An Imperial Image: The Bath Gorgon in Context

Cousins, Eleri H.

Abstract

This paper attempts to put the Gorgon from the pediment of the Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath into a wider provincial context, by arguing for links between the Gorgon and first- and early second-century imitations in Gaul and Spain of the iconography of the Forum of Augustus in Rome. These imitations, part of what might be called a ‘visual language of empire’, served to connect the urban spaces of the provinces to Rome; by linking the Gorgon to this trend and setting aside interpretations of the Gorgon which have focused on his perceived status as a ‘Romano-Celtic’ masterpiece, we can justify more satisfactorily his position as the centrepiece of a pediment dominated by imperial imagery.

Citation

Cousins, E. H. (2016). An Imperial Image: The Bath Gorgon in Context. Britannia: A Journal of Romano-British and Kindred Studies, 47, 99-118. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0068113x16000131

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jun 2, 2016
• Publication Date: 2016-11
• Deposit Date: Jan 24, 2025
• Journal: Britannia: A Journal of Romano-British and Kindred Studies
• Print ISSN: 0068-113X
• Electronic ISSN: 1753-5352
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 47
• Pages: 99-118
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0068113x16000131
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3348893