Conference Presentations by Nirvana Silnovic
Acta Ant. Hung., 2018
A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on dis... more A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on dis- play in the Archaeological Museum in Split. Despite its visibility, the relief has so far remained unpub- lished. It is therefore the aim of this article to provide the detailed description of the object, and to con- textualize it within the broader framework of “small and miniature reproductions of the Mithraic icon”. Based on this, the original provenance and dating of the miniature relief are proposed. Furthermore, the relief is taken as a fine example of interconnectedness of social, material, and religious mobility in “globalizing Roman world”. The final part of the article discusses the psychological effectiveness of miniature Mithraic reliefs, suggesting their possible role as memory aids.
MA Thesis by Nirvana Silnovic
CALL FOR PAPERS by Nirvana Silnovic
The conference will focus on the polychrome appearance of stone monuments in the Roman provinces.... more The conference will focus on the polychrome appearance of stone monuments in the Roman provinces. Although numerous examples with well-preserved colour settings from different regions of the Roman Empire have survived, research into them is still in its infancy. In contrast to the sculptural and architectural heritage of the Mediterranean region, no comprehensive studies on the use, the extent, and the materiality of coloured surfaces on stone are yet available for the peripheral areas of the empire.
Recent interdisciplinary innovation in the fields of materials science and digital heritage have ... more Recent interdisciplinary innovation in the fields of materials science and digital heritage have had a transformative impact on our understanding of how artworks, architecture and artefacts were presented to Roman audiences and the way contemporary audiences can engage with them in the museumscape and digital arena. Polychromy is pivotal to this interface since colour is a central component of the lived experience that creates connections between people, places and things. Yet, colour is often under-represented in archaeological reports and barely acknowledged on information boards in exhibition spaces.
Conference and Workshop Organizations by Nirvana Silnovic
The Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies (CEMS) at Central European University and its junior... more The Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies (CEMS) at Central European University and its junior members are proud to announce the forthcoming Fifth International Graduate Conference on Building, Bending, and Breaking Boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean World. This three-day conference invites graduate students of Late Antique, Islamic, Jewish, Byzantine, Medieval, Ottoman studies, and other related disciplines, to present their research on the manifold and complex processes of constructing, negotiating, transgressing, and subverting social, political, cultural or confessional boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean from Antiquity to the Early Modern period.
Papers by Nirvana Silnovic
Acta Illyrica, 2023
This paper examines the tauroctony relief from the village Dardagan, near Zvornik (Bosnia and Her... more This paper examines the tauroctony relief from the village Dardagan, near Zvornik (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and proposes a new interpretation of the monument. Contrary to previous views, which deemed the relief as a primitive work executed by an unskilled sculptor, the careful analysis of its stylistic, compositional, and iconographic features, as argued in the paper, reveals its semi-finished nature. Since the existence of the workshop at the quarry in Dardagan was recently proven, the tauroctony relief is interpreted as its product. Moreover, it is the sole evidence that, besides funerary monuments and architectural elements, the workshop also produced votive images for specific cults. The tauroctony from Dardagan represents a unique instance of a semi-finished Mithraic sculpture discovered at its production site within the Roman province of Dalmatia. Furthermore, an examination of archaeological reports and original photographs of Milica Kosorić allowed for a better understanding of the context of the tauroctony’s discovery, providing new insights into the small finds and rock-carved figures so far associated with the cult. It is argued that these finds cannot be linked to the cult of Mithras and that the existence of the mithraeum at the site remains hypothetical.
Carnuntum Jahrbuch, 2022
The lion crown from Carnuntum with extensive remains of original polychromy was recently investig... more The lion crown from Carnuntum with extensive remains of original polychromy was recently investigated within the framework of the "PolychroMon" research project (Austrian Academy of Sciences). The monument, an architectural component that was used as a separately worked crowning element of a large-format funerary stele, belongs to a well-known type found especially in the Danube-Balkan region during the later 2 nd and 3 rd centuries. It shows a pair of antithetically placed lying lions, each holding a ram's head under their right front paws. A head of a bearded man with a Phrygian cap is placed in the middle. The iconographic analysis suggests its identification as Iuppiter Sabazios, which would so far be a unique case among the known lion crowns. Investigations of the polychromy revealed the use of yellow and red ochre, green earth, and carbon black in lime binding, and permitted reconstruction of the painting technique in places. Moreover, the combination of different non-invasive investigation methods gives rise to the possible use of Egyptian blue.
Carnuntum Jahrbuch, 2022
A relief depicting Cautopates, reportedly found in the civilian settlement in Carnuntum, was acqu... more A relief depicting Cautopates, reportedly found in the civilian settlement in Carnuntum, was acquired by the Museum Carnuntinum in 1970. Both the execution and the distorted proportions show typical provincial characteristics observable in numerous other sculptures from Carnuntum, and based on its stylistic characteristics, the relief is approximately dated to the second half of the 2 nd cent. AD. The comparative analysis of similar types of sculptures with depictions of torchbearers from Mithraeum I and III from Carnuntum, as well as from elsewhere, allows its possible original function to be deduced. It is assumed that the relief was most likely installed at the end of the left podium, close to the entrance to the cella of a Mithraeum. Since the relief was not found in situ, it is not possible to associate it with absolute certainty with any of the known Mithraea from Carnuntum. Thus, the relief is possibly evidence of another, as yet unknown, Mithraeum in the civilian settlement. NM007313-001-787630_Carnuntum Jahrbuch_Cerna Beliv.pdf / 34. oldal NM007313-001-787630_Carnuntum Jahrbuch_Cerna Beliv.pdf / 34. oldal
Heritage, 2023
This paper presents the first results of a current interdisciplinary research project on the poly... more This paper presents the first results of a current interdisciplinary research project on the polychromy of Roman provincial stone artefacts in selected areas of the Danubian provinces (Poly- chroMon). The statuary group of Minerva and the Genius immunium from Carnuntum (Archaeological Museum Carnuntinum inv. CAR-S-48) is dated to the second half of the second century AD and still retains traces of the original polychromy. The aim was to focus on non-invasive techniques and to employ micro-invasive methods for necessary cross-checking and gaining information otherwise not accessible. The investigation revealed that paint was applied on a layer of white lime wash. Addition- ally, the object shows several traces of Egyptian blue, which was mainly detected in Minerva’s and the Genius’ clothes. Other pigments whose traces were found on the sculpture include green earth, yellow and red ochre, as well as red lead and carbon black. Microscopic analysis confirms the presence of modern-age compounds as well (barium sulphate and zinc oxide) used for modern retouches. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed the use of egg as the major proteinaceous binding medium in the red lead polychromy.
Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae , 2018
A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on dis... more A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on display in the Archaeological Museum in Split. Despite its visibility, the relief has so far remained unpublished. It is therefore the aim of this article to provide the detailed description of the object, and to contextualize it within the broader framework of "small and miniature reproductions of the Mithraic icon". Based on this, the original provenance and dating of the miniature relief are proposed. Furthermore, the relief is taken as a fine example of interconnectedness of social, material, and religious mobility in "globalizing Roman world". The final part of the article discusses the psychological effectiveness of miniature Mithraic reliefs, suggesting their possible role as memory aids.
Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 2018
Summary A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, i... more Summary A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on display in the Archaeological Museum in Split. Despite its visibility, the relief has so far remained unpublished. It is therefore the aim of this article to provide the detailed description of the object, and to contextualize it within the broader framework of “small and miniature reproductions of the Mithraic icon”. Based on this, the original provenance and dating of the miniature relief are proposed. Furthermore, the relief is taken as a fine example of interconnectedness of social, material, and religious mobility in “globalizing Roman world”. The final part of the article discusses the psychological effectiveness of miniature Mithraic reliefs, suggesting their possible role as memory aids.
Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarium Hungaricae, 2018
A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on dis... more A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on dis- play in the Archaeological Museum in Split. Despite its visibility, the relief has so far remained unpub- lished. It is therefore the aim of this article to provide the detailed description of the object, and to con- textualize it within the broader framework of “small and miniature reproductions of the Mithraic icon”. Based on this, the original provenance and dating of the miniature relief are proposed. Furthermore, the relief is taken as a fine example of interconnectedness of social, material, and religious mobility in “glob- alizing Roman world”. The final part of the article discusses the psychological effectiveness of miniature Mithraic reliefs, suggesting their possible role as memory aids.
Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU vol. 21, 2015
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Conference Presentations by Nirvana Silnovic
MA Thesis by Nirvana Silnovic
CALL FOR PAPERS by Nirvana Silnovic
Conference and Workshop Organizations by Nirvana Silnovic
Papers by Nirvana Silnovic
and everyday life) through connections and interactions with other members of the cult during cult and initiation activities comprising a small number of people. This would have nurtured a sense of belonging and communal consciousness and the idea of sharing. Personal relationships and interactions were significant for the Mithraic cult in order to recruit new members and, therefore, to keep the cult alive. Members of the cult mainly used their family relationships (Virunum album) or their professional connections (customs officials from Poetovio or military officials from Hadrian’s Wall). The dynamic element of the Mithraic communities revealed in this paper sits in opposition to the concept of Roman society but at the same time members of this cult wanted to be part of the hierarchical structure that Roman society constituted by being part of a dynamic religious community, like the one of the cult of Mithras.