Meaning in Context: Continuous Narrative in Roman Painted Panels

Continuous narrative-a single scene in which the same figure appears more than once-is found in the art of many cultures and periods. Within the context of ancient Roman art, there has been considerable theoretical discussion concerning continuous narration, but little investigation based on the surviving evidence. This oversight is particularly unusual when one considers that the mythological panels decorating the walls of Pompeian houses allow an excellent reconstruction of the ancient context in which continuous narrative was displayed and viewed. When examined in their programmatic context, the panels allow for the reconstruction of more subtle shades of intention and meaning than would be possible with isolated objects. In fact, when these images are examined in their original location with their planned assemblage, they demonstrate that the continuous narrative technique was used in much more subtle and varied ways than previously imagined. This project is unique in allowing the art to elucidate how and why the Romans used continuous narrative, rather than making the art fit a particular theory. The first chapter addresses the scholastic history of continuous narrative and demonstrates how previous scholars have been preoccupied with a single, over-arching theory of continuous narrative and have neglected to closely examine the art itself. In the second chapter, the continuous narrative panels are examined within the context of their location, association with other panels, visual tradition and literary history. Chapter three explores Roman attitudes and expectations toward the art that decorated their homes. Rather than treating the panels as "texts" that need to be "read," it examines Roman approaches to creating, displaying, viewing and understanding art, which are different from those of the Greeks. Chapter four reviews the evidence and concludes that there is no single, universal meaning behind the use of continuous narrative. Continuous narration is simply one potential means of artistic expression that can be used to meet a variety of functions and purposes. Nonetheless, the nature of continuous narrative-which highlights more than one scene from a myth-often results in its use when a more complicated and sophisticated expression of meaning is desired.