The present thesis examines two ceramic assemblages from the villa baths at Pollena Trocchia, Italy. The private bath complex was likely part of the Roman villa built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD and buried under the volcanoclastic debris of the AD 472 eruption which provided an important terminus ante quem. The previous studies demonstrated that in the 5th century AD the bath complex became a pottery dump and cemetery. Nevertheless, a different picture was drawn from the excavation of the underground cistern in the north-western part of the baths. In order to better understand the purpose of the cistern prior to the eruption, which sealed most of the site, the pottery assemblage from the cistern was compared to the assemblage from one of the bathrooms identified as the laconicum. In fact, the cistern uncovered rather low number of individuals compared to the rest of the baths and the ratio of attested pottery classes was limited. While the African imports were almost absent, there was a great number of local products. Most of the shapes consisted of locally produced jugs of big volume, which could be associated with the water-supply system. When possible, the individuals were dated to the second half of the 5th century. Therefore, it is likely that the cistern was still in use a long...

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo abordar a História Eclesiástica, obra pioneira de Eusébio de Cesareia, a partir do ponto de vista de sua monumentalidade. Isto é: contemplando a maneira com que os temas abordados, e sobretudo a maneira como esses temas foram expostos nas páginas da História Eclesiástica, contribuíram para a constituição de uma identidade cristã em um período em que se deu uma passagem geracional de um contexto em que os cristãos eram perseguidos pelas autoridades romanas para um período em que o cristianismo adquiriu um novo status dentro do Império Romano. Para que essa abordagem seja possível, para que seja possível tratar da História Eclesiástica como uma referência para o mundo cristão do século IV e para as futuras gerações cristãs, será considerado todo o entorno religioso e cultural que de alguma maneira influenciou o desenvolvimento e a difusão do cristianismo e esteve presente na obra monumental do bispo de Cesareia, assim como autores cristãos de diferentes períodos que encontraram na História Eclesiástica uma referência para compreender os conflitos religiosos de seu próprio tempo. / The present research aims to approach the Ecclesiastical History, a pioneer historical work written by Eusebius of Caesarea, from the point of view of its monumentality. In other words, comprising the way that the addressed subjects, especially the way those subjects were exposed on the pages of the Ecclesiastical History, contributed to the formation of a christian identity in a period in which there was a generational transition from a context when christians were pursued by the roman authorities to a period when the christian religion acquired a new status in the Roman Empire. In order to succeed in this approach, in order to make possible to consider the Ecclesiastical History a refference to the christian world from the 4th century and for future christian generations, it will be taken into account the whole religious environment that somehow influenced the growth and spread of christianity and was present in the monumental work of the bishop of Caesarea, as well as christian authors from different historical periods that found in the Ecclesiastical Historial a refference to understand the religious conflicts from their own time.

En Antiquité tardive, la communauté des clercs est en pleine formation et apparait de plus en plus souvent dans les inscriptions. D’où l’intérêt de faire ressortir de ces sources la position sociale du clergé, et de poser la question de leur spécificité dans la somme des inscriptions tardo-antiques. D’abord les sources épigraphiques des clercs sont resitués dans le vaste champ des inscriptions de l’Antiquité tardive, avant de mettre en évidence la diversité des inscriptions selon la charge occupée et d’aborder la question de l’(auto-)représentation des clercs. La position sociale du clergé, la fonction des inscriptions du clergé dans le contexte funéraire et un examen des domaines dans lesquels les clercs prennent un rôle actif constituent les chapitres 3 à 5. Dans le catalogue épigraphique (vol. II) sont présentées 847 inscriptions, de genres différents (essentiellement inscriptions funéraires et de construction, éloges versifiés et graffiti) provenant de toute la péninsule italienne. / In Late Antiquity, the community of clerics is considerably expanding and appears henceforth frequently in inscriptions. This is why it is interesting to work out of this type of sources the social position of the clergy and ask for their distinctiveness within late antique inscriptions. At first, epigraphic evidence of clerics is to be resituated in the broad field of late antique inscriptions, before exposing the diversity of the inscriptions depending on the offices held and resolving the question of the clerics’ (self-) portrayal. The social status of the clergy, an analysis of the inscriptions’ role in the funerary context as well as a study of the domains in which clerics appear as proactive people are the central themes of chapter 3 to 5. In the epigraphical catalogue (vol. II) are presented 847 inscriptions of various types (mainly sepulchral and building inscriptions, poems of praise and graffiti), coming from all over the Italian peninsula.

S’inscrivant dans un projet de mise en valeur du site archéologique de Saint-Blaise (Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, 13), notre thèse propose la relecture des vestiges tardo-antiques et médiévaux de cet ensemble de référence. Grâce à la reprise de l’intégralité des archives et des minutes de terrain générées depuis 1935, à l’étude raisonnée de lots de mobilier, à l’enregistrement systématique des structures apparentes et à la réouverture de campagnes de fouilles programmées, nous présentons la première synthèse de l’évolution topo-chronologique de Saint-Blaise/Ugium entre Antiquité tardive et Moyen Age. Considérant le phasage en neuf périodes établi par Gabrielle Démians d’Archimbaud comme le point de départ de notre réflexion, nous avons élargi ses interprétations centrées sur quelques sondages à l’ensemble de l’agglomération secondaire. Si le plateau continue à être fréquenté entre le IIe siècle av. J.-C. et le IVe siècle, la deuxième moitié du Ve siècle marque l’investissement de sa partie basse (implantation d’une église et d’un habitat fixe). A partir du VIe siècle, l’agglomération se voit dotée d’une parure monumentale inspirée de la topographie urbaine (deux « quartiers », un rempart, une deuxième église et un habitat élitaire). Initiant quelques réflexions sur les modalités de la transition entre Antiquité et haut Moyen Age, nous proposons également une première approche du castrum médiéval de Castelveyre. Enfin, comparée à un corpus d’habitats groupés et perchés de l’arc méditerranéen, nous replaçons l’agglomération de Saint-Blaise/Ugium dans un contexte global. / The study takes places on development project of archaeological site of Saint-Blaise (Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, 13, France) and the purpose of our thesis is to proofreading the late antique and medieval vestiges. Thanks to recovery of the archives and the ground surveying generated since 1935, to the study of lots of ceramics, to the systematic recording of visible structures and to the opening of news excavations, we present the first synthesis of the Saint-Blaise topo-chronological evolution from Late Antiquity to Middle Ages. Considering the division in nine periods established by Gabrielle Démians d’Archimbaud as a starting point, we extend her interpretations to the whole urban area. If the plateau is frequented between 2nd century B.C. and 4th century A.C., the second half of 5th century A.C. is the beginning of settling in low part (a church and a house). From the 6th century A.C., the town is equipped with monumental finery inspired by the urban topography (two “districts”, a city-wall, a second church and an elitist house). Introducing some thoughts on the modalities of the transition between Late Antiquity and high Middle Ages, we purpose first results about Castelveyre castrum. Finally, compared with a corpus of housing environments grouped and perched by the Mediterranean, we replace the town of Saint-Blaise/Ugium in a global context.

Depuis le XXe siècle, les archéologues et les historiens se sont intéressés à l’emplacement des sites, aux structures et aux hommes spécialisés dans la production de céramiques et de matériaux de construction en Gaule. Les sources sont diverses : textes anciens, épigraphie, iconographie, comptes rendus des interventions sur les structures de production et études de mobilier.L’ensemble des données pour les IVe, Ve et VIe siècles a été rassemblé au cours de ce travail de cinq ans et demi. Une base informatique a notamment été construite pour définir les ateliers et les zones de productions avérés, incertains ou mal datés, en activité en partie ou sur toute la période étudiée (2055 notices).L’argile et le bois, ainsi que la proximité de grandes voies de communication sont des éléments décisifs pour comprendre l’installation et l’évolution de la plupart des ateliers. Néanmoins, d’autres facteurs interviennent : la présence de réseaux de négociants, la vitalité et l’évolution économique et politique de la région lors de l’implantation de l’atelier, ainsi que le statut des terrains d’installation et parfois des mesures législatives.Les structures artisanales et les techniques utilisées demeurent classiques sur les trois siècles étudiés. Toutefois, l’évolution de l’économie et de la consommation céramique entraine la diminution des dimensions des aménagements. De même, certaines structures sont désormais plus souvent utilisées, tandis que les fours, certains supports de soles, auparavant rares ou inédits, ont pu être mis en évidence. Certaines techniques de façonnage et de décoration, ainsi que des modèles de cuisson deviennent également plus courants.La densité des ateliers souligne l’importance et l’évolution politique et économique des régions au cours des siècles étudiés. La vitalité ou le déclin de l’artisanat céramique dans certaines régions coïncide ainsi avec les déplacements des points stratégiques de l’économie et du pouvoir politique en Gaule. / From the XX century, archaeologists and historians have been interested by the setting of archaeological sites, the structures and the people who specialised in the production of ceramics and tiles in Gaul. There are diverse sources : ancient texts, epigraphy, iconography as well as excavations reports, and the study of ceramics objects.Data for the IV to the VI centuries has been collated and studied during the realization of this thesis over five and a half years. A database was created to define the workshops and known productions areas, as well as those which are less well known or less well dated but which were at least partly active during the period studied. The database is composed of around 2055 records.The availability of clay and wood and the proximity of a navigable water course or a network of roads are clearly decisive factors in the setting of each workshop. However there are a number of other important factors: An active network of merchants, a positive economic and political context and sometimes regional or local legislation.The traditional artisanal structures and technics used remain unchanged between the IV-VI centuries. Overall, the evolution of the economy and the consumption of ceramics leads to a reduction in the size of these structures. Also the use of certain structures becomes more frequent. The kilns and supports for the soles, and ancillary structures, which are infrequently recorded and poorly understood, are discussed in this thesis. Certain technics and styles of fabrication and decoration become increasingly common.The density and frequency of the workshops underlines their economic and political importance and the evolution of the regions over the three centuries studied. The growth or decline of the ceramic production in some areas coincides with shifts in the centres of economic and political power in Gaul.

This thesis deals with late antiquity literary work, dating probably from second half of 2nd century CE, known as Chaldaean Oracles. These are written in Greek and preserved only in fragments. It's content is a philosophical and religious system, which fuses together middle-platonic philosophy and oriental religious traditions The aim of this thesis is to present doctrine of the literary work in question as well as the associated ritual practice (called theurgy) and then to analyze this system and compare it with similar movements, especially with Hermetism and Gnosticism. To achive this, I use the methodology of R. Chlup, based on the concept of so called "wordlviews". These are implicit assumptions and choices in ideological systems. I then try to connect the Chaldaean wordlview with it's supposed social context. The result of this analysis is that the image of the world in the Chaldaean Oracles is considerably positive, with the emphasis on the unity of all. It thus constitutues an antipole of certain sort to the largely negative and dualistic Gnosticism, with which it shares similar metaphysical concepts. The supplement of this thesis contains the Greek original of extant fragments together with author's original Czech translation. Key words: Chaldaean Oracles, theurgy, late antiquity, worldview

This is a study of the physical manifestation of the cult of the Virgin Mary in Late Antique Egypt, that is, of the point at which Marian veneration, which scholars generally agree coalesced in the fifth century, spilled over into the physical sphere. Three diverging source materials (papyri/inscriptions, archaeology and iconography) are explored in order to answer the central question, which asks: to what extent does the evidence for the physical materialization of the cult of Mary reflect its geographical and chronological diffusion in Late Antique Egypt? Each of the sources materials are collected and analyzed in an independent chapter. The study begins with the papyrological/epigraphical evidence, as it represents the largest body of materials and offers the most substantial datable evidence. Although the papyri and inscriptions are not themselves tangible manifestations of the cult of Mary, they nevertheless mention at least 23 churches or monasteries that were dedicated to her. In Chapter 2, the extant archaeological evidence supplements the data collected in the textual materials by providing an analysis of the layout and iconographical programmes of the few churches of Mary that are actually preserved. Chapter 3 collects 43 wall paintings that depict Mary and analyzes their varying iconographic patterns and immediate spatial contexts. The individual source materials are then brought together for a broader geographical and chronological investigation, which demonstrates that despite the assumed presence of a cult of Mary by the fifth century, this was only the starting point for the consolidation and diffusion of her cult, which reached its peak in the sixth and, especially, the seventh century. This study is the first synthesis of the physical output of the cult of Mary in Late Antique Egypt and thus advances our knowledge of her integration into the society of Christian Egypt on both the chronological and topographical axes. As such, it is also of importance to studies of her cult elsewhere in the Late Antique world, where sources may not be as plentiful and varied.

The topic of violence in Late Antiquity is a heavily debated subject and many scholars have focused on this issue, as evidenced by the many studies published within the last ten years. The perception of Late Antiquity as a period of widespread religious violence is mainly influenced by Christian literary sources, who document accounts of violence against temples, statuary, and people alike. Egypt, in particular, has often been used as an example to demonstrate the destructive nature of religious violence that existed in the ancient world. However, the concept of religious violence is a complicated and nuanced topic. In Egypt, the many accounts by the Christian sources were written with specific intentions and the events documented in the texts were often exaggerated. The objective of this thesis is to provide a study of statue destruction by Christians between the fourth to seventh centuries CE in Egypt, and determine whether these destructions were acts of religious violence or were carried out for another reason in order to provide a more nuanced understanding of violence in Late Antiquity. By juxtaposing accounts from literary sources and archaeological evidence, the study seeks to determine whether the literary sources are accurate in their documentation of widespread statue destruction, or whether the violent discourse present in the literary sources is the result of Christian polemical purposes.

Le genre épistolaire présente entre le IVe et VIe siècle apr. J.-C. un nombre significatif d'actes d'offrir qui ont rarement été examinés de manière systématique en histoire de l'Antiquité tardive. Les cadeaux interpersonnels ne sont pas seulement des objets qui passent de main en main, mais des actes de communication, dont l'analyse différenciée est en mesure d'apporter des précisions sur les interactions entre le donateur et le destinataire, les choix médiatiques et la volonté de transmettre des messages à l'aide d'objets. En appliquant les outils des sciences de la communication à une source littéraire particulière, cette thèse présente une approche alternative de la question du don dans l'Antiquité tardive. / Letters from the 4th to the 6th century A.C. show a significant number of gift-giving situations. These have never been systematically analyzed in late antique history. Interpersonal gifts might be interpretated as acts of communication, not only as objects passed over from hand to hand. In order to determine the interaction between the giver and the addressee, their choices of media and the desire of tansmitting messages throught objects, a differenciated analysis is important. With the help of well-established tools from communication studies, the work at hand presents an alternative method for approching gift-giving in Late Antiquity.

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