The Roman Sculpture of Carnuntum

The aim of this project is a scientific revision of stone monuments from Carnuntum, the capital of the Roman province of Pannonia. Because of the extensive quantity of Roman sculpture found in Carnuntum, the idea is to focuse on the category of sacral monuments. Especially this group of monuments has been particularly enlarged by important finds during the last decades, so that a critical revision of this important archaeological source is one of the actual desiderata in the scientific research of this region. One of the main aspects of this research project will consist in an interdisciplinary approach. By a cooperation of archaeologists (Institut für Kulturgeschichte der Antike, Austrian Academy of Science) and epigraphers (Institut für Alte Geschichte, Altertumskunde und Epigraphik, University of Vienna) it is intended to discuss problems of art history (for example items of iconography, chronology, stilistic development, function, reconstruction) as well as general historical aspects (concerning for example social and religious history or local topography and find context). This seems to be the only way to achieve a comprehensive re-valuation of the monuments in their specific cultural context. The results of our research will be presented in three different ways: - The results should first of all be published in a traditional way as a monograph exceeding the limited possibilities of the established "Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani" (CSIR). - The database will be compatible to existing database-systems, like the "Ubi-erat-lupa"-project on the World Wide Web and the inventory system of the regional government of Lower Austria. - Finally, the close cooperation with the Museum Carnuntinum and the "Archäologisches Zentraldepot des Landes Niederösterreich" seems to be an ideal platform for the presentation of the scientific results to a broader public.

Sculptures and inscriptions carved in stone are among the most significant historical documents of Roman provinces. The new inventory of and scientific research on the religious monuments of Carnuntum allows for the first time a global overview of cultic activity in the capital of Pannonia superior during approximately three centuries. A total of 770 sculptures, reliefs, inscription panels, altars, pedestals and decorated pieces of architecture in evident or assumptive relation with roman religion have been registered in different public and private collections. Numerous monuments only became accessible again through this recording. 136 pieces have been unpublished before. The objects have been recorded, photographed, partly sketched, and led to an interdisciplinary analysis, all described und scientifically classified. All available information out of publications, notes, archives and inventories have been exploited and added to the data collection. New information was obtained by integration in a GIS- system as well as from the petrographical analysis of marble artefacts. We are now disposing of an extensive basis of material related to religious activity in Carnuntum satisfying current standards of documentation and research, which will be published in printed and in electronic form. Unlike the classification applied in previous volumes of Corpus signorum imperii Romani (CSIR), we chose a thematic grouping of the stone monuments which allows a profound examination of specific issues. Thus, a multi- faceted picture is drawn of the religious history of Carnuntum by analysing the relevance of different cults, to range from the most common gods Iupiter and Silvanus to the deities of oriental origin, which are especially important in Carnuntum. The differentiation of groups of dedicants provides an insight into the social structure of roman Carnuntum. The evolution and the characteristics of local stonemasonry production are depicted as well as the chronology and the consistency of imported sculpture. The repartition of sanctuaries and religious monuments is integrated into the recently elaborated topographical overall plan of Carnuntum. Last but not least the activities of modern falsification workshops may be pointed out and discussed. The results offer a so far unknown detailed and complex view of the `sacral landscape` of Carnuntum and form an ideal scientific background for the planned activities trained on a broad public such as exhibitions and popular publications.