The Antiquaries Journal· 2026Q1
REASSESSING THE SCULPTURAL LANDSCAPE OF IMPERIAL GABII
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Newly examined evidence from the Borghese Archives, including over thirty life-sized statues and numerous fragmentary sculptures, reveals a richer civic, imperial, and religious display in imperial Gabii than previously understood.
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Key points
- Gabii's sculptural assemblage includes over thirty life-sized statues from 18th-century excavations.
- A previously understudied inventory from the Borghese Archives details additional fragmentary sculptures, including imperial portraits and mythological figures.
- Integrating archival material with the city's archaeological record clarifies Gabii's civic, imperial, and religious display.
- The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Gabii as a liminal city in the imperial period.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This paper sets out to consider anew the sculptural landscape of imperial Gabii by integrating newly examined evidence with the city’s archaeological record. Long portrayed in ancient sources as a city in decline after the Middle Republic, Gabii yielded an extraordinary assemblage of more than thirty life-sized statues during the excavations of the eighteenth-century antiquary, Gavin Hamilton. A previously understudied inventory from the Borghese Archives attests additional, largely fragmentary sculptures, ranging from imperial portraits to mythological figures, that expand our understanding of the city’s civic and cultic environment. By situating the archival material within the city’s archaeological context, the civic, imperial and religious display of the city comes more sharply into view, and contributes towards a more nuanced understanding of this liminal city in the imperial period.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. The Antiquaries Journal, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Classics
ClassicsArts and Humanities