DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26205#0009
INTRODUCTION
The present book is the first archaeological work to try to systematize the
images characteristic of Greek and Roman art, representing the personifications
of rivers or river gods. Information on such images has until now been limited
to encyclopedic publications1, works devoted to the problems of ancient
personifications1 2, catalogues covering the objects of the same kind3, or
monographs concerning the representations of a single selected river 4. Recently,
a dissertation has also emerged which deals with Greek representations of
river gods originating from before the Hellenistic period 5. However, there
is a need for even the smallest of synthesis dealing in problems associated
with such images, which could cover the objects of all categories that came
into being between the 7th century B. C. and Late Antiquity 6.
This gap is to be filled by the present woik which, however, claims neither
1 Among others, Lehnardt, ML, I, 1884—1890, pp. 1487—1496, s.v. Flussgotter-, O. Waser,
RE, VI, 1909, pp. 2774—2815, s.v. Flussgotter-, H. Sichtermann, EAA, III, 1960, pp. 715—717,
s. v. Fluviali, Divinita; E. G. Schmidt, Kl. Pauly, II, 1979, pp. 585—587, s. v. Flussgotter-, Weiss,
LIMC, Fluvii.
2 Among others, A. Gerber, Naturpersonifikationen in Poesie und Kunst der Alten, Jhb. f. klass.
Phil. Supplb. 13, 3, 1883; Amelung, Personifikationen; L. Deubner, ML, III, 1897—1903,
pp. 2068—2169, s. v. Personifikationen abstrakter Begrijfe\ Matz, Natupersonifikationen\ K. Robert,
Archaologische Hermeneutik, Berlin 1919, p. 46ff.; Reinhardt; F. Stossl, RE, XIX, 1937,
pp. 1042—1058, s. v. Personifikaliotv, R. Hinks, Myth and Allegory in Ancient Art, Studies of the
Warburg Institute 6, London 1939; Petersen; T. B. L. Webster, Personification as a Mode of
Greek Thought, JWCInst 17, 1954, pp. 10—21; Hamdorf.
3 Cf. Imhoof-Blumer.
4 Cf. Isler, Acheloos.
5 Cf. Weiss.
8 There exist of course articles devoted to selected problems connected with the images of
rivers, cf. among other: Gais; Dohrn, Flussgotter. The personifications of the Nile, the Tiber,
the Danube in Roman art are also discussed by Toynbee.
The present book is the first archaeological work to try to systematize the
images characteristic of Greek and Roman art, representing the personifications
of rivers or river gods. Information on such images has until now been limited
to encyclopedic publications1, works devoted to the problems of ancient
personifications1 2, catalogues covering the objects of the same kind3, or
monographs concerning the representations of a single selected river 4. Recently,
a dissertation has also emerged which deals with Greek representations of
river gods originating from before the Hellenistic period 5. However, there
is a need for even the smallest of synthesis dealing in problems associated
with such images, which could cover the objects of all categories that came
into being between the 7th century B. C. and Late Antiquity 6.
This gap is to be filled by the present woik which, however, claims neither
1 Among others, Lehnardt, ML, I, 1884—1890, pp. 1487—1496, s.v. Flussgotter-, O. Waser,
RE, VI, 1909, pp. 2774—2815, s.v. Flussgotter-, H. Sichtermann, EAA, III, 1960, pp. 715—717,
s. v. Fluviali, Divinita; E. G. Schmidt, Kl. Pauly, II, 1979, pp. 585—587, s. v. Flussgotter-, Weiss,
LIMC, Fluvii.
2 Among others, A. Gerber, Naturpersonifikationen in Poesie und Kunst der Alten, Jhb. f. klass.
Phil. Supplb. 13, 3, 1883; Amelung, Personifikationen; L. Deubner, ML, III, 1897—1903,
pp. 2068—2169, s. v. Personifikationen abstrakter Begrijfe\ Matz, Natupersonifikationen\ K. Robert,
Archaologische Hermeneutik, Berlin 1919, p. 46ff.; Reinhardt; F. Stossl, RE, XIX, 1937,
pp. 1042—1058, s. v. Personifikaliotv, R. Hinks, Myth and Allegory in Ancient Art, Studies of the
Warburg Institute 6, London 1939; Petersen; T. B. L. Webster, Personification as a Mode of
Greek Thought, JWCInst 17, 1954, pp. 10—21; Hamdorf.
3 Cf. Imhoof-Blumer.
4 Cf. Isler, Acheloos.
5 Cf. Weiss.
8 There exist of course articles devoted to selected problems connected with the images of
rivers, cf. among other: Gais; Dohrn, Flussgotter. The personifications of the Nile, the Tiber,
the Danube in Roman art are also discussed by Toynbee.