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In the Shepherd of Hermas, a Christian apocalypse from the 2nd century, the narrator sees his first two visions after departing from Rome «unto villages» (εἰς κώμας: 1,3; 5,1). For a long time, a number of scholars have regarded that phrase as a textual corruption for εἰς Κούμας, meaning that Hermas was travelling to Cume, a small town in Campania. The latter phrase is not attested as such by any witness of the Shepherd, but it can be inferred from both ancient Latin translations of the work. Scholars are still divided on this issue. The present paper aims at showing that the conjecture εἰς Κούμας should be retained, despite the sound general rule that attested readings have to be preferred as far as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars of late antique art commonly and uncritically accept that the Revelation provided the source for late antique church decoration. They rarely discuss the extent to which this text served as a basis for the vivid iconographies typical of late antique ecclesiastical décor. This paper explores how the imagery of Revelation impacted on late antique mosaic programs, considering as a crucial case study the triumphal arch of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore at Rome and, particularly, the motif of precious stones and jewels so frequent on several elements of the decoration. The latter also appears on a cornice, a jeweled band which later spread in the art of the whole empire, both in church and -- what is less known -- secular contexts. This motif will be explored first in a visual perspective and then defining its value in the culture of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]