Neptune and Oceanus in Romano-British Mosaics: A Special Case?

Year 2025, Issue: 18, 413 - 430, 11.11.2025

Patricia Witts

https://doi.org/10.26658/jmr.1814202

Abstract

The distinction between depictions of Neptune and Oceanus is usually clear. Neptune has a trident, while Oceanus has crustacean claws emerging from his head. It has long been noted, however, that some figures in Romano-British mosaics have both trident and claws. These include depictions from Withington and from Ashcroft Villas, Cirencester, which might otherwise be regarded as Oceanus, as well as a figure in a mythological scene from Pitney where the context indicates that this must be Neptune.
The presence of the trident to identify Neptune does not seem to have been essential: a bust with crustacean claws but no trident in a mosaic from Frampton is accompanied by an inscription naming him.
This paper reviews the possible representations of Neptune or Oceanus in Romano-British mosaics to consider which is likely to be the correct identification and whether, as others argue, the imagery of some of the mosaics is conflated or confused.
The evidence from other media, and in particular a coin of Carausius, is assessed; on this basis, it is concluded that most of the figures probably represent Neptune. The unique geographical position of Britain, separated from the rest of the Roman empire by Ocean’s stream, is the explanation for the addition of crustacean claws.

Keywords

Neptune , Oceanus , crustacean claws , trident , Carausius.

Roma-Britanya Mozaiklerinde Neptün ve Okeanos: Özel Bir Durum mu?

Abstract

Neptün ve Okeanos betimlemeleri arasındaki ayrım genellikle açıktır: Neptün tridentiyle tanımlanırken, Okeanos’un başından çıkan kabuklu kıskaçları bulunur. Ancak, Roma-Britanya mozaiklerinde kimi figürlerin hem trident hem de kıskaçlarla tasvir edildiği uzun süredir bilinmektedir. Bunlara, Withington ve Cirencester’deki Ashcroft Villaları’ndan örnekler -ki aksi takdirde Okeanos olarak yorumlanabileceklerdir- ile konteksti onun Neptün olduğunu açıkça gösteren Pitney’deki mitolojik sahneden bir figür dâhildir.
Neptün’ün tridentle ayırt edilmesi zorunlu görünmemektedir: Frampton’daki bir mozaikte, yalnızca kabuklu kıskaçlara sahip bir büst, herhangi bir trident olmaksızın, yazıtta Neptün olarak adlandırılmıştır.
Bu çalışma, Roma-Britanya mozaiklerinde Neptün ya da Okeanos’a ait olabilecek betimlemeleri yeniden gözden geçirerek doğru kimliğin hangisi olabileceğini ve kimi araştırmacıların ileri sürdüğü üzere, bazı mozaiklerdeki imgelerin birbirine karışmış ya da muğlak olup olmadığını tartışmaktadır.
Diğer malzeme gruplarından, özellikle de Karausius dönemine ait bir sikkeden elde edilen kanıtlar da değerlendirilmiştir. Bu bağlamda, figürlerin büyük çoğunluğunun muhtemelen Neptün’ü temsil ettiği sonucuna varılmıştır. Britanya’nın, Roma İmparatorluğu’nun geri kalanından Okeanos’un akıntısıyla ayrılan özgün coğrafi konumu, kıskaç motifinin eklenmesini açıklamaktadır.

Keywords

Neptün , Okeanos , kabuklu kıskaçlar , trident , Karausius.

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