Byzantine Church (The Petra Church), 5th-6th century, Byzantine, Petra, Jordan.
The so-called Byzantine Church in Petra is one of three Byzantine Churches in the city, the other two are the Ridge Church (also called the Red Church) and the Blue Chapel. It is generally The Byzantine Church is thought to have been built in the first half of the 5th century with some rebuilding in the 6th century. The church was destroyed by a fiver in the 7th century. The Byzantine Church is notable for its monumental size, the 140 papyri found within (the Petra papyri), and the surviving mosaics, which depict animals, figures, the seasons, pottery, and plants.
Adam and Eve from the Catacomb of Marcellinus and Peter
Adam and Eve, late 3rd to 4th century, Roman, fresco, Rome, Catacomb of Marcellinus and Peter.
This fresco of Adam and Eve in the garden is instantly recognizable to anyone who is familiar with the scene from later centuries of Christian art. Within the catacomb, there is a mixture of pagan (including a representation of Orpheus playing a lyre), Christian (such as the raising of Lazarus), Old Testament (for example an elaborate depiction of the story of Jonah), and quotidian (a room decorated with paintings of athletes) imagery. This apparent comfort with the coexistence of styles and themes speaks to the gradual and adaptive shift in visual culture that occurred with the rise of Christianity. The catacomb itself, named after the saints and martyrs Marcellinus and Peter who are traditionally believed to have been buried there, covers 3 hectares in total with 4.5 kilometers of underground rooms on three distinct levels. During excavations in the 21st century, some 20,000 skeletons were found.
Floor Mosaic with Bust of Apolausis (“Enjoyment”)
Floor Mosaic with Bust of Apolausis (“Enjoyment”), Late 4th-early 5th century, Early Byzantine, mosaic on mortar, Washington D.C., Dumbarton Oaks.
Museum Descprition: “Apolausis, the personification of enjoyment, welcomes visitors to Dumbarton Oaks as she has done since its doors opened to the public in 1941. The floor had been discovered just a few years before in a bath building located approximately nine kilometers northeast of ancient Antioch, where excavations had been under way since 1932. The Committee for the Excavation of Antioch and Vicinity, led by Princeton University, was supported by several universities and museums and, starting in 1936, Mr. and Mrs. Bliss. In return for their contributions and with the consent of the Syrian Ministry of Antiquities, the donors to the excavation project received archaeological finds. It is for this reason that all of the floor mosaics at Dumbarton Oaks are from Antioch and nearby sites. The cordial offer to enjoy the amenities of the bath is made by the delicately veiled figure of “Enjoyment” holding up a rose. She graced the pavement of the cold-water pool which, along with other rooms built to provide the tepid and hot-water pools, was found in most Roman bath installations. Based on its location at Toprak-en Narlidja, some distance from Antioch, the building probably served as a public bath for a number of nearby villa-farms. Apolausis is framed by multicolored patterns and colors that are repeated on both a square and diagonal grid, creating a dynamic surround in contrast to the calm figure with whom the entering viewer immediately establishes contact. The fan-shaped section of the floor corresponded to the original end of the room.” -S. Zwirn
Missorium of Theodosius I, 388, Roman, silver and silver gilt, diam: 74 cm, weight: 15.35 kg, Madrid, Academia de la Historia.
Missorium of Theodosius I, 388, Roman, silver and silver gilt, diam: 74 cm, weight: 15.35 kg, Madrid, Academia de la Historia. This silver dish, most likely made in Constantinople, was meant to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Theodosius I’s (r. 379-95) reign and would have been given as a gift to a member of his court or a civil or military officer as part of the ceremonial largitio (largess, giving of gifts). Other similar objects of this type have also been found. The dish depicts the seated emperor, flanked by his co-emperors, Valentinian II and Arcadius, as well as members of the imperial guard. Winged erotes (putti) offer gifts to the emperor. Below the emperor is a depiction of Tellus, the Roman earth goddess along with other mythological figures. An inscription on the ring at the base reads, in Greek: ποc ↑Ν ΜεΤ: ποσότης λιτρῶν 50 μετάλλου (“50 metal pounds”). This unit of measure corresponds to 16.13 kg of silver, slightly more than the official weight of 15.35 kg, but this difference has been attributed to the possibility that the silver was weighted before the dish was decorated as well as the fact that there is a piece missing. The dish itself was found folded flat along the diagonal cut in 1847 in Almendralejo in Spain. Inscription: D(ominus) N(oster) THEODOSIVS PERPET(uus)AVG(ustus)OB DIEM FELICISSIMVM X “Our Lord Theodosius, perpetual emperor, on the happiest occasion of the tenth anniversary [of his reign].”
Gold Bar, c. 379-80, Roman, Sirmium (modern day Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia), gold, 174 mm x 23 mm, weight: 499.86 g, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum.
This gold bar is one of fifteen (all dating to the 4th century) that were found in Romania in the late 19th century. The form makes it more easily transportable, and it most likely would have been brought to a mint where it would have been melted down and used to make coins. Of the fifteen original gold bars, several were cut up, sold, and the group was otherwise dispersed. However, two intact bars were bought by the Kunsthistorisches Museum from a Viennese brewer. The bar bears five stamped inscriptions in Latin, providing details regarding the history of the gold bars, including the name of the inspector, a certification of its purity, and four additional inspection stamps that further verify the quality of the gold. Inscriptions: LVCIANVS // OBR • I • SIC Christogramm and four times: FL FLAVIAN // VS PRO SIC // AD DIGMA Flavius Flavianus probavit signum ad digma Flavius Flavianus approves the authenticity mark [given by Lucianus].
Kunsthistorische Museum Wien Münzkabinett, RÖ 37443
Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs, c. 300 CE, Roman, porphyry, height: 129.5 cm, Venice, St. Mark’s Basilica (one heel is located in Istanbul, Istanbul Archaeology Museum).
This sculpture group depicts the Four Tetrarchs, the four rulers of the Roman Empire as established by Diocletian. The rulers were divided into two groups: the augusti (Diocletian and Maximian) and the caesares (Galerius and Constantius I). There is scholarly disagreement over the identities of the specific figures, but it is generally thought that the two rulers of the Eastern Empire (Diocletian and Galerius) form one pair with the Western rulers (Maximian and Constantius) forming the second. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the augusti and caesares are shown paired. The use of porphyry, a stone long associated with imperium due to its rarity and its purple hue, was a specific and important choice. This stone is often associated with imperial sarcophagi, including that of Helena, the mother of Constantine I (wife of Constantius). Beyond this, the specific shade of purple continues to be associated with the emperor throughout the history of Byzantium, with Porphyrogennetos (Πορφυρογέννητος, literally “born in the purple”) denoting members of the Byzantine royal family who were born while their parent was emperor. A famous bearer is Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913-59). The sculpture of the Four Tetrarchs was dismissed by many earlier art historians, who found fault with the stylistic deviations from classical Roman sculpture. The original location of the statue is unknown; however, it was most likely moved to Constantinople by Constantine after 328. During the sack of Constantinople in 1204, the statue was among numerous treasures brought back to Venice. It was fitted to the façade of San Marco, where it remains. The missing portion of a figure’s foot was found in Istanbul in the 1960s and is currently in the collection of the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.
Alloy coin in the shape of a dolphin, minted in Olbia on the Black Sea, 5th century BCE
The British Museum, Coins and Medals, 1929,1013.47
Chinese copper alloy coin, minted under the Tang Dynasty in 621 CE
Inscription content: 開元通寶 Inscription transliteration: Kaiyuan tongbao
Coppery alloy currency axe-blade, used by the Aztecs in Ancient Mexico, 1200 - 1521
The British Museum, Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Am1943,06.107
Cowrie money, used in the Kingdom of Bambara, Africa