Materialising Divine Presences. Hercules domesticus Revisited

This article will focus on the contribution of images and their materiality (in all its aspects) to our understanding of the domestic sphere and household life in religious and cultural terms. In doing so, this paper adopts an integrated approach, blending studies of images and household archaeology. The following pages are the most recent product of a long-term ongoing research project concerning domestic imagery, with particular interest in its functions and meanings in ancient use-contexts, material as well as immaterial. 2 In this research, attention to the physical aspect of each image, taking account of the material and medium, as well as the space and context, has been a constant feature since the beginning. The sphere of the sacred was, and continues to be, an important aspect of this investigation process. The Vesuvian region has often been its main case study, because of its complexity and the quantitative abundance of its archaeological record, despite its intrinsic difficulties. Concerning the specific problems of the Vesuvian sample and its limits I have already commented elsewhere, but I will say something on this occasion too, as a premise, in order not only to clarify the coordinates of my work, but also as a memorandum. In my opinion, the need for better (in the sense of more informed and therefore more aware) knowledge (and consequently better use) of the Vesuvian sample cannot be stressed enough.