Apis Bull Mosaic, Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Caelian Hill, Rome
Title
Apis Bull Mosaic, Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Caelian Hill, Rome
Description
Like the Mosaic of the Four Seasons, this mosaic depicting most likely the popular cult of the Romanized Apis Bull was not whitewashed when Pammachius' family gained the household. Quite popular in the 4th century, and part of Rome's many acceptable cults, Munk plausibly suggests the senator left the image up as a concession to his pagan uncle Lampadius. As a venerable cult image, the Apis Bull underscores, more than the image of the Four Seasons even, the complexities of private devotion in late antique Rome. Apparently a devoutly Christian aristocratic couple felt comfortable with this concession in their own home.
Creator
Ana Munk
Source
Ana Munk. "Domestic Piety in Fourth Century Rome: A Relic Shrine Beneath the Church of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo." Hortus Artium Medievalium 15, no. 1. 2009.
Date
2009
Rights
Photo taken by Ana Munk; permission granted for non-commercial, educative use
Files
Collection
Reference
Ana Munk, Apis Bull Mosaic, Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Caelian Hill, Rome, 2009
Cite As
Ana Munk, “Apis Bull Mosaic, Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Caelian Hill, Rome,” Living Late Antiquity, accessed April 24, 2024, https://livinglateantiquity.org/items/show/144.