Divine and hero: considerations on the material culture of the cult of Antinous in the cities Mantineia and Bithynion-Claudiopolis

• Grant number: 24/22492-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Archeology - Historical Archaeology
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Figueira da Hora
• Grantee: Maria Eduarda Scatena Brançam
• Host Institution: Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia (MAE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The period of the Roman Empire was responsible for producing considerable amounts of materials, which was perpetuated over the years. Among these figures of extensive materiality is Antinous (c. 110-130 CE), who was the favorite slave of Emperor Hadrian (76-138 CE). During a visit to Egypt, Antinous died drowned in the river Nile. After his death, Hadrian deified him and instituted a religious cult in his honor. When observing the location where tributes were made in honor of the young man, it is noted that most of the objects and potential places of worship were found in the eastern region of the Empire, in addition to the textual records referring to the fact that religious manifestations were also more intense in the East. Researchers have recently been dedicating themselves to developing works that seek to understand the various aspects of his cult and the objects that were produced. This work aims to continue the investigation into the cult of Antinous, with the spatial focus of the cities of Mantineia (Peloponnese) and Bithynion-Claudiopolis (Anatolia), in order to identify, map, and analyze the collected and assembled data that are available when dealing with the materiality that is present in coins, sculptures, and temples, to enable us to understand his presence and observe the specific aspects that we have when comparing the reality of two urban environments, composing a parallel with the imperial context in terms of the material forms that prove his belief.