Season Personifications and Iconography in Roman Imperial

Personification: İt is the art of making a thing, place or Abstract concept behave like a person. In Roman art, we generally see the preference for personification as an artistic element, which developed under the influence of Greek art, during the Imperial Period. It is mentioned in the tablet series called “Mul Apin” regarding seasonal iconography, the origins of which go back to Egypt and Mesopotamia. According to these tablets; Enlil, Anu, Ea and Anu were also given the role of personification of the seasons in their mytological duties and authorities. In Egyptian sources, there are three seasons (Akhet, Proyet and Shomu),while in Ancient Greece, there are initially two seasons. These seasons are: Thallo which is considered the spring season when Persophone returns from the underworld and Carpo which is considered the six month winter season when Persophone returns to the underworld. In the art of the Roman Imperial Period, we see the personification of the four seasons: Phthinophoron, Cheimon, Theros and Eiar. The purpose of the study is to examine the reasons fort he widespread use of season personifications in the art of this period and the iconographic meanings attributed to these personifications. As people and artist’ ideas about gods and natüre changed, interest in seasonal personifications increased. Season personifications, which were widely used in the art of the Roman Imperial Period, were depicted as asexual figures, male or female, combined with plants or animals, or alone with various attributes. We usually see these types of depictions on mosaics and sarcophagi. When season personifications were examined, it was observed that there was no gender or specific figüre that consistently represented each season. Therefore, in order to define seasonal personifications more clearly, the unique images of each season must also be examined.