Graves always function on several levels. On the one hand, a self-designed grave is an expression of the buried person's self-expression and an attempt to control future memories. On the other hand, this endeavour is always dependent on the external perception of the deceased. This observation has been true from antiquity to the present day, but the rise of Christianity made it particularly significant in the Roman Empire of the 4th to 5th centuries. During this period of religious, political and social upheaval, a power-conscious new class, the Christian bishops, strove for influence. An eloquent testimony to this striving are the tombs of these churchmen who, due to the lack of standardisation of such burials, had greater freedom in their design than their predecessors or descendants. The tombs are monuments to representatives of the rapidly rising Christian religion, which function like a mirror of society and thus symbolise not only a place of remembrance of a deceased bishop, but also offer an insight into the position of the individual and religion in late antique society.

The aim of this dissertation project is not to make universal comparisons between the bishops' tombs or to proceed as before with a focus on the city of Rome. Instead, the tombs of the power-conscious bishops Ambrose of Milan, Damasus of Rome, Paulinus of Nola, Martin of Tours and Optatus of Timgad are analysed as case studies on various levels. The finding of the tomb itself as an expression of the bishop's self-representation in church and society represents the first level. However, this tomb design is subject to a reception by observers and successors. The project therefore traces how these sometimes extremely innovative burials were received by the bishop's successors. Did the tombs characterise a trend, were they upgraded or even devalued, did they form a point of reference for successors in office? Finally, the situation of the bishop in his episcopal see is also taken into account. What opportunities, difficulties and restrictions did the office bearer encounter in his specific urban context, what drove him and what effects did his episcopate and his burial place as a place of remembrance have on the city?

Through this holistic approach, the project will provide a comprehensive view of these early representatives of Christianity, which is individually adapted to the individual personalities and their situation: for the political, religious and social situation of the bishoprics in the cities under consideration culminates as if in a burning glass in the burials of their bishops, whose different approaches are contextualised and presented as individual solutions.

Duration: Since 2023

Supervision: Prof Dr Sabine Feist (Bonn) and Prof Dr Franz Alto Bauer (Munich)