| Amy Quinn |
Comic Archaeology
The trickster slave’s origins can be found as far back
as the fourth century BCE, though slave statuettes
were not uncovered in notable quantities till after
the time of Menander (c. 290 BCE) (Webster et al.
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of the fourth century BCE in Athens, where they
were produced and exported. Terracottas were manufactured cheaply and are therefore excellent indicators of the impact of theatre on a wide social
spectrum. Depictions of theatrical characters reveal
a much broader social enjoyment of theatre than is
suggested by the written sources (Easterling and
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continued into late antiquity, with the objects copied
by local centres of production in Italy and throughout the Greek world for a mass market (Csapo and
Slater 1995, 55). From 320 BCE, slaves begin to
dominate the comic theatral material with their growing popularity peaking in the period 150-50 CE
(tab. 1) (Webster et al D ÀJ $W WKLV
time Plautus provided the fullest, most entertaining
interpretation of this character to the point where the
clever slave became the most recognisable symbol
of Roman comedy.
At this time, bronze was increasing as a
popular media for theatral art which may indicate
that these motifs entered a high level of Roman
society originally, inspired by Greek and Hellenistic designs, though there is still plenty of cheaper
material as well (Webster et al. DÀJ ²
From 50 BCE-50 CE slaves would remain the most
well-liked image of comedy and likely expressed an
active passion for the theatre (Webster et al. 1995a,
ÀJ )URP&(WKHUHLVDVWULNLQJGZLQGOLQJLQWKHÀQGVRIFRPLFPDWHULDOSRVsibly the result of changing interests and fashions.
The close of the second century CE saw the clever
slave’s era of popularity come to an end with the
continued lessening of comic objects across the
board (Webster et al. 1995a, 74).
Staging the Figurines
There is a plausible presumption that many of the
surviving statuettes were used decoratively in domestic settings, though for most pieces their archaeological context is unknown. There is also a current tendency to excavate other types of sites (e.g.
burial) which affects this kind of context analysis.
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of Olynthos, which was destroyed in 348 BCE and
remains one of the few urban sites in Greece to have
been completely excavated (Green 1994, 38). Despite these constrains, comparable comic depictions
strengthen the argument for the placement of these
statuettes in domestic contexts.
From the second century BCE, the villas
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p.16 | VOL I | INTER-SECTION | 2015