Inuenta est blandae rationis imago: Visualizing the Mausoleum of the Flavii

Abstract

The North African mausoleum of the Flavii family hosts a remarkable verse inscription that interrogates the relationship between writing and architecture by exploring a range of spatial and temporal dynamics. The poetry invites its audience to "visualize" the monument through a process that includes viewing the building's architectural language, reading the inscribed poetry as "literature," and constructing mental images in response to both stimuli. This visualization process, which also requires the audience to imagine the voices of various different characters involved in commissioning, constructing, and commenting on the monument, enacts a powerful form of commemoration.