Thesis advisor: Andrew Davis / Thesis advisor: Ernesto Valiente / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

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Les lits funéraires de l’époque romaine sont issus d’une tradition ancienne dont les origines, au-delà des Grecs, remontent aux périodes historiques les plus reculées, en Égypte et au Proche-Orient. Depuis le XIXe siècle, les fouilles ont livré de nombreux vestiges chronologiquement situés pour la plupart entre le IIe s. av. et le IIe s. ap. J.-C. ; ils font écho à ceux découverts en contextes domestiques, certes moins nombreux, mais dont l’étude autorise des comparaisons intéressantes et une meilleure compréhension du sujet. La grande variété des modèles répertoriés m’a donc conduit à l’élaboration d’une typologie détaillée, incluant les formes les plus anciennes jusqu’à celles de la période romaine. Les publications consultées ont fait évoluer de manière significative notre connaissance des lits ornés de bronze et ceux rehaussés de décorations en os sculpté. En revanche, les attestations de lits en ivoire demeurent extrêmement rares, que ce soit en Italie ou dans l’ensemble du monde romain. La découverte à Cumes des restes de trois exemplaires, dont les décorations étaient sculptées en ce matériau précieux, constitue par conséquent un témoignage essentiel et de premier ordre. Les fragments étaient mélangés aux ossements des défunts et contenus dans des urnes, elles-mêmes déposées au sein d’importants mausolées. La remarquable qualité de facture et la grande finesse d’exécution, bien visibles sur certaines pièces conservées malgré la destruction engendrée par la crémation, ainsi que les thèmes iconographiques mis en scène, attestent des intentions ostentatoires des propriétaires, soucieux de montrer aux vivants leur statut social, leur richesse et leur vertu. La mise en contexte de ces trois lits et leur étude approfondie, au regard des occurrences connues, a permis pour chacun d’entre eux d’aboutir à une proposition de restitution graphique, préambule indispensable à une analyse iconographique et iconologique. Les résultats obtenus, mis en regard des mausolées dans lesquels ils furent découverts, ont conduit à une compréhension plus précise de la place prépondérante qu’occupaient ces lits dans le cérémonial des funérailles. / The funerary beds of the Roman period come from an ancient tradition, whose origins, beyond the Greeks, can be traced to the earliest historical periods, in Egypt and in the Near East. Since the 19th century, excavations have produced many vestiges, most of them dating back to between the 2nd C. BC up to the 2nd C. AD ; they echo pieces found in domestic contexts which, though less numerous, allow interesting comparisons and a better understanding of the topic. The large variety of the identified models led me to develop a detailed typology of these forms, from the most ancient ones up to those of the Roman period. The consulted publications significantly changed our knowledge of the beds adorned with bronze as well as those adorned with bone carvings. By contrast, instances of ivory beds are extremely rare, whether it be in Italy or in the whole Roman world. Thus, the discovery at Cumae of the vestiges of three ivory beds, adorned with this precious material, serves as essential and unique testimony. The fragments were mixed with the bones of the deceased and placed in urns, themselves located in important mausoleums. Their remarkable quality and meticulous workmanship, clearly visible upon some pieces, which survived the destruction caused by the cremation, as well as the iconographic staged patterns, testify to the conspicuous intentions of their owners, anxious to show their social status, their wealth and their virtues to the living. The contextualization and close study of these three beds, along with a comparison with the known examples, led for each of them to an attempt at a graphic restoration, as a prerequisite for an iconographical and iconological analysis. The achieved results, correlated with the mausoleums where they were found, led to a much more precise understanding of those beds and of the prominent position they enjoyed at the funeral ceremony.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T19:20:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gilmar Goncalves da Costa.pdf: 375053 bytes, checksum: 7fcc70edc234a64c1b2de28df88709cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In which professional context are the alumni, the masters and the PhDs, with a Religious Studies degree at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, acting? Are these Religious Studies professionals working in the field or in other branches of scholarship, such as Geography, History, Sociology, Psychology, Pedagogy, Philosophy, Theology or yet, in the commercial and industrial sectors? The present research aims at answering these questions. For that, it was based upon interviews and questionnaires with nearly 70 questions related to the professional function of a Religious Studies degree, between the years of 2009 and 2011. From the reading of the data, in light of theoretical approaches, the categories used were work market and Religious Studies. The data show that, out of the 75.5% of those with a masters degree, 16% work neither in the field of Religious Studies nor in the field of Education.; 31% correspond to those that aren t working in their field Religious Studies but dedicate themselves either to the field of Education or to the field of Research; 36% work exclusively with Religious Studies. Meanwhile, out of the 24.5% of those with a PhD degree in Religious Studies, 74% work in the field of Education and 26% of them, with Psychology. Of the total sample, 33% act as autonomous professionals, without the establishment of a formal work relationship; 33% in the private sector, 21% as small business managers or owners and 13% in the public sector. According to them, the reason why this is so is the lack of options and opportunities in the work market. Others highlight the fact that they do not work in the area because they understand it is not possible to conciliate research and studying. One hopes that this research has contributed to clarifying some of the fake antinomies used in relation to Religious Studies / Em qual contexto profissional, os ex-alunos, titulados mestres e doutores, formados em Ciência da Religião pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, estão atuando? Esses cientistas da religião estão trabalhando na área da Ciência da Religião ou em outros ramos de conhecimentos, como: a Geografia, História, Sociologia, Psicologia, Pedagogia, Filosofia, Teologia, ou ainda, em setores da indústria e comércio? A presente pesquisa pretendeu responder essas perguntas. Para isso, foram realizadas entrevistas e aplicados questionários, contendo cerca de 70 perguntas relativas à função profissional da formação em Ciência da Religião, entre 2009 e 2011. Da leitura dos dados, à luz das abordagens teóricas, as categorias utilizadas são mercado de trabalho e ciência da religião. Os dados demonstram que, dos 75.5% titulados no mestrado, 16% não atuam na área da Ciência da Religião e nem no campo educacional; 31% correspondem aos que não estão trabalhando na área de formação Ciência da Religião mas atuam em diversos setores de ensino e pesquisa; 36% atuam estritamente na área da Ciência da Religião. Enquanto que, dos 24.5% cientistas da religião com título de doutor em Ciência da Religião, 74% exercem atividade no campo da educação e 26% na área da saúde, em Psicologia. Do total apurado, 33% estão atuando como profissionais liberais ou autônomos sem vínculos de emprego, 33% no setor privado, 21% como microempresários e 13% no setor público. Dos 97 entrevistados (100%), 17% correspondem aos cientistas da religião que não estão trabalhando em qualquer área profissional no mercado de trabalho. Segundo eles, o motivo é a falta de opção e oportunidade no mercado de trabalho, outros ressaltaram que não estão atuando na área por entenderem não ser possível conciliar pesquisa e estudo. Espera-se que esta pesquisa tenha contribuído para esclarecer as falsas antinomias utilizadas em relação à Ciência da Religião

This dissertation presents a new perspective on the function of objects in late-medieval devotional practice through a study of the so-called Soissons group of thirteenth-century French Gothic ivories. These ivory diptychs were sophisticated tools constructed to guide the user through various spiritual exercises that led to prayer. The hitherto unexplained increase in the availability of ivory in mid-thirteenth-century France is accounted for by an alteration in the trade routes that brought elephant tusks from the Swahili coast of Africa to northern Europe: a newly-opened passage through the Straits of Gibraltar allowed a small amount of luxury goods to be shipped together with bulk materials necessary to the northern textile industries. The increasing supply required a revision of the structure of the thirteenth-century craft of ivory. The Soissons group, the first ivory diptychs fashioned during this time of growth in ivory markets, is subdivided into two sections. An itinerant master who traveled throughout the Picard region between 1235 and 1270 crafted the first group. Concurrently, three separate Parisian artists produced the second group based on a Picard model. This dissertation redates all the ivories substantially earlier than previously thought, conclusions which were attained through stylistic analysis. The dense Passion iconography shaped the diptychs’ function in private devotion. The narrative encouraged the viewer to practice a number of spiritual exercises—reading, memorization and compunction—analogous to the three reasons for allowing images in the Christian Church, the triplex ratio. The Passion diptych format introduced with these objects was immensely popular throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and its conservation over time underscored its effectiveness. The small differences in iconography and composition among the seven Soissons diptychs, however, were subtle modifications to adjust to different audiences and to hone the objects’ efficacy as tools for prayer.

This dissertation presents a new perspective on the function of objects in late-medieval devotional practice through a study of the so-called Soissons group of thirteenth-century French Gothic ivories. These ivory diptychs were sophisticated tools constructed to guide the user through various spiritual exercises that led to prayer. The hitherto unexplained increase in the availability of ivory in mid-thirteenth-century France is accounted for by an alteration in the trade routes that brought elephant tusks from the Swahili coast of Africa to northern Europe: a newly-opened passage through the Straits of Gibraltar allowed a small amount of luxury goods to be shipped together with bulk materials necessary to the northern textile industries. The increasing supply required a revision of the structure of the thirteenth-century craft of ivory. The Soissons group, the first ivory diptychs fashioned during this time of growth in ivory markets, is subdivided into two sections. An itinerant master who traveled throughout the Picard region between 1235 and 1270 crafted the first group. Concurrently, three separate Parisian artists produced the second group based on a Picard model. This dissertation redates all the ivories substantially earlier than previously thought, conclusions which were attained through stylistic analysis. The dense Passion iconography shaped the diptychs’ function in private devotion. The narrative encouraged the viewer to practice a number of spiritual exercises—reading, memorization and compunction—analogous to the three reasons for allowing images in the Christian Church, the triplex ratio. The Passion diptych format introduced with these objects was immensely popular throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and its conservation over time underscored its effectiveness. The small differences in iconography and composition among the seven Soissons diptychs, however, were subtle modifications to adjust to different audiences and to hone the objects’ efficacy as tools for prayer.

The objects discovered in Tomb 79 at the necropolis of Salamis, Cyprus have garnered much attention since their discovery. The material from this tomb, however, needs an in-depth, object-by-object analysis that will lead to a greater understanding of the burial as a whole. In my thesis, I offer a detailed case study of a single item, an ivory-covered wooden chair—so-called Throne Γ—as exemplifying an approach to this analysis. Based on the excavation team’s exacting reconstruction, the chair is four-legged with armrests and a slightly curved backrest. Ivory overlays the entirety of the chair except on a few sections of the backrest where the wood shows through. Here as well, both figural and geometric designs decorate the ivory, and the top bar was originally overlaid with gold. As a whole, Throne Γ would have appeared as a solid ivory object, embellished with wood and gold, and was likely draped with textiles. In this study, I analyze Throne Γ as an agent of identity. To do so, I follow the example of other scholars such as Irene Winter and Marian Feldman and employ the theory of object agency, addressing Throne Γ as an affective entity. When placed in a social context—i.e., when involved in human interaction—such agentive objects actively influence their surroundings. In this case, I analyze how Throne Γ affected the individual in whose tomb it was buried. I argue that through its various affective “mechanisms”—its nature as a luxury object, the value of its ivory material, its sensory qualities (including luminosity, texture, and fragrance), its iconography, and its ritual function—Throne Γ projected a king-like identity upon the deceased individual from Tomb 79. His actual political and social power during his lifetime, however, may have been less than that suggested by the mechanisms of the chair. The inclusion of Throne Γ in the burial was therefore a conscious choice and the identity the chair projected deliberate. It was meant to agentively mark, and thus legitimize, the deceased as a politically-able, diplomatically-savvy, and divinely-touched figure in the early days of monarchy on Cyprus. / text

L'ivoire d'éléphant est un matériau biologique composé de fibres de collagène (CF) à 30 % massique et de particules d'hydroxyapatite carbonatées et enrichies en Mg à 70 % massique (Mg-carb-HAP). Il présente une structure hiérarchique complexe de la macro à la nano-échelle. La relation entre le motif macroscopique de Schreger observé à la surface des sections transverses des défenses et la micro-morphologie de l'ivoire en 3D (réseau tubulaire et orientations secondaires des CF) a été établie. Les marqueurs chimiques (Ca, P, Mg, Sr) et structuraux (épaisseurs et organisation des particules de Mg-carb-HAP) témoins des processus de formation de l'ivoire ont été déterminés. La diagenèse précoce en milieu marin a ensuite été étudiée par une approche physico-chimique combinant les analyses MEB, PIXE/RBS-EBS et SAXS. Les mécanismes d'altération identifiés sont les adsorptions des ions du milieu extérieur (Cl, Sr, Fe, Cu) à la surface des défenses, les échanges entre les ions exogènes et endogènes de l'ivoire et l'augmentation de la cristallinité des Mg-carb-HAP. Bien qu'immergées dans le même environnement diagénétique, les trois défenses du site des Poulins présentent différents états d'altération. Un bon état de préservation macroscopique ne reflète pas forcément un bon état de conservation de la dentine à l'échelle moléculaire. Finalement, l'ancienne polychromie et la dorure d'origine des ivoires d'Arslan Tash (Syrie, 800 av. J.C.) ont été restituées par des analyses non-invasives par FX en plein champ et PIXE/RBS-EBS. Les couleurs identifiées sont: le bleu et le vert égyptiens (Cu), avec des teintes plus ou moins claires (Pb), le rouge et l'orange (Fe). / Elephant ivory is a biological material composed of collagen fibers (CF) at 30 wt. % and Mg-enriched carbonated hydroxyapatite particles at 70 wt. % (Mg-carb-HAP). It has a complex hierarchical structure from macro- down to nano-scale. The relationship between the macroscopic Schreger patterns observed on the surface of transverse sections of tuks and the 3D micro-morphology of ivory (tubular network and CF secondary orientations) has been established. Chemical (Ca, P, Mg, Sr) and structural markers (thickness and organization of particles Mg-carb-HAP) which control the formation of ivory have been determined. Early diagenesis in the marine environment was then studied by means of SEM, PIXE/RBS-EBS and SAXS analyses. Diagenetic mechanisms were identified, as ionic adsorptions from marine environment to the tusk surfaces, ionic substitutions between exogenous and endogenous ivory ions and increased crystallinity of Mg-carb-HAP. Different states of preservation were observed among three tusks coming from the same submarine archaeological site. Good macroscopic preservation states of the surface does not necessarily reflect good preservation states of the dentin at the molecular level. Finally, the former polychromy and gilding of ivories from Arslan Tash (Syria, 800 BC.) have been reconstructed by non-invasive FF-FX and PIXE/RBS-EBS analyses. Egyptian blue and green (Cu) with different shades (Pb), as well as red and orange (Fe) have been identified. The gilding technique consisted of applying a 2 µm thick gold leaf. Over time, these decorations altered ivory surfaces inducing, among others, the formation of Au nanoparticles derived from the weathering of the gold leafs.

In 1994 South Africa celebrated the election of a new democratic government. This came with the abolition of the Group Areas Act 36of1966, which controlled the movement of black people from rural areas to urban areas. The repealing of this act led to the rapid movement of people from rural areas all over Southern Africa to the cities and towns in search for a better life. In turn this led to rapid urbanization and the growth of informal settlements' also known as squatter camps. These communities are characterized by poverty and lack of basic necessities such as houses, water and employment. The church was caught unaware by the need to minister to these communities that need more than the gospel that satisfies spiritual poverty but also the satisfaction of material poverty. This exposed the need for a model of ministry that will be holistic. This study shares a model of ministry that has been used by a Methodist congregation in an informal settlement community called Ivory Park in Midrand. This church uses a model of ministry that propagates the gospel both through preaching and community development. / Religious Studies & Arabic / M. Th. (Missiology)

In 1994 South Africa celebrated the election of a new democratic government. This came with the abolition of the Group Areas Act 36of1966, which controlled the movement of black people from rural areas to urban areas. The repealing of this act led to the rapid movement of people from rural areas all over Southern Africa to the cities and towns in search for a better life. In turn this led to rapid urbanization and the growth of informal settlements' also known as squatter camps. These communities are characterized by poverty and lack of basic necessities such as houses, water and employment. The church was caught unaware by the need to minister to these communities that need more than the gospel that satisfies spiritual poverty but also the satisfaction of material poverty. This exposed the need for a model of ministry that will be holistic. This study shares a model of ministry that has been used by a Methodist congregation in an informal settlement community called Ivory Park in Midrand. This church uses a model of ministry that propagates the gospel both through preaching and community development. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. Th. (Missiology)