This study concerns the multicultural influences which shaped the architectural form and artistic decoration of the Synagogue at Dura-Europos, an ancient city located on the west bank of the upper Euphrates in Syria (244/5 C. E.) Preserving the Jewish tradition after the destruction of the Second Temple, in a location remote from Palestine, was essential in order to maintain a strong identity in the small Jewish community of Dura, engulfed by pagan and multitheistic societies. Biblical narratives were used by the Jewish community to assert their history. In chapter 1, there appears a discussion of what scholars have said about the cultural development of Dura, how the Synagogue paintings reflect it, and how these represent a Jewish identity. In chapter 2, two scenes from the frescoes will be discussed, highlighting the various cultural influences, both foreign and local. On the other hand Rabbinic literature, including the Midrash, the Mishnah and the Mekhilta de R. Ishmael, compiled by the third century C. E., gives a textual explanation for the scenes, emphasizing the strong association that the Jews of Dura had with their roots and heritage.

No description available.

Este trabalho apresenta as conclusões de nosso estudo sobre a representação humana nos afrescos da sinagoga de Dura Europos, datada do século III EC, na Síria, à luz do interdito bíblico do Decálogo (Ex 20, 4-5; Dt 5, 8-9) onde se estabelece que os israelitas não devem fazer para si imagem de escultura, e reiterado pelo versículo Dt 4,16, onde se afirma que os israelitas não devem fazer alguma imagem esculpida na forma de ídolo, semelhança de homem e mulher. Inicia-se explicando o significado desse interdito e como ele se apresenta nos livros da Bíblia Hebraica que abordam a questão da confecção de imagens e idolatria. A análise dos textos bíblicos e da bibliografia de referência sobre o tema possibilita inferir que o interdito não proibia a confecção de todo tipo de representação humana, mas somente aquelas fabricadas para adoração. Segue-se a essa análise uma contextualização da representação humana pelos israelitas na Antiguidade, desde o período pré-monárquico até o século III EC, o século em que a sinagoga de Dura Europos é construída e adornada com afrescos representando cenas bíblicas. O objetivo é criar uma conexão entre o interdito da Bíblia Hebraica e a história judaica, que levou ao desenvolvimento de um conjunto de sinagogas no final desse período, no qual Dura Europos está inserida, nas quais encontramos a representação humana na forma de afrescos em paredes ou pisos mosaicos. A pesquisa bibliográfica sobre os vestígios arqueológicos do período demonstra que os israelitas produziram tanto as imagens permitidas como aquelas consideradas interditas e sofreram influências externas que levaram à concepção da sinagoga de Dura Europos. Por último, formulamos uma apresentação dos afrescos dessa sinagoga e procuramos verificar qual o significado que os estudiosos atribuíram a eles. A partir dessa análise foi possível concluir que a representação humana nos afrescos da sinagoga de Dura Europos não contrariava o interdito bíblico, pois não tinha propósito de adoração, e sim uma finalidade didática. A intenção era transmitir um ensinamento e reforçar a identidade da comunidade judaica a partir da reprodução de cenas que retratavam a história da salvação israelita. A rememoração dos momentos gloriosos do passado visava criar expectativas positivas sobre o futuro, mediante uma situação presente preocupante em relação à sobrevivência da comunidade judaica de Dura Europos e do judaísmo em si. / This paper presents the findings of our study on human representation in the frescoes of Dura Europos synagogue, dating from the third century CE, in Syria, in the light of the biblical injunction of the Decalogue (Ex 20: 4-5; Deuteronomy 5: 8-9 ) which establishes that the Israelites should not do for themselves \"graven image\", and reaffirmed by the verse Deuteronomy 4:16, which says that the Israelites should not make a graven image in the form of idol, \"likeness of man and woman \". It begins by explaining the meaning of this decree and how it appears in the books of the Hebrew Bible that address the issue of making images and idolatry. The analysis of biblical texts and reference bibliography on the subject allows us to infer that the injunction did not prohibit the manufacture of all types of human representation, but only those made for worship. It follows that analysis a contextualization of human representation by the Israelites in ancient times, from pre-monarchical period to the third century CE, the century in which the Dura Europos synagogue is built and adorned with frescoes depicting biblical scenes. The goal is to create a connection between the decree of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish history, which led to the development of a set of synagogues at the end of that period, in which Europos Dura is inserted, in which we find human representation in the form of frescoes on walls or mosaic floors. The literature on archaeological relics from the period shows that the Israelites both produced images allowed as those considered prohibited and experienced external influences that led to the conception of Dura Europos synagogue. Finally, we formulate a presentation of the frescoes that synagogue and try to find what the meaning that scholars have attributed to them. From this analysis it was concluded that the human representation in the frescoes of Dura Europos synagogue was not contrary to biblical injunction so I had no way of worship, but rather a didactic purpose. The intention was to convey a teaching and reinforcing the identity of the Jewish community from the reproduction of scenes depicting the history of Israel\'s salvation. The remembrance of the glorious moments of the past aimed at creating positive expectations about the future, by a worrying current situation regarding the survival of the Jewish community of Dura Europos and of Judaism itself.

Este trabalho apresenta as conclusões de nosso estudo sobre a representação humana nos afrescos da sinagoga de Dura Europos, datada do século III EC, na Síria, à luz do interdito bíblico do Decálogo (Ex 20, 4-5; Dt 5, 8-9) onde se estabelece que os israelitas não devem fazer para si imagem de escultura, e reiterado pelo versículo Dt 4,16, onde se afirma que os israelitas não devem fazer alguma imagem esculpida na forma de ídolo, semelhança de homem e mulher. Inicia-se explicando o significado desse interdito e como ele se apresenta nos livros da Bíblia Hebraica que abordam a questão da confecção de imagens e idolatria. A análise dos textos bíblicos e da bibliografia de referência sobre o tema possibilita inferir que o interdito não proibia a confecção de todo tipo de representação humana, mas somente aquelas fabricadas para adoração. Segue-se a essa análise uma contextualização da representação humana pelos israelitas na Antiguidade, desde o período pré-monárquico até o século III EC, o século em que a sinagoga de Dura Europos é construída e adornada com afrescos representando cenas bíblicas. O objetivo é criar uma conexão entre o interdito da Bíblia Hebraica e a história judaica, que levou ao desenvolvimento de um conjunto de sinagogas no final desse período, no qual Dura Europos está inserida, nas quais encontramos a representação humana na forma de afrescos em paredes ou pisos mosaicos. A pesquisa bibliográfica sobre os vestígios arqueológicos do período demonstra que os israelitas produziram tanto as imagens permitidas como aquelas consideradas interditas e sofreram influências externas que levaram à concepção da sinagoga de Dura Europos. Por último, formulamos uma apresentação dos afrescos dessa sinagoga e procuramos verificar qual o significado que os estudiosos atribuíram a eles. A partir dessa análise foi possível concluir que a representação humana nos afrescos da sinagoga de Dura Europos não contrariava o interdito bíblico, pois não tinha propósito de adoração, e sim uma finalidade didática. A intenção era transmitir um ensinamento e reforçar a identidade da comunidade judaica a partir da reprodução de cenas que retratavam a história da salvação israelita. A rememoração dos momentos gloriosos do passado visava criar expectativas positivas sobre o futuro, mediante uma situação presente preocupante em relação à sobrevivência da comunidade judaica de Dura Europos e do judaísmo em si. / This paper presents the findings of our study on human representation in the frescoes of Dura Europos synagogue, dating from the third century CE, in Syria, in the light of the biblical injunction of the Decalogue (Ex 20: 4-5; Deuteronomy 5: 8-9 ) which establishes that the Israelites should not do for themselves \"graven image\", and reaffirmed by the verse Deuteronomy 4:16, which says that the Israelites should not make a graven image in the form of idol, \"likeness of man and woman \". It begins by explaining the meaning of this decree and how it appears in the books of the Hebrew Bible that address the issue of making images and idolatry. The analysis of biblical texts and reference bibliography on the subject allows us to infer that the injunction did not prohibit the manufacture of all types of human representation, but only those made for worship. It follows that analysis a contextualization of human representation by the Israelites in ancient times, from pre-monarchical period to the third century CE, the century in which the Dura Europos synagogue is built and adorned with frescoes depicting biblical scenes. The goal is to create a connection between the decree of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish history, which led to the development of a set of synagogues at the end of that period, in which Europos Dura is inserted, in which we find human representation in the form of frescoes on walls or mosaic floors. The literature on archaeological relics from the period shows that the Israelites both produced images allowed as those considered prohibited and experienced external influences that led to the conception of Dura Europos synagogue. Finally, we formulate a presentation of the frescoes that synagogue and try to find what the meaning that scholars have attributed to them. From this analysis it was concluded that the human representation in the frescoes of Dura Europos synagogue was not contrary to biblical injunction so I had no way of worship, but rather a didactic purpose. The intention was to convey a teaching and reinforcing the identity of the Jewish community from the reproduction of scenes depicting the history of Israel\'s salvation. The remembrance of the glorious moments of the past aimed at creating positive expectations about the future, by a worrying current situation regarding the survival of the Jewish community of Dura Europos and of Judaism itself.

This thesis investigates space through its relationship with society based on the idea of the social production of space. By employing the social concepts of community and institution, and the spatial concepts of shelter space and marker space, it provides a theoretical perspective for the evaluation of space in architectural history. This theoretical frame is supplied with a case study on the evolution of Early Christian community and their meeting place. The historical course of the Early Christianity in the Roman Empire from community formation to become an institution &ndash / Christendom - constitutes the paradigm for the social premise of the thesis. On the other hand, the proposed outline for the spatial evolution is demonstrated on the house-church at Dura-Europos.

The ancient Roman domestic cult is often overlooked and marginalized in favor of state sponsored practices, monuments, and temples; yet it can give us insights into daily life, cultural interactions, and personal identity in the Empire. In my dissertation, I recreate a selection of domestic contexts in order to learn more about private cultic practices, thus illuminating those activities and behaviors that may be far removed from what appears in the literary sources or in monumental reliefs and paintings. Furthermore, the era considered is a crucial period in the history of the western world that included the rise of Christianity and dramatic changes in Roman pagan cults. By concentrating on the Roman East, I produce information relating to these changes outside of Italy and study the impact on cross-cultural exchanges and identities formulated by the Roman colonization of these cities. The Roman domestic cult in Italy invoked specific gods to maintain the well-being of the home in small shrines within the house. Material evidence for these practices survives in the form of statuettes and wall paintings of the gods, incense burners, and altars. Other divinities chosen by the head of the household could join or supplant the traditional domestic deities. These additions to private shrines acted as protective patron gods of the household and they reveal a personal relationship between deity and devotee. One barrier to the understanding of the domestic cult in its original context is the nature of multiculturalism in the Roman Empire. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, scholars tended to equate the Roman Empire with the concept of the modern nation-state. The Empire was seen as a cultural juggernaut that disseminated a uniform Roman identity that was sent out from Italy to the provinces. Evidence for "Romanization" was noted in the introduction of the Roman city plan, and Roman habits were seen in new types of public buildings such as baths or amphitheaters, the adoption of Roman coinage, the toga and the Latin language, and the introduction of Roman cults, especially the cult of the emperor. Most scholars today prefer to view the expansion of the Empire as a process that included reciprocal acculturation between natives and their Roman masters. Using this model, I examine religious cross-currents on a domestic scale, thus contributing to the current scholarly discussion. By exploring the cult in the home, we can get a better indication of the interaction between native and Roman in the private sphere. Scholars agree that we can learn more from smaller, regional studies; it cannot be assumed that the same things occurred in all parts of the empire and at all times. The case-study approach has replaced the sweeping and sometimes vague histories of years past. I have chosen three sites from the Roman East since they have an abundance of material evidence that has not been exploited to its full potential: Karanis (modern Egypt), Ephesos (modern Turkey), and Dura-Europos (modern Syria). The significance of my project is three-fold. I present previously unpublished material from important sites in the Roman East. By looking at these three sites, I expand the dialogue from the singular discussion of domestic religion in first-century Italy, thus enriching it substantially. Through the consideration of acculturation between east and west I contribute to the discussion of "Romanization" in the first to fifth centuries CE. By comparing these sites with those better published, such as Pompeii and Ostia (Rome's port, largely abandoned in the second half of the third into the fourth centuries), I can more clearly show the contrast between the two halves of the Empire. My goals will be to determine how (and if) "Romanization" can be seen in these locations, what the impact of local artistic styles and indigenous deities is, and how the reciprocal relationship manifests in daily religious practices within the home. / Art History