To celebrate the Christmas season, I thought I would share an act of iconoclasm that in a way is re-enacted in many corners of the world at this time of year. It is the story of how Saint Nicholas of Sion cuts down a ‘Christmas’ tree. Except that this tree is possessed by a demon […]
Category archives: Secondary Evidence
Dagon in Dura Europus
I have previously written above visual representations of iconoclasm (have a look here). Arguably, these can be interpreted as part of a “visual polemic” (Elsner’s term) against paganism. A fresco in the Dura Europus synagogue could be interpreted in the same way, but it is, of course, a depiction of a biblical scene. Wikipedia has […]
The Papyrus Goleniscev
A while ago, I wrote about a graffito in the Via Paisiello hypogeum that possibly is the only ancient depiction of iconoclasm (it is also shown in the header of this page). There is another illustration, however, that at least alludes to an act of iconoclasm, the so-called Papyrus Goleniscev, one of the happy survivals […]
A Depiction of Iconoclasm in the Via Paisiello Hypogeum
I better start off by explaining the photo at the top of this page. Here’s the full version: Actually, there’s another person, who is not shown here, on the left side of the statue throwing rocks. But what is shown here is a statue, identifiable by its base and a staff (Jupiter has been suggested), […]