The Late Antique Funerary Mosaics of Hispania

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Achim Arbeiter
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547501983

A highly respectable catalogue of Late Antique sepulchral mosaics, consisting of several dozen specimens, has been preserved or documented on the Iberian Peninsula. These specimens invariably serve as horizontal (partial) covers to earthen graves and can almost all be classified as Christian. From the extremely modest inscription consisting of a few sparse tesserae to the exquisitely elaborate iconography of social status clearly oriented towards Rome, the range of this Hispanic collection is very well suited to illuminating the outstandingly exciting facets of the testimonies of commemorative practices. The main aim of the research project is to develop a reference work for the Late Antique sepulchral mosaic floors of the Iberian world, taking into account the very imbalanced research to date. The research will document the mosaics in detail, analyse the pictorial and textual contents and pay special attention to the respective details of their discovery. It is also necessary to examine how the Hispanic inventory is related to the rich stock of comparable pieces from North Africa in terms of style, pictorial material and archaeological condition, and to identify connections between the Hispanic and North African pieces. The main research interests and specific questions concern the visual interplay of commemoration, representation of status and religious ideas, the conclusions that can be drawn about the buried individuals based on the grave inventory and the technical and artistic integration of the mosaic panels into occupation layers and floors as well as their suitability for foot traffic (also in comparison to grave inscription plates). Moreover, the study will investigate the production of tomb mosaics (in situ or by way of prefabrication?) and discuss workshop issues. Considering the wide variety of Hispanic sepulchral mosaics to be studied, the project shows great potential when it comes to revealing new insights, and promises to broaden substantially our picture of Late Antique society on the Iberian Peninsula.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants