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Antinous: Constructed Identity and Adapted Divine Responsibility
Carlton, Djuna
Carlton, Djuna
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Abstract
Art historical scholarship is no stranger to Antinous and his cult, but while there has been a greatdeal of serious inquiry, his role as a localized deity has rarely been taken into consideration. Hisdeath (and life) is iconic: a young provincial lover to a philhellenic emperor, Antinous drownedtragically in the Nile at the tender age of twenty. Hadrian, purportedly weeping like a woman,deified him and the rest is history. His cult, up until recently, was trivialized and considered to bethe product of a forlorn emperor’s lunacy, with most of his statues being dated to between hisdeath and that of Hadrian’s (130-138 CE). This, in combination with the sheer amount ofAntinous portraits remaining today (third only to Augustus and Hadrian himself), has created theassumption that his portraits were simply objectification and homosexual idolatry. However, hisimages were far more significant and often signaled towards a local identity. This thesis willexamine four primary case studies, Antinous’ role at Villa Adriana, at Loukou, at Lanuvium, andat Leptis Magna. Each case presents a different context, but they are all linked through theirchoice of Antinous as the exemplified deity, as well as their intense adaptation of his image toserve the local needs. The key is to consider his guises as iconographical tools, used to ascribe arole to the blank slate of a new god, and through this, a small glimpse of Antinous’ adaptabilityand significance can be obtained.
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Thesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Classical Studies)--John Cabot University, Fall 2019.
Date
2019
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Antinoüs approximately 110-130
Citation
Carlton, Djuna. "Antinous: Constructed Identity and Adapted Divine Responsibility". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2019.