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The Reuse of Classical Antiquity in the Palace of Madinat al-Zahraʾ and Its Role in the Construction of Caliphal Legitimacy

The Reuse of Classical Antiquity in the Palace of Madinat al-Zahraʾ and Its Role in the... The appearance of a group of Roman statues and sarcophagi in different buildings of the palace of Madinat al-Zahra⁠ʾ founded by Caliph ʿAbd al-Rahman III (r. 912–61) raises several questions about the revival of classical antiquity promoted by the caliphal court of Cordoba in the tenth century. The pieces—reused as basins for water fountains—had hitherto been considered irrelevant to the architectural and historical study of the caliphal palace, even though their discovery and location in specific buildings of the complex are essential to understanding and determining the function of these spaces. In addition, this discovery will help to interpret the range of the cultural development of the caliphal court and its relevance in the construction of political theory in al-Andalus in the tenth century. In this article I first examine the intellectual context in which these pieces were displayed, which lets us understand the reasons these particular characters—heroes, philosophers, and Muses—and scenes were chosen. I also consider the relationship these pieces had with their designated locations and to what extent their existence might suggest that these were spaces related to scientific and intellectual activities. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Muqarnas Online Brill

The Reuse of Classical Antiquity in the Palace of Madinat al-Zahraʾ and Its Role in the Construction of Caliphal Legitimacy

Muqarnas Online , Volume 31 (1): 1 – Oct 19, 2014

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0732-2992
eISSN
2211-8993
DOI
10.1163/22118993-00311P02
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The appearance of a group of Roman statues and sarcophagi in different buildings of the palace of Madinat al-Zahra⁠ʾ founded by Caliph ʿAbd al-Rahman III (r. 912–61) raises several questions about the revival of classical antiquity promoted by the caliphal court of Cordoba in the tenth century. The pieces—reused as basins for water fountains—had hitherto been considered irrelevant to the architectural and historical study of the caliphal palace, even though their discovery and location in specific buildings of the complex are essential to understanding and determining the function of these spaces. In addition, this discovery will help to interpret the range of the cultural development of the caliphal court and its relevance in the construction of political theory in al-Andalus in the tenth century. In this article I first examine the intellectual context in which these pieces were displayed, which lets us understand the reasons these particular characters—heroes, philosophers, and Muses—and scenes were chosen. I also consider the relationship these pieces had with their designated locations and to what extent their existence might suggest that these were spaces related to scientific and intellectual activities.

Journal

Muqarnas OnlineBrill

Published: Oct 19, 2014

Keywords: Al-Andalus ; Cordoba ; Madinat al-Zahra⁠ʾ ; Umayyads ; Islamic architecture ; palace ; classical antiquity ; classical revival ; Roman sculpture ; spolia ; philosophers ; Muses ; library ; school

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