The Image in the Ancient and Early Christian Worlds

This volume of essays by leading scholars in the field marks a conscious attempt to reassess the transition from ancient to Christian society and imagery, in the light of new theories and practices within the fields of art and cultural history. It is concerned with the marginal image in Roman art, Christian attitudes to pagan imagery, the early imagery of the Apostolic church, the meaning of Byzantine mosaics at Mount Sinai, and the complex interrelationships and conflicts of culture and criticism raised by the decorations of the Synagogue at Dura-Europos. The essays confront the important transformations in the study of this field that have occurred in recent years, and represent an important intervention in the study of Ancient and Early Christian art.