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This thesis explores the imagery of funerary ritual that expresses the commemoration of both the living and the dead in the art of the marble cinerary memorials of the early Empire. This group of objects includes decorated marble artefacts associated with cremation burial between the Augustan period and the reign of Antoninus Pius: ash chests (or cineraria); ash altars and grave altars (with or without ash cavities); as well as round urns and vase-shaped urns. The iconography chosen for cinerary memorials by individuals in the early Empire reflects those individuals’ concerns to remember families and friends and in turn to be remembered. This research approaches the analysis of funerary iconography holistically as embedded in its contemporary culture, as opposed to the focus on the art of various sub-cultures of Roman society, seen in recent scholarship. Items with adequate ancient provenance are used to create a sample dataset that represents individuals that belong to a middle to high income-group of society, individuals that are united through their ability to pay and commission these memorials, rather than by class. The epigraphic material, studied alongside the tomb analysis, indicates that this socio-economic group included people of different legal statuses: slaves, freed-people, non-elites and known-elites. Thus we are able to examine how artistic motifs, and also imperial iconography and culture, were received by a cross-section of society. The use of semiotics allows symbols to be analysed in conjunction with other methods such as examining narration and abstraction. This theoretical framework results in the extraction of meaning from seemingly generic motifs and connects this interpretation with contemporaneous cultural norms. Using these methods and the sample dataset, the memorial typology is examined as indicative of a focal point for funerary cult, through the connection between the object as a replacement altar for ritual, and as a house or shrine for the commemoration of the dead. The iconography associated with the memorials therefore relates to both the ritual context (garlands and other ritualistic motifs) and to the object as a small building (the architectonic façade and doors; garden and vegetative iconography). It also relates to the commemoration of the dead (portraiture and honorific iconography) and in particular to the idea of the spirit or manes of the deceased as being immortalised through the memorial (underworld and mythological iconography). All elements, then, point to the focus of the object in funerary ritual which enables the living to honour the spirit of the deceased and acts as a memento of family and friends, bringing together both the living and the dead in art and inscription.

’Pygmy’, ‘incense’, ‘accessory’ or ‘funerary’ cups are small Early Bronze Age vessels, almost all from mortuary contexts, united by their diminutive size. Although several small-scale and regional studies have previously been undertaken, until recently there has been little attempt to consider such vessels as a whole. The vessels from the north of England were recently examined in detail by Hallam (2015), and the present study of the southern English vessels will complement Hallam’s work with the ultimate goal of producing a national corpus. Details of over three hundred and fifty vessels, from thirty counties, are presented together with a comprehensive literature review. Analysis demonstrates how the form and depositional contexts of such vessels probably arose within Beaker ceramic and funerary traditions. Many have complex biographies, some being deposited ‘fresh’ whilst others are fragmented or otherwise damaged. Perforations, long seen as a key feature of the tradition, appear to be restricted to certain forms only, and it is suggested that fenestration may be a development of this practice. Regional links and networks may be discerned through the distribution of attributes and similar vessel types and probably reflect trade networks. It is suggested that the cups had a primary role within Early Bronze Age funerary rituals associated only with certain individuals, perhaps marked out by the nature of their deaths / The full text will be available at the end of the embargo period: 21st Feb 2023

Cette thèse porte sur la chapelle cimétériale du monastère de Bačkovo (Bulgarie), étudiée dans le contexte des églises sépulcrales du monde byzantin médiéval. Parmi les rares monuments de ce type architectural, cette chapelle se singularise notamment par son décor peint datant de l’époque médiobyzantine. Conservant certains thèmes iconographiques à caractère exceptionnel, son importance résulte également de la cohérence parfaite entre le décor, la fonction de l’édifice et le rite célébré. À la lumière des données d’une sélection de typika byzantins, complétées par des sources liturgiques, nous nous attachons, d’une part, à clarifier le contexte de fondation de la chapelle cimétériale, et, d’autre part, à réévaluer sa place unique dans la vie monastique d’antan. Notre investigation vise aussi à réexaminer la classification architecturale à laquelle le monument fut longtemps rattaché, celle des « églises sépulcrales bulgares », avancée par André Grabar. De plus, nous proposons une analyse iconographique détaillée de l’intégralité de son décor peint. Une attention particulière est portée aux représentations à forte connotation eschatologique, envisagées par le biais des spécificités fonctionnelles de l’édifice, liées à la célébration d’offices funèbres et commémoratifs. En outre, nous développons une analyse comparative avec les programmes iconographiques des principaux monuments sépulcraux médio- et tardodyzantins. L’apport de cette thèse consiste ainsi en la recontextualisation de la chapelle cimétériale bačkovienne, sur les plans à la fois architectural, iconographique et liturgique. / The subject of this thesis is the cemetery chapel of the Bačkovo monastery considered in the context of the sepulchral buildings of the Byzantine medieval world. Among the rare monuments of this architectural type, it stands out by its decoration dating from the middle byzantine period. Conserving some exceptional iconographic topics, its importance ensues also from the perfect coherence between decoration, function and ritual. With reference to a selection of byzantine typika, completed by liturgical sources, I try to clarify the context of foundation of the Bačkovo cemetery chapel and to reassess its place in the monastic life of yesteryear. The purpose of this investigation is also to reconsider the architectural classification of this building which has been refered to as the “églises sépulcrales bulgares” for a long time as mentioned by André Grabar. Furthermore I offer a detailed iconographic study of its entire fresco programme focusing especially on the representations with strong eschatological connotation, examined in the light of the functional particularities of the edifice, related to the celebration of funeral and commemoration services. In addition I give a comparative analysis of the monument following the iconographic programmes of the most significant sepulchral monuments from the middle and late byzantine period. The contribution of this thesis thus consists in the recontextualization of the Bačkovo cemetery chapel in terms of architecture, iconography and liturgy.

Around the late third millennium BC small cup-shaped vessels began to appear in burial contexts across the North of England where they were found to be associated with Early Bronze Age funerary practices. Known by the name of incense cups, accessory vessels or miniature cups, their true purpose has been elusive. This study comprises an investigation of cups from Northern England and finds the tradition to be heavily influenced by Beaker culture practices resulting in the earliest cups emulating some attributes of Beaker ceramics. The Northern English Cup assemblage defies the current perception that all Cups are perforated as 63% are not; fabrics are found to be locally sourced and not imported and a review of the typology finds a strong regional adherence to the Food Vessel and Collared Urn tradition. Association in the grave with larger Urns is not as common as once believed and Cups have been found as the solitary ceramic indicating that they were important in their own right. Firing damage such as spalling has been interpreted as use of the funeral pyre for firing vessels prior to deposition with cremated remains and it is suggested that this is a recognisable signature of the cup tradition and therefore the name ‘funerary Cup’ is more appropriate. An active cross country trade network can be inferred from distributions of metalwork, precious materials and an affinity in some cases to Irish cups. / Prehistoric Society, Yorkshire Ladies Council for Education and the Andy Jagger Fund / The full text will be available at the end of the embargo period: 23rd Oct 2025

Cette étude porte sur les choix d'implantation des espaces funéraires dans les paysages naturels, construits et anciens, par les populations du haut Moyen Age, entre le Ve et le début du VIIIe siècle, dans le Nord de l'Angleterre et l'Est de l'Écosse. Selon les contextes culturels, différentes communautés et leurs élites ont utilisé des caractéristiques naturelles et culturelles dans des mises en scène symboliques de paysages. Entre le Ve et le VIIIe siècle, la région Tyne-Forth devient un carrefour de royaumes bretons et anglo-saxons à partir duquel émerge un des royaumes les plus importants de Grande-Bretagne, la Northumbrie. Cette zone offre la possibilité de comparer l'affichage identitaire de sociétés anciennes de différents royaumes qui se croisent et s'influencent Les pratiques funéraires subissent deux mutations importantes sous l'effet de la christianisation et de la formation de royaume de plus en plus large. Elles sont étudiées afin d'établir si leurs dynamiques temporelles peuvent être interprétées comme les indices d'une évolution des identités culturelles, sociales ou religieuses. On s'interroge sur l'éventuel rôle de traditions relatives à la disposition des morts, dans la création d'identités locales ou régionales. L'analyse du paysage sert aussi à mettre en évidence l'utilisation du paysage naturel et construit pour approcher ces identités. Elle sert également à identifier les réoccupations funéraires de monuments anciens et de le comparer avec celles du reste de la Grande-Bretagne et l'Europe du Nord-Ouest. L'intérêt de cette étude est de mettre en avant les éventuelles pratiques, sociales et symboliques, dissimulées derrière ces réoccupations. / The present thesis focuses on the use of the landscape in early medieval North East England and South East Scotland in the 5th to the 8th centuries -a region recognised as an emerging component of the Northumbrian Kingdom. By the 7th century, Northumbria had become a major political and ecclesiastical power. The chronological frame of this research allows for consideration of the deep political and religious changes that began in the 4th/5th centuries with the departure of the Roman army. The emergence of large kingdoms followed along with the conversion to Christianity and the acceptance and unification of the Christian Faith in the 8th century AD. We here explore the experience of the people who dwelled within this region in the early medieval period from the 5th-8th centuries. li does so by focussing on their funerary rites and practices and how they used their surroundings within funerary ritual to emphasise and signal their collection to place and their identities. Early medieval communities had at their disposal a complex landscape within which they constructed and signalled affiliations by means of interaction with natural and human altered features. Such processes have been argued by many researchers as evidence of the use of the natural landscape and world in the processes of identity creation, with funerary ritual signalling the social and political transformations underway in the organisation of early medieval societies.

Cette thèse a pour objectif d’étudier la « figure du roi » au travers de documents iconographiques du Bronze Moyen provenant de Syrie et plus particulièrement de la zone du Moyen-Euphrate entre 2000 et 1600 avant J.-C. Notre approche méthodologique qui porte prioritairement sur la partie sigillaire a consisté à établir un corpus des plus exhaustifs possibles des sceaux publiés et inédits. Après l’établissement de celui-ci, nous opérons des comparaisons pour dégager les caractéristiques de la représentation royale. Dans un premier temps, le cadre spatio-temporel retenu pour cette étude est défini. Par la suite, nous effectuons une mise au point sur l’histoire de la question de la représentation royale dans la glyptique syrienne du Bronze Moyen. Le développement qui suit constitue la cible de cette thèse. Les objets qui servent de base à cette étude viennent de vingt cinq sites archéologiques différents. Les sites de Moyen-Euphrate syrien, divisés en deux ensembles : partie nord et partie sud couvrant la zone-clefs de cette thèse, ont été soigneusement étudiés. En suite et afin de mieux définir la « figure du roi » dans l’iconographie, des moyens d’identification ont été décrits. La suite comporte une analyse de toutes les représentations de la figure royale, que nous tentons de définir par type. Le paragraphe présentant chaque modèle est suivi d’un tableau montrant l’aire de diffusion au sein de l’aire géographique concernée. Suit un inventaire des multiples aspects de cette iconographie royale, au sein duquel on distingue des : 1. Modèles dominants: le roi à la masse d’arme, le roi vainqueur, le roi-orant et le roi de type « syrien » que nous tentons de définir.2. Modèles dérivés: le roi-porteur d’offrande, représentation royale avec une divinité féminine, le roi-pharaon de type «égyptien », les cas de la duplication de la figure royale.Par ailleurs, une étude des « personnages incertaines » que nous expliquons est également menée. La présence de multiples divinités aux côtés des rois nous a conduits à en effectuer l’inventaire et à en préciser dans la mesure du possible l’iconographie, le cas échéant à préciser la nature des cultes qui leur étaient rendus. Cependant, des questions importantes, comme la compréhension de certaines réalités telles que la question complexe de la« divinisation ou non du personnage royal », ou les « Dieux politiques » ont été posées. De plus, des problèmes tels que le rite de « kispûm » ou la question de « Dieu de roi » ont été abordés. Parmi nos conclusions les plus importants on souligne : l’aspect régional de l’image du roi en Syrie, le rapport particulier entre l’archéologie et la glyptique ainsi que le fond sacré de l’idéologie royale de l’époque amorrite. Au niveau de l’organisation de cette thèse, notre premier volume est accompagné d’un second volume représentant le catalogne des matériels étudiés (env. quatre cent objets). L’ensemble est complété par deux index et de références bibliographiques. / This doctorate (Ph.D.) research studies the representation of Syrian kingship during the Amorite period (ca. 2000-1600 B.C), essentially through glyptic evidence, supplemented by sculpture, wall paintings, and written sources from the same period.The methodology is anchored in defining a precise iconographic corpus. This step allows revising past conclusions and establishing new identifications for the king’s role in artistic as well as written expressions. A major accomplishment is the identification of objects that derive from clear, stratified archaeological and cultural contexts.After defining the spatial and chronological frame, this study offers a brief review of the twenty-five sites from which the material is assembled. They are located in the Middle-Euphrates valley and divide between those in the northern and southern segments. Characteristics for a “royal figure” are identified and then defended. Iconography permits to distinguish diverse models of the “royal for each of the Syrian regions.The models divide into:1. Main models: the warrior-king, the king-priest, the king of “Syrian” type2. Secondary models: royal officials or the “duplication” of the royal figureIn addition, “miscellaneous figures” are also classified.On the epigraphic level, in this study there is liberal use of information from the archive of Mari as well as of Terqa, discriminating between materials derived from epistolary, religious, political, and administrative documents, as the ruler acts as a priest, dispenser of justice, warrior, or family man. A special chapter is devoted the interrelationship among kings, personal, and state gods. There is also consideration of funerary rituals (kispum) as well as the issue of the deified king.The study takes into consideration the following issues: the royal image of Syrian kings as shown in regional perspective, the connection between glyptic arts and their archeology, and the religious basis of royal ideology during the Amorite period.The dissertation includes a second part in which is catalogued over four hundred iconographic objects or images. Bibliographic references and indexes complete the study.