freed former slaves became people in the eye of the law. Therefore, freedmen and freedwomen would portray themselves as married couple on their tombs.Kleiner, S, Fred. A History of Roman Art: Clark Baxter, 2007. Print.

Other examples

File:0040 Grabstein des Gaius Volumnius und seiner Frau Altes Museum anagoria.JPG , Tombstone of Gaius Volumnius and his wife; Upper Italy File:Oberhaslach Stèle funéraire de paysans.jpg , A 3rd century funeral stele of a peasant couple of Roman Gaul, found in present-day

Oberhaslach Oberhaslach is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Population See also * Niederhaslach, a neighbouring commune * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the ...

File:Couple de paysans-Marlenheim-Musée archéologique de Strasbourg.jpg, Another peasant couple in Gallo-Roman costume (4th century), found in

Marlenheim Marlenheim () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. Twin towns Marlenheim is twinned with Bouillante (Guadeloupe, France). See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following i ...

File:Stèle de couple-Dachstein-Musée archéologique de Strasbourg.jpg, Funerary stele of a couple, with epigraphic cartridge held by two Cupids. Middle of the 3rd century. Found in Dachstein File:Unterlinden-Couple se tenant par la main.jpg, Gallo-Roman tombstone showing a couple holding hands. Found in Horbourg File:1846 - Archaeological Museum, Athens - Grave stele - Photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto, Nov. 11 2009.jpg , Funerary stele for a couple, dating from the period of emperor Gallienus (261–268) File:Metropolitan funerary relief Roman 2-3C AD 2.jpg, Roman funerary relief from 2nd–3rd century showing a couple and their kids

References

{{reflist Ancient Roman sculpture Funerary steles Funerary art Reliefs