Roman Portrait Grave Steles from Nicomedia and Bithynia (Northwestern Turkey)
Roman Portrait Grave Steles from Nicomedia and Bithynia (Northwestern Turkey)

Summary/Abstract: On some Roman grave reliefs from Nicomedia in modern Izmit-Kocaeliand, more generally, from Bithynia in north-western Turkey, the dead persons are depicted only as busts rather than entire figures. The bust form of portraiture was an appreciated form of displaying a portrait in interiors, such as houses. The busts on these tombstones are always labelled as „Roman”, but by examining both the hair and buststyles, we can determine the dates for these tombstones more precisely. In this brief note,grave steles of this kind from Nicomedia and Bithynia, which are known from published archaeological sources, will be presented in detail.

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