Lecture in NYC during the week of the Rutgers BSC

Lecture in NYC during the week of the Rutgers BSC

October 16: John Pollini, Professor of Classical Art & Archaeology
Department of Art History, University of Southern California, Co-sponsored
by the New York University Center for Ancient Studies, at Jurow Hall, NYU
Washington Square. Lecture at 6:30 P.M., reception to follow.

Christian Destruction and Desecration of Images of Classical Antiquity

In popular culture Christianity is remembered for the art, architecture,
customs, rituals, and myths that it preserved from the classical past. It
is rarely acknowledged, however, that Christianity also destroyed a great
deal in its conversion of the Roman Empire. The material evidence for
Christian destruction has often been overlooked or gone unrecognized even
by archaeologists. Professor Pollini's talk examines various forms of
Christian destruction and desecration of images of classical antiquity
during the fourth to seventh centuries, as well as some of the attendant
problems in detecting and making sense of this phenomenon. This talk is
based on Professor Pollini's present book project, "Christian Destruction
and Desecration of Images of Classical Antiquity: A Study in Religious
Intolerance and Violence in the Ancient World," for which he received
fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the American Council of
Learned Societies.