Some funerary altars of Aquileia dating in the 1° century AD show images of women
inspired, in attitude, attributes and gestures, by Greek stelai of classical and Hellenistic
periods. These figures do not belong to the traditional repertoire of north-Italic
ateliers, and are widespread in different forms also in the funerary art of several Roman
provinces. This paper follows the traces of these philhellenes matronae, investigating
the geographical spread of their tombs, the chronological framework, the relationship
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with the type and the iconography of the monument, and finally the meaning of this
particular phenomenon.
