Act locally, think globally: Late antique funerary painting from the territory of present-day Serbia

Abstract

During Late Antiquity the territory of present day Serbia was part of the Roman Empire and was included in the prefecture of Illyricum. This area is well-known not only as the homeland of several Roman Emperors, but as a border territory on the Danube limes situated on the crossroads of important ancient communication routes that enabled the encounters of various cultures, cults and religious beliefs coming from east and west. Tombs and graves with wall paintings have been discovered in several Roman necropoleis at Viminacium, belonging to the period between the 3rd and 4th century. These sepulchral paintings represent an exceptional body of evidence regarding the artistic tendencies and achievements in the Roman provinces, since monumental painted art is usually not preserved due to the destruction of its architectural supports. However, discovered fragments testify that painted decoration also existed in both private residences and public buildings of at Viminacium, such as the baths or the amphitheatre, during the periods preceding Late Antiquity, when there was also an active artistic production in funerary painting. This paper will analyse some of the most popular and widely represented motifs, in order to trace various influences on their iconography and style as well as certain compositional solutions. Graves and tombs were sacred spaces in Roman culture, and masonry funerary structures with wall paintings were no exception. Their architectural structure and painted decoration testify to the social status, often also the origin and religious thoughts of the deceased. This space was important for the deceased due to its meaning as eternal dwelling in the world of death, as well as for their living loved ones during the subsequent ritual practices.