It is the purpose of this article to present the archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence on the materials of honorific statues in Late Antiquity with a fresh outlook to delve into their cultural meaning and potential for manipulation and power display. The article questions how material choice and employment fits the conventions of state tradition and social customs, whether certain materials were deemed more prestigious and appropriate for the statues of the imperial family versus other honorands, and whether this prestige depended on the cost of the material or other visual/cultural factors. The results of the inquiry show that the choice of materials depended on a mix of factors and diverse local practices, and of all the available materials, bronze remained as the most widely-manipulated one.

中文翻译：

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“一尊铜像，古时用来尊崇少有的人”：古代晚期尊像材料

本文旨在以全新的视角呈现古代晚期尊像材料的考古、碑文和文学证据，以深入探讨其文化意义和操纵和权力展示的潜力。文章质疑材料的选择和使用如何符合国家传统和社会习俗的惯例，某些材料是否被认为比其他尊贵的皇室雕像更有声望和更合适，以及这种声望是否取决于材料的成本或其他视觉/文化因素。调查结果表明，材料的选择取决于多种因素和不同的当地实践，在所有可用材料中，青铜仍然是使用最广泛的材料。