Abstract
This is a publication of recent fi nds of relief bronze mirrors of the Roman period depicting Venus from excavations at the necropolis of the Yastrebovskoye-Berezhnoye-1 settlement (the Krasnodar Territory) and the Southern suburb of Taurian Chersonesus. A comprehensive approach is used, including stylistic and iconographic analysis, study of manufacturing technology, and the archaeological context of the fi nds. Analogies are identifi ed, and cultural and trade contacts of the region with the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, where such mirrors were presumably produced, are reconstructed. Mirrors of the Venus Victrix type refl ected not only the artistic preferences of the ancient elite but also served as markers of social status and interregional connections.
Keywords
Northern Black Sea Region, Roman era, relief bronze mirrors, Venus Victrix, Sarmatian aristocracy, cultural contacts, ancient art.
Viktor V. Vakhoneev, Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Sevastopol State University, Russia, Sevastopol, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Elena I. Arsentyeva, The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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