This lecture explores the intersection of Roman Mediterranean performance traditions with religious cults and propaganda during the 3rd century CE in the context of the global dissemination of Roman performance.

Tuesday, January 9, 2024
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
306 Royce Hal
Los Angeles, CA 90095

This lecture explores the intersection of Roman Mediterranean performance traditions with religious cults and propaganda during the 3rd century CE in the context of the global dissemination of Roman performance. It presents two case studies: the utilization of Roman entertainment in the dissemination of Syrian-Phoenician religions by Emperor Elagabalus and the use of imagery depicting Roman Mediterranean performers by Chinese intellectuals and officials to portray the image of Buddha. To support the first point, this lecture relies primarily on the account of Elagabalus by the 3rd-century author Herodian, which contains rich references to Elagabalus’ engagement with Roman performance. These references demonstrate that Roman performance served as a crucial vehicle for Elagabalus to promote the Emesan cult of the sun and bolster his legitimacy. For the second point, the lecture conducts an analysis of the portrayal of Buddha’s power in Lihuolun, the earliest surviving indigenous Chinese Buddhist document from the 3rd century CE, in the context of the presentation of Roman performers at the imperial Chinese New Year banquet in 121 CE. By examining these two case studies, this lecture illustrates how Roman performance interacted with different religious traditions as it expanded globally.

Yanxiao He (he/him) recently finished his PhD in ancient history from the University of Chicago. He is now the Shuimu Postdoc Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities at Tsinghua University, Beijing. His major research interests include: the Hellenistic and Roman East, Greco-Roman performance studies, the Silk Road Studies, and classical receptions in East Asian media. He won the 2021 Erich S. Gruen Prize from the Society for Classical Studies andwas awarded an honorable mention for the 2021 John J. Winkler Memorial Prize.

Cost : Free and open to the public

Download file: Yanxiao-He-Flyer-qo-srn.pdf

Sponsor(s): Global Antiquity