STELELE FUNERARE DE LA APULUM
FUNERARY STELES FROM APULUM

Summary/Abstract: Funerary steles from Apulum can be classified into several groups following the presence or the absence of portraits and décor of architectural type. They reflect the fashionable tastes of the Roman inhabitants at the time as well. Funerary steles without portraits are very scarce, so the mainstream in fashion was to portrait the deceased person/persons on the steles; funerary steles with portraits are very common and can also be classified in several groups due to decor of architectural type; one group seems to be more in fashion than the others, with a semicircular niche with or without columns and with a triangular pediment. A close variant of this group has a type of attic instead of semicircular niche. Workshops from the two Roman towns at Apulum started production at the beginning of the second century A.D. but went into full production at the middle of the century and at the final part of the same century to reach a “golden age” in terms of production numbers but also in lavishing décor. On some funerary steles we can also observe an artistic touch, beyond the schematized pattern, especially in details, clothing and jewellery managing to convey an artistic thrill to the viewer.

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