Roman Identity and Lived Religion
Baptismal Art in Late Antiquity

Baptismal art shows how late antique Christian identity was influenced by popular Roman culture and by local understandings of Christianity.

Stefanie Lenk (Author)

9781009408653, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 February 2025

280 pages, 72 b/w illus. 31 colour illus. 12 maps
25.1 x 17.6 x 1.8 cm, 0.67 kg

Christianity is often considered prevalent when it comes to defining the key values of late antique society, whereas 'feeling connected to the Roman past' is commonly regarded as an add-on for cultivated elites. This book demonstrates the significant impact of popular Roman culture on the religious identity of common Christians from the fifth to the seventh century in the Mediterranean world. Baptism is central to the formation of Christian identity. The decoration of baptisteries reveals that traditional Roman culture persisted as an integral component of Christian identity in various communities. In their baptisteries, Christians visually and spatially evoked their links to Roman and, at times, even pagan traditions. A close examination of visual and material sources in North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Italy shows that baptisteries served roles beyond mere conduits to Christian orthodoxy.

1. The absence of Christian iconography and the presence of Roman cult and culture in the baptismal complex of Cuicul, Numidia
2. The use of non-Christian imagery in baptisteries
3. The conversion of a personification – the River Jordan in Ravenna.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1]