THE ICONOGRAPHY OF SHEEP IN THE VISUAL CULTURE OF THE PAGAN PARADISE: AN EXAMPLE OF LATE ANTIQUITY IN ANTIOCH

  • J T Garcia Autonomous University of Madrid
Keywords: sheep, Paradise, Antioch, Late Antiquity, mosaic

Abstract

The presence of certain animals in the iconographic programs ofLate Antiquity is closely linked to different conditions. In ourparticular case, we propose to analyze a mosaic of the Allard PiersonMuseum in Amsterdam: a fat-tailed sheep (c. AD 475) from an earlyChristian Church near Antioch. Greek culture was strongly rooted inAntioch, and Roman visual culture had a strong influence on theartistic currents that reached the oriental city. These geographicaland cultural factors, in addition to the iconographic program ofParadise, form a context of analysis that will allow us to identifyhow the presence of the sheep has evolved in the visual culture ofAntiquity.
Published
2019-03-14
Section
Articles