Statuae Deorum Hominumque: The Distinction in Epigraphic Statuary Terminology between Divine and Human Representation in Africa Proconsularis and Beyond

Abstract

The sheer number of Latin words for ‘statue’ suggests that there might be some semantic difference among them. Some scholars have claimed that statua and imago refer only to statues of persons, while signum and simulacrum are reserved for statues of gods. Analysis of epigraphic evidence from Africa Proconsularis reveals that this assessment is only partially valid: statua is used indiscriminately for human and divine statues. Evidence from the rest of the Roman Empire confirms the flexibility of the term statua.