Abstract
John Tamm
Department of Classics
University of Manitoba
Elements of self-presentation in the Roman house
In this paper I shall examine the way in which the decorations and furnishings of more-or-less private spaces could be used by their owners to construct suitable images of themselves for public consumption. Permanent features such as the architecture itself, wall-paintings, and mosaics are perhaps the most obvious items to examine, but more portable objects such as gems or vessels made of precious materials also played important roles in the process. Sometimes, the images thus produced compare favourably to what we can otherwise determine about the individuals; at other times, there seem to be sharp differences between images and reality. Either way, we learn how the trappings of civilised life could be used, even manipulated, in pursuit of an appropriate public "face."
Return to CACW 2006 "Household and Society in the Ancient World" Program