Bellerophon in Ravenna: Reflections on the Iconography of the Hero in Late Antique Mosaics

The article examines the theme of Bellerophon slaying the Chimaera, taking inspiration from the mosaic in the imperial palace of Ravenna. This subject is depicted in the triclinium, along with an inscription encouraging the enjoyment of the fruits of the Seasons, represented as busts of personifications within the same setting. This example can be linked to a long iconographic tradition which, in Late Antiquity, may take on – and sometimes combine – different meanings within a shared expressive system attributable to the aristocratic class