2023 Volume 65 Issue 2 Pages 93-113
The Julius Terentius Fresco, one of the most important works found in Dura Europos, shows the military tribune Julius Terentius performing a rite dedicated to the three gods represented in the upper left-hand part of the work. Previous studies have focused on identifying the deities by comparing them with other iconographies found in Dura Europos and the surrounding areas. However, the depiction of Terentius, together with his army, performing the rite has not been investigated. This paper examines the meaning and iconographical characteristics of this fresco, focusing especially on the sacrificial scene.
First, by comparing it with three iconographies from the Italian peninsula, depicting sacrifices performed by Roman army, it becomes clear that the fresco does not follow the tradition of Near Eastern sacrificial images, but rather that of Roman ones in its composition and its depiction of the priest. Besides the Terentius Fresco, three other sacrificial iconographies have been found in the same temple in Dura Europos. The Terentius Fresco and the other three images have some common characteristics: the hand gestures of the figures in the Terentius Fresco and the Conon Image are the same, and the depictions of the deities in the Terentius Fresco and the Otes Fresco are similar. An examination of the gestures with respect to the social situation suggests that the gestures were intentionally incorporated from the Conon family image in order to show respect for this important ancestor of the citizens of Dura in order to encourage the rapid spread of the Roman domination in the city.
This paper points out that the Terentius Fresco was probably created not only by following the Roman way of representing sacrificial images in its composition and its depiction of the priest, but also by incorporating some Near Eastern elements such as its gestures and representations of the gods. The fresco was clearly votive, but in the gestures of the soldiers it may also have had a meaning related to the social situation.
