Contorniate

Contorniate of Sallustius

A contorniate, or contourniate, is a species of medal or medallion of bronze, having a deep furrow on the contour or edge, as if the object had been turned in the lathe. These medals were not struck to be a form of money, but are believed to have been given as gifts,[1] and show the portrait of a variety of earlier emperors.

All that remain of these types of medals seem to have been made about the same time. Earlier scholars, such as Jean Hardouin conjectured them to have been struck around the 13th century,[2] but the current scholarly consensus is that the contorniate were issued in the fourth and fifth centuries CE.[3]

They were formerly thought to honor the memories of great men, principally those who had borne away the prize at solemn games. Such are those remaining of Homer, Solon, Euclid, Pythagoras, Socrates, Apollonius Tyaneus, and several athletae, whose victories are expressed by palms and chariots, either bigae or quadrigae.[2] Now the contorniate are generally viewed as associated with public spectacles, including the competitions in the circus and pantomime.[4]

The standard catalog of these medals is by Andreas and Elisabeth Alfoldi, Kontorniat-Medaillons, ISBN 3110034840 (v. 1) and 3110119056 (v.2).

References

  1. ↑ http://www.camws.org/southernsection/meeting2006/abstracts/slater.html
  2. 1 2  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "article name needed". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (first ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.
  3. ↑ Phillip Grierson, "Contorniate," Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.
  4. ↑ Grierson, "Contorniate," Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.


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