Roman bronze statuettes of “Isis-Fortuna”: archaeological contexts and typological analysis

Amoroso, Nicolas
(2014) Isis, Sarapis, Mithras. Multidisziplinäre Perspektiven (L. Bricault, V. Gasparini, J. Rüpke) - IV Internationale Doktorandenwerkstatt zu Isis-bezogenen Kultpraktiken — Location: Erfurt (Germany) (19.May.2014)

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  • Amoroso, NicolasUCLouvain
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Abstract
Among the abundant material evidence related to the Isiac cults, the so-called “Isis-Fortuna” bronze statuettes are well attested in the Roman world, testifying to the wide-spread popularity of this type of images. As small “portable” items, these statuettes could have played a large part in the diffusion of the Isiac cults. Figures of this type have generally been discovered in sanctuary contexts as votive offerings, while other such images were placed in some lararia with other divine figures. Furthermore, archaeological finds are usually limited to one or two artefact(s) attached to one specific site, contrasting with the rich documentation from other major sites (the best examples are Pompeii and Herculaneum). To that significant material evidence must be added a large number of similar items without documented provenance held in Museums worldwide. Based on a survey of the iconographic evidence for “Isis-Fortuna” (as mainly recorded in bronze statuettes), this paper aims at examining the contexts of production and the geographical distribution of these objects. Insofar as the images of Isis were commonly combined with elements borrowed from other divinities, the “Isis-Fortuna” iconographic type raises serious questions about terminology, typology and the so-called “syncretic phenomenon”. These questions will be discussed in the light of the preliminary results of the database analysis (typological classification and iconographical research), taking into account the historical and religious background.
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Amoroso, N. (2014). Roman bronze statuettes of “Isis-Fortuna”: archaeological contexts and typological analysis. Isis, Sarapis, Mithras. Multidisziplinäre Perspektiven (L. Bricault, V. Gasparini, J. Rüpke) - IV Internationale Doktorandenwerkstatt zu Isis-bezogenen Kultpraktiken, Erfurt (Germany). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/51063