The Funerary Landscapes of the Tripolitanian Pre-desert: a Contextual Investigation

Description

The Funerary Landscapes of the Tripolitanian Pre-Desert: a contextual investigation
The funerary landscape of the Tripolitanian pre-desert changed dramatically during the Roman period, when the local elite started to commission impressive mausolea that were decorated with a complex set of figural imagery. Some of this iconography was very distinct to the pre-desert areas, reflecting regional socio-cultural concerns which developed and changed over time. Extensive cemeteries frequently surrounded the mausolea, which held a wide variety of lower-status burial structures such as cists and cairns. Little work has been conducted on the cultural variation that is reflected through the iconography, and even less is known about the cemeteries that surround the prominent burial monuments.
Examining several case studies using archival material, this talk will investigate some of the iconographic sculptures of the lesser known mausolea of the pre-desert, and will examine them within their regional and socio-cultural environment. At the same time, this presentation will examine the wider funerary context in which they were situated, by considering the burials that surrounded them. Through this, we will start to create a broader understanding of the funerary landscape of the Tripolitanian pre-desert, and its development over time.

Period	27 Oct 2017
Event title	Mausolea and funerary landscape of ancient North Africa: acculturation and regional identity
Event type	Conference
Location	Rome, ItalyShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International