Un piatto in sigillata italica con gigantomachia da Civitella D'Agliano (VT)

This contribution focuses on an exceptional plate in Italian Terra Sigillata that was found in a Roman Cistern near the present-day village of Spoletino (VT), in Southern Etruria, along the right bank of the Tiber River. The plate, whose production can be dated in the late 1st-2nd century AD, bears a complex inner decoration in relief representing the gigantomachy. In the circular central emblema the final victory of Zeus is represented, whereas all around the exterior annular ring single monomachies between gods and giants are depicted. The plate is fragmentary but, even though, Ares, Athena, Dionysos and Herakles can be identified. The overall model for the scenes and for the single figures can be traced back to the Altar of Pergamon or to some later reinterpretations of this prototype. It is well known that the topic of the gigantomachy came back into fashion all over the empire from the Augustan age onwards, with a boom in the 2nd and 3rd century AD. However, it is important to stress that no direct comparisons are known for such a dish, which was most likely made by imitating (or moulding) models in precious metals.