How do we know who ancient sculptures depict?
score:8
I've gathered that there are a few ways, having wondered that myself.
A few paths are (1) corroboration, (2) chronological probability and (3) symbolic (internal) significance.
Corroboration can be weak or strong. We have some portraits and statues that are affirmed to be X by a slightly less ancient authority than the sculpture's own provenance (e.g. Aelian identifying Pythagoras). Tradition has passed them down to us as that person, but we don't always know their sources or evidence. That's not to say they can be thrown out, of course; maybe they really did have access to something we don't, such as a plaque that went with it or the document commissioning a portrait of X. Speaking of which, we can have such documents ourselves if lucky. Here are some plaques found in Pompeii that "may belong to a monument or monuments not yet excavated", which if we find we'll identify fairly well.
Another kind of corroboration is in multiple instances. Many famous figures and deities have multiple portraits (many are even simple copies, as our many Roman copies of Greek busts). If some are known with more certainty because of inscriptions, we can identify the others based on them. Here's an example of a Caesar whose face is very close to the portrait on denarii of the time, which we know with certainty is meant to be his likeness.
Chronological probability also plays a role, but is not very strong. The reasoning is simple: Here's a statue found in this place, dated to this time. The most likely figure from that place and time is X ... Now, in the case of philosophers, this argument isn't very strong, but as jwenting wrote, it works well in a temple of Artemis.
For deities as well, the system of symbolic representation is quite thorough and careful, as you indicated regarding Justicia. Admittedly, it's more of an Eastern phenomenon, from Egypt through Mesopotamia, than it is Roman and Greek. Every bit can be significant, from each piece of garb to the expressions and gestures. The Wikipedia article you cited refers to the lady's hand positions and the possibility of prayer. Some Egyptian symbols are the ankh, wadjet, dyed, scarab, various sceptres, etc. These not only stand for such things as life and protection, but also bear the names of gods in various places.
They are supposedly consistent enough that you can find real people dressed up as deities or performing deities' actions, e.g. likely depictions of Cleopatra here and here. Some triangulation: if you find writing comparing Cleopatra to Isis, then find a statue of a woman dressed with some of Isis' symbols and with features copied from a bust that may be Cleopatra, said statue is likely of Cleopatra.
Of course, there is indeed lots of room for doubt.
It would take someone less ignorant than myself to say anything more definite, so I'll stop here :)
Upvote:2
Several ways to be sure:
- comparison to other depictions of the same person or entity
- name listed on a plaque or plinth found nearby
- description in existing literature
And then of course there are the blind guesses based on the general area the depiction was found. For example an unattributed statue of a women in a temple of Artemis will likely be assumed to depict Artemis.
More post
- 📝 A question about the definition of heresy (13th. C)
- 📝 What was the cost of buying Silk in the Roman Empire
- 📝 Context of sign telling Japanese people to "keep moving"
- 📝 What is the original variant of the "Charles V Dominating Fury" statue?
- 📝 Looking for Cato quotes/anecdotes
- 📝 Is the story of Plato's arrest at Aegina plausible?
- 📝 Were Roman emperors officially considered kings of Egypt?
- 📝 Where can I read the 1966 letters opposing Stalin's rehabilitation?
- 📝 What is this soldier's regiment?
- 📝 Why did Bierut threaten to murder families of those who did not join him?
- 📝 What evidence is there for the severity of Roman scourging before crucifixion?
- 📝 Evolution of destroyers
- 📝 Napoleon's medals
- 📝 When and where did it first became usual that the ID Card holder signed his card?
- 📝 Did Edward VIII's abdication follow constitutional procedures?
- 📝 Why didn't France and the UK invade Germany in September 1939?
- 📝 How long did Jews in hiding take to reveal themselves at the end of WW2? What was their reception?
- 📝 Did Robert F. Kennedy call Police Review boards a "sinister movement against law enforcement" in the 1960's?
- 📝 What did Germany do in World War II about the different rail gauge in the Soviet Union?
- 📝 When did Russia last have some land that is not inside its current borders?
- 📝 Why did Shock Therapy fail so badly?
- 📝 What was the real innovation of the coach-builders of Kocs in Hungary?
- 📝 Where is Édouard Lucas' grave?
- 📝 Longest lasting government
- 📝 What factors enabled the New York Journal to survive the yellow journalism wars?
- 📝 Question about the Wars of the Roses
- 📝 Why did the British Empire manage to conquer huge swaths of land abroad but couldn't supress nationalism within the British Isles?
- 📝 How were USSR oblasts and cities governed?
- 📝 Which town or village in Britain lost the greatest percentage of men in WWI due to "Pals Battalions"?
- 📝 How many non-jews did Nazis kill?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How do we know who ancient sculptures depict?
- 📝 How much of what we know about ancient philosophers comes from oral literature?
- 📝 How do historians and linguists know how to pronounce the names from non-phonetic scripts?
- 📝 How did people distinguish slaves from free people in Ancient Rome?
- 📝 How did they cook on ancient ships?
- 📝 How did pilots know when to release bombs on airplanes during World War2?
- 📝 How do we know baroque art depicted obese ladies because of a different ideal of beauty?
- 📝 How do ancient Chinese "mirrors" such as these in the National Museum function?
- 📝 How do we know the gender distribution of cave art painters?
- 📝 How did the ancient Romans count with their fingers?
- 📝 How did the ancient Greeks synchronize time?
- 📝 Did Aztecs know how many continents there are on earth?
- 📝 When did the term "Nationality" first come into use? How did ancient civilizations refer to themselves? By ethnicity?
- 📝 How prevalent were recreational drugs in the ancient world?
- 📝 How much did it cost to attend events at the ancient Roman colosseum?
- 📝 How would slaves have addressed their masters in Ancient Greece?
- 📝 How were books published in Ancient Greece?
- 📝 How to explain the apparent discrepancy in the use of papyrus vs. clay tablets between Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia?
- 📝 How do historians know the details of a seemingly private event?
- 📝 How did knights who required glasses to see survive on the battlefield?
- 📝 How did ancient empires account for slow propagation of information e.g. in their legal codes?
- 📝 How did Christianity replace Roman Paganism and other ancient religions?
- 📝 How accurately could ancient astronomers find latitude and longitude?
- 📝 How do we know this bust is Aristotle?
- 📝 How do we know that prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies were egalitarian?
- 📝 How exactly were beer/bread made in Ancient Egypt?
- 📝 How did ancient armies keep the route of supplies to their battlefield?
- 📝 How did ancient Roman family names survive to current day use?
- 📝 How did the ancient Chinese coordinate armies of tens and hundreds of thousands?
- 📝 Did the Ptolemaic Egyptians know how old the Pyramids were?