Mosaic of the Bulls and the Banquet
Mosaic of the Bulls and the Banquet
In collections
Metadata (MODS) |
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| Titles | Mosaic of the Bulls and the Banquet: |
| Name | Angela Kalinowski |
| Type of Resource | still image |
| Genre | Mosaic |
| Abstract | Mosaic depicting a banquet scene with bulls. Five male figures sit along a curved dining couch in the shape of an arena wall (stibadium)with a single goblet on it. Above each of these figures is an associated inscription. [N] OS NVDI [F] IEMVS; BIBERE VENIMVS; IA(M) MVLTV(V) LOQVIMINI; AVOCEMVR; NOS TRES TENEMVS (Dunbabin 1978 p.78). These inscriptions translate to: "We shall strip off"; "We have come to drink"; "You are talking too much"; Let us enjoy ourselves"; "We hold three" (Dunbabin 2016, p.205). Each of these figures also have a distinctive attribution: the first man on the left holds an upraised cordiform leaf and has another decorated on the sleeve of his right arm; the next two men both wear crowns, one with three spikes topped with an 'S", the other with five spikes topped by a fish respectively; the last two men on the right each hold a an object, the former a stalk of millet and the latter a staff topped with a crescent moon (Dunbabin 1978: p.78). In front of the table two attendants stand on either side of a large mixing-bowl and a small table with two jugs on it. The attendant on the left holds his finger to his mouth and the one on the right offers a cup to the men sitting around the table. Between the attendants is the inscription: SILENTIV(M) DORMIANT TAVRI, which translates to "Silence, let the bulls sleep" (Dunbabin 2016: p.205). In front of the attendants are five zebu bulls lying asleep. Each of the bulls have a mark on its hindquarters as identified by Dunbabin: a cordiform leaf, a fish, a millet-stalk a heavy-armed gladiator, and a mark that appears to be a sistrum (Dunbabin 1978: p.78). |
| Physical Location | Musée Nationale du Bardo, Tunis |
| Form | nonprojected graphic |
| Note | Dates to c. 3rd century CE. This appears to be a scene where venatores from different factions (sodalites) participate in a banquet with a depiction of the bulls that they will be fighting the next day (Dunbabin 1978: 79). It is unlikely that the banquet took place at the physical location of the arena (Dunbabin 2016: p.205). |
| Access Condition | Attributed to Angela Kalinowski under the license CC-BY-NC 4.0 |
| Access Condition | CC-BY-NC 4.0 |
| 3rd c. CE | |
| Subject Local Name | ----3rd c. CE--Roman--Mosaic--Arena--Amphitheatre--Inscription--Zebu--Bull--Venatio--Venator--Animal Show--Gladiator |
| Note | Blazquez Martinez, J.M, G. López Monteagudo, M.L. Neira Jimenez, M.P. San Nicola Pedraz, Pavimentos Africanos con espectaulos de toros. Estudio comparativo a proposito del mosaico de Silin, Antiquités Africaines, 26.1 1990, 155-204. Dunbabin, Katherine M.D. The Mosaics of Roman North Africa: Studies in Iconography and Patronage. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978. Dunbabin, Katherine M. D. Theater and Spectacle in the Art of the Roman Empire. New York: Cornell University, 2016. |