medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On 04/22/12, Genevra Kornbluth wrote:
> I can add the creation of birds and fish (and sea monsters) on a C11 ivory, row 1:
> http://www.kornbluthphoto.com/OldTestament.html
>
> and a C4 tapestry personification of Earth, end of row 1:
> http://www.kornbluthphoto.com/Personifications.html
That tapestry image -- I've read that it's Coptic, which wouldn't surprise me -- of Ge (a hypocorism for Gea, variant of Gaia)
http://www.kornbluthphoto.com/images/PushkinGi.jpg
has a distinguished ancestry, e.g. this Ga (hypocorism for Gaia) at right (at left, Atlas) on a C4 BCE red-figure vase in the Dallas Museum of Art:
http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/T20.2.html
or this image of Tellus between two Winds on the late C1 BCE Ara Pacis Augustae in Rome (consecrated in 9 BCE):
http://tinyurl.com/bsxhjey
Detail view:
http://tinyurl.com/6pntc8j
or this earlier C3 image of Tellus at lower right in a mosaic from Roman Sentinum (just east of today's Sassoferrato in the Marche) now in the Glyptothek in Munich:
http://tinyurl.com/cg3rd6d
Although we customarily deal on this list with matters of Christian religion, Genevra's adducing this tapestry reminds us that in the earliest centuries of our period ancient Greco-Roman religion still survived in many places. Perhaps we could also have a recurring 'Roman feasts of the day' with notices of celebrations included in calendar of the Chronographer of 354. In that case, though, we probably would have to do without Tellus, as her principal feast, the Fordicidia (15. April), is one of the many older commemorations no longer included in that calendar (shades of the 'old' and the 'new' RM!). But perhaps its continuation after the C3 is attested in some other fashion.
Best again,
John Dillon
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