Picturing grief: mourning bodies in scenes of the 'conclamatio' | Dr Valerie Hope

The CRASIS Mortuary Ritual Network would like to draw your attention to their next meeting, on September 3rd, with Dr Valerie Hope (The Open University, UK).

Compared to Greek funeral art, images of grief, and also of interactions between the living and the dead (whether at the deathbed, display of the body or subsequently at the tomb), are extremely rare in Roman art. One exception is so-called scenes of the ‘conclamatio’, mainly found on sarcophagi of the second century CE. These scenes – of which around twenty survive – show mourners attending the bodies of the dead, who are often children. The mourners ring the corpse placing their bodies in a variety of postures. Here I investigate these unusual images, and how they draw upon bodily positioning and gestures to convey, and codify, both grief and mourning. Who are these mourners? How are grieving bodies presented? Building on the book, The Roman Mourner, I here seek to explore how mourning draws upon the physical impact of the experience of sorrow and loss, and also question some of the gender and status assumptions often held about Roman funeral rites and mourners.

For some reading suggestions, please see the document attached.

The meeting will be followed by drinks in a nearby cafe. This is then followed by a dinner with Dr Valerie Hope (exact location and time TBA) - interested parties can sign up by sending an email to Janis Oomen (j.oomen rug.nl) by Friday August 29th at the latest.

We hope to see you there!

Mortuary Ritual Network
Dr Tamara Dijkstra (GIA)
Caroline van Toor MA (Ancient History)
Paula Kalkman MA (GIA)
Janis Oomen MA (Ancient History)
Nina Schreuder MA (GIA)