L’armée de Gaule sous le Bas-Empire fut une des trois armées principales de l’Empire romain. Son évolution de la fin du IIIe siècle jusqu’au début du Ve fut marquée par une réorganisation graduelle dans le commandement, ainsi que dans l’organisation des troupes et des fortifications. Ces réformes ont fait l’objet d’études qui ont dressé un schéma de déploiement des troupes resté longtemps populaire. À ce schéma s’est ensuite ajoutée l’idée de la stratégie à grande échelle qui y aurait été associée. Ce mémoire tâche de dresser une synthèse des derniers travaux sur l’armée romaine tardive en Gaule. L’approche choisie repose sur une réévaluation des sources sans l’influence d’un schéma défensif préconçu, ainsi que sur une critique de certaines idées reçues concernant l’armée romaine du IVe siècle. / The army stationed in Gaul during the Later Empire was one of the three main armies available to the Roman Empire. Its evolution from the late IIIrd century to the early Vth century was marked by reforms applied gradually to the high command, and to the organization of troops and fortifications. These measures have interested scholars who established a model of troop deployment which enjoyed great popularity over a long period of time. The idea of strategy applied on a great scale was later included in this concept. This thesis proposes a synthesis of the latest research on the late Roman army in Gaul. The selected approach of analysis is based on a reevaluation of the sources without the bias of a preconceived defensive model. Some obsolete ideas regarding the late Roman army will also be subject to criticism.

La tesi è rivolta allo studio comparativo delle tecniche costruttive datate tra tardo antico e romanico (fine IV-XII secolo), con particolare attinenza agli edifici di culto milanesi. L'obiettivo principale è stato quello di delineare le linee evolutive delle tecniche costruttive e identificare la presenza di caratteri tecnici particolari che avessero valore di indicatore cronotipologico. Il quadro complesso e articolato degli studi pregressi sulle più note basiliche medievali milanesi ha reso necessaria l'indagine, per la presenza di ipotesi interpretative contraddittorie e la frequente carenza di indagini aggiornate sotto il profilo metodologico. Per questa ragione, la prima parte del lavoro è stata rivolta alla definizione della storia degli studi editi riguardanti temi di carattere archeologico e architettonico, che hanno costituito la base di riferimento per l'individuazione delle campionature murarie da analizzare. Nell'ambito di questa stessa sezione si è resa poi indispensabile la stesura di una parte destinata alla trattazione del metodo utilizzato che, per quanto riguarda l'analisi del materiale da costruzione in laterizio, ha previsto l'applicazione, in via sperimentale su un raggio di indagine così esteso, del metodo mensiocronologico al materiale di recupero. La seconda parte della tesi ha riguardato l'analisi dei principali contesti architettonici esaminati (S. Giovanni alle Fonti, S. Tecla, S. Simpliciano, S. Nazaro Maggiore, S. Ambrogio, S. Eustorgio), affrontata con schede apposite destinate all'inquadramento dei dati storico-archeologici pregressi, delle campionature murarie esaminate, in pietra e laterizio, e dei risultati delle analisi metriche. Ogni fase costruttiva individuata è stata poi approfondita in sezioni specifiche nelle quali sono confluiti i risultati raggiunti. La terza ed ultima parte del lavoro, è stata infine rivolta alla trattazione delle cronotipologie dei tipi costruttivi elaborate (in opus latericium, opus latericium spicatum e opera di spolia), a quella dei principali indicatori cronotipologici individuati e alle loro modalità di trasformazione nel tempo. Il lavoro di ricerca ha aperto molteplici prospettive di approfondimento, relative ai singoli monumenti trattati ma anche a problematiche di più ampio respiro nel settore dell'edilizia medievale, che sono state trattate nel capitolo conclusivo. / The thesis is dedicated to the comparative study of construction techniques dating from late antiquity and Romanesque (end of 4th-12th century), with particular attention to the religious buildings in Milan. The main objective was to represent the evolutionary lines of the construction techniques and to identify the presence of technical characteristics that have a specific age-typology meaning. The contradictory interpretative hypotheses and the lack of up-to date - in terms of methodology - investigations within the complex and extensive literature on the most known medieval basilicas in Milan has inspired this investigation. For this reason, the first part of the work treats the definition of the history of the published studies on the archaeological and architectural subjects, which have represented the reference for the identification of the masonry samples to be analyzed. As part of this section it was necessary the drafting of a description of the method used. With regard to the analysis of structural clay material, such process provided for the application - on an experimental basis on a so extensive investigation - of the metric-age analysis method to the recovered material. The second part of the thesis concerned the analysis of the main architectural complexes examined (S. Giovanni alle Fonti, S. Tecla, S. Simpliciano, S. Nazario Maggiore, St. Ambrose, St. Eustorgio), performed through dedicated files for the classification of former historic-archaeological data, of the masonry and the stone and brick samples tested, and of the results of the metric analysis. Each identified construction phase was then further investigated in specific sections where the results are gathered. The third and final part of the work concerns the discussion of the developed age-typologies of the construction materials (opus latericium, opus spicatum latericium and works in spolia), the main age-typology indicators identified and the different ways they changed over time. The research has opened up many scenarios for further studies, in relation to the individual monuments treated but also to broader issues in the sector of the Middle Ages building activity, as discussed in the final section.

The orans, although a gesture with a long ‘pagan’ past, was easily adopted by Christians for its symbolic meanings of prayer and piety and quickly attained a number of other more nuanced meanings as it was refined and reused. By restricting the scope of this thesis to the orans in the Christian catacombs of Rome, it becomes possible to approach the figure from a multi-directional perspective, not merely concerned with what the gesture meant to the Christian, but with its literary and material pedigrees, its transition to Christian art, and its cultural significance. To this end, chapter one examines ‘pagan’ precursors of the Christian orans through an examination of coins, sculptures, inscriptions, and reliefs, as well as by looking at the two figures whose appearance most influences that of the orans – the goddess Pietas, and the Artemisia-Adorans funerary portrait type. Chapter two addresses the importance of the orans in the Christian literary community, and examines not only the actual usage of prayer with raised hands by the Christian faithful, but also examines the aesthetic and theological reasons for the popularity of the gesture – the parallel between the spread arms of the orans and the posture of the crucified Christ. Finally, chapter three presents a spatial-thematic analysis of the usage of the orans in the Roman Christian catacombs, using a corpus of 158 orantes. This chapter enables the reader to draw conclusions about the veracity of the academic theories presented in the previous chapters, as it compares the usage of the orans against its scholarly interpretation.

La present tesi pretèn ser,tal com el seu mateix nom indica, un estudi de totes aquelles informacions que ens proporcionen les fonts escrites d'època tardoantiga (segles IV-VII)i que fan referència, directament o indirecta, a les terres del nord-est de Catalunya.Fou aquesta àrea geogràfica la que, d'ençà el segle IX, i un cop superada la invasió sarraïna que suposà, entre altres coses, la definitiva desaparició de la seu episcopal emporitana, acabà per convertir-se en el futur territori del bisbat de Girona, una demarcació que englovava els antics dominis eclesiàstics i territorials de les seus visigòtiques de Gerunda i Impurias. És una realitat que l'estudi de la tardoantiguitat al nord-est de Catalunya ha experimentat un important impuls en els darrers anys. Es en aquest marc, que la investigació que presentem, pretén ser una aportació a una millor comprensió d'aquest període, amb la sistematització i catalogació de tots aquells textos, la cronologia dels quals abraça el període comprés entre els segles IV-VII, on es fa menció expressa a l'àrea geogràfica que ens ocupa.Aquest estudi s'estructura en set parts clarament diferenciades encara que interdependents entre si, cadascuna de les quals amb una especificitat i una metodologia pròpia.A la primera d'elles (caps.2-3), i a mode d'introducció, es fixen els límits territorials (marc geogràfic) i cronològics (marc històric) de la investigació, elements del tot indispensables i necessaris per a comprendre millor l'escenari on tenen lloc els fets descrits.Un segon gran apartat està enterament dedicat a l'estudi i anàlisi de les principals aportacions realitzades per la historiografia del nostre país en els darrers segles, del XVII fins a l'actualitat, en l'estudi del tema que ens ocupa.En tercer lloc, es passa a analitzar individualment totes i cadascuna de les referències textuals recollides en aquest estudi. L'anàlisi l'hem divididida en cin grans apartats, atenent i respectant la diversa tipologia de les fonts consultades: 1) els itineraria romana; 2) els textos de la patrologia tardoantiga; 3) les actes conciliars; 4) els textos litúrgics; i 5) l'epigrafia. L'estudi de cada text es realitza d'una manera global i sitemàtica, analitzant l'autor, el text i l'època de composició, i tot això en el marc més ampli de la societat del seu temps.Un apartat certament important és enterament dedicat a l'estudi dels orígens i difusió del culte al màrtir Feliu de Girona durant l'antiguitat tardana, a partir sobretot de la informació proporcionada per les fonts escrites i epigràfiques de l'època. El culte al màrtir gironí del segle IV fou, sense cap mena de dubtes, un dels elements característics i definidors en la vida de la Gerunda tardoantiga i, al mateix temps, un signe del gran prestigi assolit per la seu episcopal gironina a la resta d'Hispània durant l'antiguitat tardana.Finalment, i després de presentar, a tall de síntesi, les principals conclusions d'aquesta investigació, un darrer gran apartat ve constituït per un apèndix documental, en el qual s'hi recullen, seguint un criteri cronològic, tots els textos estudiats, transcrits segons les principals edicions crítiques citades. Val a dir, que en aquesta investigació hem utilitzat en la majoria dels casos les millors edicions crítiques de cadascuna de les obres estudiades, un fet que ha permès, en ocasions, corregir antigues transcripcions molt menys acurades i crítiques que s'havien inclòs en moltes de les obres dels darrers dos-cents anys on s'estudiava el període històric que ens ocupa. / This doctoral thesis, as its name suggests, tries to be a study of all the information which can be obtained from the written sources in the late antique period (from the fourth to the seventh century) and which directly or indirectly refer to the lands in the northeast of Catalonia. From the ninth century onwards and once its people got over the Saracen invasion which, among other things, led to the end of the episcopal see in Impurias, this geographical area ended up becoming the future territory of the diocese of Girona. This area included the old ecclesiastical and territorial dominions of the visigothic sees of Gerunda and Impurias. It is a fact that the study of late antiquity has shown a major boost in the last years. It is within this framework that we are presenting this study, which tries to contribute to a better understanding of this period, by systematizing and cataloguing all the texts with a chronology between the fourth and seventh century A.D., where the geographical area we are dealing with is specifically mentioned.This study is organized into seven clearly different parts which are nevertheless interdependent, each one with its own specificity and methodology.In the first part (chs.2-3), and by way of introduction, the territorial and chronological boundaries of the study (geographical and historical framework) have been fixed, essential elements to better understand the scene in which the events described take place.There is a second big section which is etirely dedicated to the study and analysis of the main contributions from historiography to the study of the subject we are dealing with in our country in the last centuries, from the seventeenth century until today.Thirdly, there is an individual analysis of ace of the textual references collected in this study. The analysis has been divided into five big sections , following and respecting the diverse tipology of the sources consulted: 1) the itineraria romana; 2) text from the late antique patrology; 3) council minutes; 4) liturgical texts; and 5) epigraphy. Each text is studied globally and systematically by analysing the author, the text and the period of composition, and everything within the wider framework of the society of their time.A really important section is completely dedicated to the study of the origins and spreading of the worship of the martyr of Sant Feliu from Girona during late antiquity, especially from the information obtained from the written and epigraphic sources of that time. The worship of the martyr from Girona of the fourth century was without doubt one ot the characteristic and distinctive elements in the life of the late antique Gerunda and , at the same time, a sign of the great prestige achieved by the episcopal see from Girona to the rest of Hispania during late antiquity.Finally, and after synthetically presenting the main conclusions of this study, there is a final big section with a documentary appendix in which there are all the texts which have been studied, in chronological order, transcribed according to the main critical editions which have been quoted. It must be said that in this study we have mostly used the best critical editions of each of the works studied, which has occasionally allowed us to correct old much less accurate or critical transcriptions which had been included in many of the works of the last two hundred years, where the historical period we are dealing with was studied.

À partir du IVe siècle, dans la littérature épiscopale et monastique, un lexique récurrent emprunte au monde économique gréco-romain les termes pour indiquer de nouveaux domaines sémantiques propres au christianisme, notamment le problème du salut et la dialectique de la rédemption. Grâce à ce langage métaphorique, la thésaurisation, l’investissement, le commerce, l’usure, l’endettement deviennent objets d’analyse et de réflexion, au lieu d’être simplement condamnés comme on le lit souvent. Cette étude est construite sur l’interprétation de ce langage théologico-économique dans les textes homilétiques des Pères de l’Église et les règles monastiques (fin IVe-début IXe s.). Il est nécessaire de comprendre la fonction de ce langage dans la construction d’une nouvelle façon de penser les échanges matériels, qui met en relation directe les comportements économiques des hommes et le salut dans l’au-delà, pour s’interroger ensuite sur son rôle dans la formation d’une rationalité économique et administrative médiévale. Dans ses discours sur l’avarice, la pauvreté et l’aumône, la patristique définit en effet les règles d’un comportement économique chrétien et détermine l’usage correct de la richesse en vue d’une gestion chrétienne dans la sphère privée et publique. Les catégories du « bon » et du « mauvais » chrétien commencent à intégrer des notions d’ordre économique, tandis que l’inclusion/ exclusion de la société des fidèles se joue aussi sur la base des comportements économiques. Le monde monastique occidental qui s’épanouit à partir de la fin du IVe siècle hérite de cette tradition lexicale patristique, en produisant à son tour des catégories administratives fondatrices d’une rationalité économique médiévale. Les méthodes d’enquête utilisées et les problèmes posés relèvent d’une histoire des pratiques et du pouvoir : les pratiques de la langue et de la construction de vocabulaires spécialisés, dont la valeur concrète réside dans la capacité à signifier les choses, à forger la réalité, à modeler les conduites et le pouvoir produit et légitimé par la création d’un langage d’autorité. / From the fourth century, in the episcopal and monastic literature, we find a vocabulary that borrows terms from the Greco-Roman world of economy to denote new semantic domains of Christianity, i.e. the problem of salvation and the dialectic redemption. Through these metaphors, investment, trade, usury, debt become objects of linguistic analysis and moral judgment. Our investigation is built around the interpretation of this theological and economic language over a period from the fourth to the ninth century. The corpus of sources includes texts of Cappadocian Fathers, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Zeno of Verona, Brescia Gaudence, Chromatius of Aquileia, John Cassian, Augustine, Caesarius of Arles, Salvian, and monastic rules (IV-IX cent.). It is necessary to understand the function of language in the construction of a Christian way to think and to represent economy, in a system of exchanges between the earth and the Kingdom of Heaven. In preaching on greed, poverty, almsgiving, the Church’s fathers defines the rules of economic behavior and determines the Christian right use of wealth for a Christian stewardship in the private and public spheres. The categories of 'good' and 'bad' Christians begin to incorporate notions of economic order, while the inclusion / exclusion from society is also on the basis of economic behavior. The western monastic world inherits lexical patristic tradition, producing administrative categories of medieval economic rationality. These phenomena, also conveyed by the metaphorical language of Christians, have shaped new social and political ties and a new image of society, opening the way to the Middle Ages.

The focus of this thesis is Firmicus Maternus, his text the Mathesis, and their place in the intellectual culture of the fourth century AD. There are two sections to this thesis. The first part considers the two questions which have dominated the scholarship on the Mathesis and relate to the context of the work: the date of composition and Firmicus' faith at the time. Chapter 1 separates these questions and reconsiders them individually through an analysis of the three characters which appear throughout the text: Firmicus, the emperor, and the addressee Mavortius. The second part of the thesis considers the Mathesis within the intellectual culture of the fourth century. It examines how Firmicus establishes his authority as a didactic astrologer, with an emphasis on Firmicus' use of his sources. Chapter 2 examines which sources are credited. It considers the argument that Manilius is an uncredited source through an analysis of the astrological theory of the Mathesis and the Astronomica. In addition, the astrological theory of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos is compared to the Mathesis to assess Firmicus' use of his named sources. The methods that Firmicus uses to assert his authority, including his use of sources, are compared to other didactic authors, both astrological or Late Antique in Chapter 3. This chapter examines whether Firmicus' suppression and falsifying of sources is found in other didactic literature. Chapter 4 considers possible reasons for the omission of Manilius' name and also the effect that this has had on intellectual culture and the place of the Mathesis within it.

Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa e à Inovação Tecnológica do Estado de Sergipe - FAPITEC/SE / In our thesis, it's analyzed the cadre of the political and military relations operated by the Visigoths face to the various political centers in which had contact during the Late Antiquity. We emphasized, specially, to the creation of the conflicts that, inevitably, erupted of the complex cadre of tension, conflicts and negotiations that were established between that cores. From a sequence of promulgated precepts by the Roman imperators and Visigoth monarchs, in various legal documents that produced during the Late Antiquity, we analyzed, also, how was conceived its political and military organization. Therefore, our research has an analytics condution marked by a view focused on the foreign policy and also on the constituent elements of the internal policy of the regnum. To effectuate this research, we used the theorical and methodological assumptions provided by the concept of Late Antiquity. This concept being stepped in a long term view, it was an important sinew deeply exact to the purposes of our research, once it was allowed to us to pay attention to a sequence of distinctive aspects of a specific past, but they ended up staying on the late-old picture, that it was constituted as the center of all of our analysis. Proving the perception that the History is composed of both disruptions and by continuities. / En nuestra Tesis, analizamos el cuadro de las relaciones político-militares desplegadas por los visigodos frente a los diversos núcleos políticos con los que establecieron contacto durante la Antigüedad Tardía. Hacemos hincapié, especialmente, en la naturaleza de los conflictos que, de forma inevitable, irrumpieron en el complejo marco de las tensiones, conflictos y negociaciones que se establecieron entre tales potencias. A partir de una serie de preceptos promulgados por los emperadores romanos y los monarcas visigodos, mediante los diversos documentos jurídicos que crearon durante la Antigüedad Tardía, analizamos, también, como concibieron su organización políticomilitar. Por tanto, nuestra investigación posee una conducción analítica que está marcada por una retrospectiva que afecta tanto a los aspectos relativos a la política exterior como a los elementos constituyentes de la política interna del reino. Para llevar a cabo esta investigación, utilizamos los presupuestos teórico-metodológicos adjuntos al concepto de Antigüedad Tardía. Estando dicho concepto fundamentado en una idea de larga duración, éste ha resultado fundamental al ajustarse a los propósitos de nuestra investigación, ya que nos ha permitido prestar atención a toda una serie de rasgos característicos de un pasado específico, pero que permanecieron en el ámbito tardo-antiguo, lo que se ha constituido como eje de nuestro análisis. Comprobando la percepción de que la Historia está compuesta tanto por rupturas como por permanencias. / Em nossa dissertação, analisamos o quadro das relações político-militares operadas pelos visigodos frente aos diversos núcleos políticos com os quais travaram contato durante a Antiguidade Tardia. Demos ênfase, especialmente, à natureza dos conflitos que, inevitavelmente, irromperam do complexo quadro de tensões, conflitos e negociações que se estabeleceram entre tais núcleos. A partir de uma série de preceitos promulgados pelos imperadores romanos e monarcas visigodos, nos diversos documentos jurídicos que produziram durante a Antiguidade Tardia, analisamos, também, como conceberam sua organização político-militar. Portanto, nossa pesquisa possui uma condução analítica marcada por um olhar voltado tanto aos aspectos relativos à política externa quanto aos elementos constituintes da política interna do regnum. Para efetuarmos esta investigação, utilizamos os pressupostos teórico-metodológicos fornecidos pelo conceito de Antiguidade Tardia. Estando esse conceito calcado numa ideia de longa duração, ele foi um importante sustentáculo profundamente afinado aos propósitos de nossa pesquisa, uma vez que nos permitiu atentar para uma série de aspectos característicos de um passado específico, mas que acabaram permanecendo na paisagem tardo-antiga, o que se constituiu como centro de toda a nossa análise. Comprovando a percepção de que a História é composta tanto por rupturas quanto por permanências.

Cette thèse étudie une question historique classique, celle de la transition entre l'évergétisme et la charité chrétienne, à travers l'étude des dons à la collectivité en Afrique du Nord tardo-antique, de la fin du IIIe siècle au VIe siècle. La recherche s'appuie sur les sources épigraphiques et littéraires africaines tardo‑antiques, et prend en compte les acquis de l'anthropologie du don. Pendant l'Antiquité tardive, l'évergétisme, pratique caractéristique des cités antiques par laquelle des aristocrates faisaient des dons à leurs concitoyens se renouvelle et disparaît progressivement. Selon l'interprétation couramment admise, cette pratique aurait été supplantée par un nouveau mode de générosité influencé par le modèle de la charité chrétienne. Devenus chrétiens, les habitants des cités africaines auraient tourné le dos aux modes de générosité propres à la cité antique pour se montrer généreux vis-à-vis de la communauté chrétienne de leur choix. À travers l'étude des discours et des pratiques du don, ce travail remet en question le modèle de la transition en montrant notamment que les deux modes de don ont largement coexisté durant les débuts de l'Antiquité tardive. Cette étude affine la chronologie des dons à la collectivité et montre que le christianisme n'est pas à lui seul responsable de la fin de l'évergétisme. Le travail revient sur l'expression « évergétisme chrétien », parfois utilisée dans l'historiographie pour désigner la permanence d'une logique évergétique au sein même du don chrétien. Sont également étudiés les usages du don à la collectivité : le don est autant source de lien social entre les acteurs qu'il est vecteur de conflit. / This dissertation addresses the problem of the transition from euergetism to Christian charity. The approach focuses on gifts to communities in Late Antique North Africa from the third century to the sixth century. The study uses epigraphical and literary documents and includes anthropological perspectives on gift-giving. During Late Antiquity, euergetism (public benefaction) changes and disappears slowly. According to most current theories, euergetism would have been replaced by a new form of generosity, based on 'Christian charity'. Progressively converted to Christianity, the Romano‑Africans would have given up classical civic generosity, turning instead to the Christian communities. This dissertation studies the discourse and practice of gift-giving and challenges the idea of a transition from euergetism to charity, showing that both types of gifts coexisted in early Late Antiquity. This theory clarifies the chronology of Late Antique generosity and analyzes the expression 'Christian euergetism'. Finally, the study examines the uses of benefaction and shows that gift-giving strengthens social bonds while simultaneously generating tension.

Mon sujet de thèse vise à étudier tous les aspects de la production textile au Soudan à l’époque méroïtique (300 avant J.-C. – 400 après J.-C.). En tant que production artisanale, les tissus sont les fruits de très nombreuses étapes de fabrication, depuis la culture de la fibre à sa transformation en fils, et jusqu’au tissage. Les textiles sont également un des piliers de la culture matérielle des sociétés antiques. Ils y remplissaient des fonctions très variées, liées à l’habillement ou au mobilier, dans tous les contextes, aussi bien urbains, cultuels, que funéraires. D’autres questions devront être abordées, comme celle du commerce avec le monde romain, ou celle de la place de la production textile soudanaise dans les espaces plus larges de la vallée du Nil ou du monde méditerranéen. Ma thèse aura pour objectif de documenter tous ces thèmes, touchants différents domaines comme l’archéobotanie, les études textiles, les analyses iconographiques, l’archéologie et l’histoire.Mon travail consistera à rassembler et analyser les outils, les tissus et les reliefs montrant des costumes, chaque groupe documentaire éclairant un ou plusieurs aspects de la production textile. Il s’agira aussi d’observer les contextes archéologiques afin de déterminer les différentes modalités de production et d’utilisation des tissus. Une telle étude, se basant sur un riche corpus d’objets souvent inédits, permettra d’illustrer un domaine peu connu de la culture matérielle et économique du Soudan méroïtique. / . This research aims to study every aspects of textile production in ancient Sudan and Nubia during the Meroitic period (300 BC – AD 600). Textiles are the result of a multi-faceted craft which involves a long and complex chaîne opératoire, from growing and harvesting the fibres to spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing. Fabrics and cloths also played a central role in the material culture of ancient societies. They fulfilled numerous and varied functions related to clothing or furnishing in many everyday-life contexts, such as the house, the town, or the temple, but also during the after-life, taking part in funerary rituals and protecting the deceased. This study moreover considers the economic aspects of textile production, notably trade with the Roman provinces and the integration of the Sudanese production into larger geographical regions along the Nile valley and the Mediterranean basin.My doctoral thesis explores these different themes following a multidisciplinary approach, using methods from the fields of archaeobotany, textile studies, iconographic analysis, archaeology and history. The work is based on the gathering of hundreds of previously unpublished data in 3 databases: textiles from old and new excavations, textile production implements, and images of costumes on various media. In correlation with the study of archaeological contexts and findspots, the analysis of each corpus illustrates, for the first time, the diversity of Meroitic textile production and usage. In doing so, this research participates in a recent effort in Sudanese archaeology to shed light on the little-known material culture and economic history of the Meroitic kingdom.

The orans, although a gesture with a long ‘pagan’ past, was easily adopted by Christians for its symbolic meanings of prayer and piety and quickly attained a number of other more nuanced meanings as it was refined and reused. By restricting the scope of this thesis to the orans in the Christian catacombs of Rome, it becomes possible to approach the figure from a multi-directional perspective, not merely concerned with what the gesture meant to the Christian, but with its literary and material pedigrees, its transition to Christian art, and its cultural significance. To this end, chapter one examines ‘pagan’ precursors of the Christian orans through an examination of coins, sculptures, inscriptions, and reliefs, as well as by looking at the two figures whose appearance most influences that of the orans – the goddess Pietas, and the Artemisia-Adorans funerary portrait type. Chapter two addresses the importance of the orans in the Christian literary community, and examines not only the actual usage of prayer with raised hands by the Christian faithful, but also examines the aesthetic and theological reasons for the popularity of the gesture – the parallel between the spread arms of the orans and the posture of the crucified Christ. Finally, chapter three presents a spatial-thematic analysis of the usage of the orans in the Roman Christian catacombs, using a corpus of 158 orantes. This chapter enables the reader to draw conclusions about the veracity of the academic theories presented in the previous chapters, as it compares the usage of the orans against its scholarly interpretation.