Transfigurations of Hellenism: Aspects of Late Antique Art in Egypt, AD 250-700 (Probleme der Ägyptologie)

This book deals with the architecture and visual arts in late antique–early Byzantine Egypt as an organic part of the art of the Mediterranean region in the period between the 3rd and 8th centuries. The richly illustrated book discusses the survival and transformations of Hellenistic themes and forms in the Roman and late antique periods. It also presents a history of Coptic art history. Readership: All those interested in the history of late antique and early Byzantine art, the history of Egypt in the period between the 3rd and 8th centuries, and the transformations of Hellenistic culture in the Roman and late antique world. Transfigurations of Hellenism: Aspects of Late Antique Art in Egypt AD 250–700 4 Contents 8 List of figures 12 List of plates 20 Acknowledgements 24 A note on the terminology 26 I. Introduction: A visit to the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo 30 II. Images of late antique Egypt in twentieth-century art history 38 1. The Ahnas pitfall 38 2. The myth of anti-Hellenism 41 3. Pharaonic revival: myth and reality 46 4. The myth of Volkskunst and the contribution of forgery to Coptic art history 49 5. From Ernst Kitzinger's "Notes on Early Coptic Sculpture" to Hjalmar Torp's "Leda Christiana" 60 III. On methods 66 1. Function, chronology, and style 66 2. Chronology and the stratification of artistic production 69 3. The limits of the investigation 73 IV. History, society, and art in late Roman and early Byzantine Egypt 80 1. Images of social identity 80 2. History and society in late antique and early Byzantine Egypt 87 2.1. The conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt 87 2.2. Roman Egypt from Augustus to the late third century 93 2.3. Late Roman Egypt 102 2.4. Christians and polytheists 115 2.5. Early Byzantine Egypt 126 V. Continuity and change 1: The survival of forms of Alexandrian Hellenistic architecture 142 1. The limits of the evidence 142 2. Hellenistic and late antique illusionism: the niche pediments and their architectural and cult context 144 3. Further glimpses of late antique Alexandria 159 VI. Continuity and change 2: New patterns of monumentality 168 1. The imperial cult sanctuary of the Tetrarchs in the Amûn temple of Luxor 168 2. Modernity and archaizing in Shenoute's "White Monastery" at Sohag 182 3. The episcopal complex at Hermopolis Magna 194 4. Uses of the past 207 VII. Images for mortuary display 212 1. Sculptors, workshops and modes of representation 212 1.1. Porphyry sculpture and the workshop at Heracleopolis Magna 212 1.2. The masters of acanthus foliage 222 1.3. Sculptors' workshops at Oxyrhynchos in the fourth and early fifth centuries 234 1.4. The end of late antique illusionism in architectural sculpture 240 VIII. Images of the good life: display and style 246 1. Iconography of wealth 246 2. Styles of wealth 250 2.1. Praise to the glorious house. The tapestry of the Erotes and its circle 250 2.2. From narrative to symbol. The great Dionysiac tapestry in Riggisberg 262 3. Ornaments for the patrician house and the church 265 4. Images and ideals. Creating an Egyptian style 274 5. Decline or transformation? Art for the less wealthy 288 IX. The Christianization of art in late antique Egypt 298 1. Classical tradition: from pagan to Christian 298 1.1. Double readings 298 1.2. Creating new narratives 304 1.3. Portraying the holy 317 2. Ecclesiastical display and delight in the good things 331 2.1. The city of St Menas 331 2.2. Sculpture in the early Byzantine period 339 2.3. Images for higher contemplation 363 Epilogue: Perennial Hellenism? 380 Abbreviations 388 Index of names 414 Index of places and monuments 419 Museum index 424 Figures 430 Fig. 1-4 432 Fig. 5-8 433 Fig. 9-11 434 Fig. 12-15 435 Fig. 16-19 436 Fig. 20-21 437 Fig. 22-24 438 Fig. 25 439 Fig. 26-27 440 Fig. 28 441 Fig. 29-30 442 Fig. 31 443 Fig. 32-33 444 Fig. 34-35 445 Fig. 36 446 Fig. 37-38 447 Fig. 39-40 448 Fig. 41-43 449 Fig. 44-46 450 Fig. 47-50 451 Fig. 51-54 452 Fig. 55-57 453 Fig. 58-60 454 Fig. 61-62 455 Fig. 63-65 456 Fig. 66-67 457 Fig. 68-69 458 Fig. 70-71 459 Fig. 72 460 Fig. 73-74 461 Fig. 74-76 462 Fig. 77 463 Fig. 78-79 464 Fig. 80-82 465 Fig. 83-87 466 Fig. 88-90 467 Fig. 91-92 468 Fig. 93-94 469 Fig. 95-96 470 Fig. 97 471 Fig. 98-99 472 Fig. 100-102 473 Fig. 103-105 474 Fig. 106-107 475 Fig. 108-109 476 Fig. 110-111 477 Fig. 112-113 478 Fig. 114 479 Fig. 115-116 480 Fig. 117 481 Fig. 118-119 482 Fig. 120 483 Fig. 121-122 484 Fig. 123 485 Fig. 124-125 486 Fig. 126 487 Fig. 127 488 Fig. 128-130 489 Fig. 131-133 490 Fig. 134-136 491 Fig. 137-140 492 Fig. 141-143 493 Fig. 144-145 494 Fig. 146-147 495 Fig. 148 496 Fig. 149-152 497 Fig. 153-155 498 Fig. 156-158 499 Fig. 159-160 500 Fig. 161-162 501 Fig. 163-165 502 Fig. 166-167 503 Fig. 168-169 504 Fig. 170-171 505 Fig. 172-173 506 Fig. 174-175 507 Fig. 176 508 Fig. 177-178 509 Fig. 179-180 510 Plates 512 Pl. I 514 Pl. II 515 Pl. III 516 Pl. IV-V 517 Pl. VI 518 Pl. VII 519 Pl. VIII 520 Pl. IX 521 Pl. X 522 Pl. XI-XII 523 Pl. XIII-XIV 524 Pl. XV-XVII 525 Pl. XVIII-XIX 526 Pl. XX-XXII 527 Pl. XXIII-XXV 528 Pl. XXVI-XXVII 529 Pl. XXVIII-XXX 530 Pl. XXXI-XXXII 531 Pl. XXXIII-XXXIV 532 Pl. XXXV 533 Pl. XXXVI-XXXVII 534 Back Matter: Probleme der Ägyptologie 536 This book deals with the architecture and visual arts in late antique-early Byzantine Egypt as an organic part of the art of the Mediterranean region in the period between the 3rd and 8th centuries. The richly illustrated book discusses the survival and transformations of Hellenistic themes and forms in the Roman and late antique periods. It also presents a history of Coptic art history. " Transfigurations of Hellenism is an outstanding addition to this scholarship, tracing out in detail the continuity of the Hellenistic tradition in Egyptian art...All scholars of late antiquity will find much of interest in this fine work." Stanley M. Burstein, California State University, Los Angeles "This book deals with the architecture and visual arts in late antique-early Byzantine Egypt as an organic part of the art of the Mediterranean region in the period between the 3rd and 8th centuries. The illustrated book discusses the survival and transformations of Hellenistic themes and forms in the Roman and late antique periods. It also presents a history of Coptic art history."--BOOK JACKET

This book deals with the architecture and visual arts in late antique-early Byzantine Egypt as an organic part of the art of the Mediterranean region in the period between the 3rd and 8th centuries. The richly illustrated book discusses the survival and transformations of Hellenistic themes and forms in the Roman and late antique periods. It also presents a history of Coptic art history.

Visiting the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo before the current renovation of the museum's buildings would have turned their surroundings into desolate construction area, the candid late twentieth-century tourist entered shady, lush garden opening from the noisy Mari Girgis Street running along the western side of the formidable remains of the Roman fortress of Babylon. This richly illustrated book presents a history of Egyptian late antique-early Byzantine (Coptic) art in its international stylistic, social and intellectual context