Art and Archaeology Lecture Three

What’s interesting about looking at portraits of rulers?

 Through comparing portraiture types from single emperors we can develop a close
chronology for that specific emperor. This is even more accurate if the coins match the
sculpture types.
 There’s the theory that early portrait types should cease being produced when newer
models are released – but this relies on centrally created and widely spread models.
Furthermore, the terminus post quem relies heavily on the efficiency of such a distribution
pattern.
o Then we must wonder how far people followed specific portrait types?
 Economic model for portraiture distribution? How/why were these portraits shipped?
o Andrew thinks (especially considering close links to coin portraiture) there’s a google
case of state control of images.
 Fronto talks about the portrait of Marcus Aurelius – and says they’re not
very good (badly painted/bad likeness). Fronto doesn’t make it clear what
medium these portraits are in – could be panel portraits or sculpture.
 Pliny and Trajan – Specifically talking about a statue on the Turkish coast of
the black sea. This sculpture is bad so Pliny asks for a better model to be
sent out. This is usually seen as a strong imperial concern that goes down to
the provincial governor level to have good portraits. Alternatively, there
were just some really bad statues and unless someone saw it and fixed it
these bad statues would stay.
 Hadrian and someone else have similar conversations
 Similar things happen in modern dictatorships – where there are
different portrait types emphasising different events/qualities
o In short: We can believe in official types, but we have to allow for inefficiency and
errors in this system. There are differing levels of regional competence – asia minor
is good since there’s lots of wealth and elites, several high-grade locale marble
sources with good sculptors. Britain is the opposite – crappy stone, lower levels of
personal and civic wealth and less of a sculpture market.
 Types might be specific to certain areas – E.G. Veristic portraiture will be
more popular in Rome – where it’s not relevant in Egypt

Flavian:

 Distancing oneself from the Julio-Claudians – especially Nero.

o Veristic portraiture – Suggesting a restoration of Republican ideals (cursus
honorum), and a return to tradition
o Titus is following after Vespasian – they look very similar, but this might be because
they are related.

Nerva:

 There’s still somewhat veristic portraiture, but Augustan portraiture hairstyles.

o This portraiture is clearly idealised to some extent.
o Harkening back to the Julio-Claudian dynasty was a great way to get the senate on
his side after Domitian had terrorized them.
  No one is talking about restoring the republic at this point, but there may
have been a feeling that the senate was safer under Augustus, Claudius etc
than they were under Domitian.

Trajan:

 Andrew says he’s not like any of his predecessors and that he’s confident enough to be his
own man – he just says Nerva is his adopted father.
o This only really happens when he’s deifying his own biological father at the same
time.
 He also doesn’t see him as following any previous emperor in style – I still think it’s Julio-
Claudian esque, but that might just be the nature of a short, brushed forward hair style.
 He’s always physically above his soldiers – either larger when he’s standing or seated on an
elevated dias or a horse (trajan’s column’s/ frieze)

Hadrian:

 Huge step away – he’s pictured with a beard,

 his hair is longer and bushier. There’s no clear link between the two.
 There’s a debate as to whether Hadrian’s beard is actually a step toward Greek fashion or
whether it’s simply an advancing fashion.
o I don’t think it’s a reflection of Hellenophile – it’s more a reading of the text and
applying it to art.
o Also the theory that the beard is to cover up facial scarring.
o He might just not have been bothered to shave
 Trajan dies in Selucia when he’s returning from the Parthian Campaign. At this time Hadrian
is with him as he dies.
o Dio says there’s no witnesses to Trajan’s deathbed adoption – only Hadrian’s word.
Though Trajan’s wife backs him.
o The adoption coins are an effort to support the legitimacy of this claim.
o There’s also a papyrus with the governor of Egypt writing to local magistrates
announcing that Trajan has died and Hadrian has been proclaimed. Ergo Hadrian has
moved very fast to put the word out to provincial governors. This is all a bit hasty in
Andrew’s opinion – it seems like Hadrian is simply trying to consolidate his power
without challenge.
 Its significant that he’s not trying to make himself look like Trajan however, the succession
chain is still emphasised in imperial formulae
 After Hadrian the beard grows longer.

Antoninus Pious:

Lucius Verus:

 Verus has lots of extra time to do his hair – luxury grooming.

o It says that there’s time, money and slaves to do this sort of thing daily. It’s a strong
emphasis on life and luxury
o Virtuoso drill work on portraiture. This is a good place to talk about the newish focus
on greater drilling
 o Not a military beard.
o Maybe Lucius Verus is setting a trend which percolates out more widely – and
Marcus Aurelius fits more or less within this fashion – though not to the same extent
and his beard gets more philosopher like
 He dies of the Antonine Plague (small pox) which hits the Roman world in 165 and probably
got brought back from the east.

Marcus Aurelius:

 Marcus Aurelius’ beard grows longer as he ages.

o It also might be part of the philosopher fashion during the Second Sophistic
movement
o Could also be following a wider fashion
 Alternatively: it might be a common look among the Antonine emperors which still allow for
identifying features and individual features.

Commodus:

 Becomes very interested into mythology – especially Hercules (Hercules statues and coins)
 Still looks Antonine – very much like Lucius Verus with the big poofy hair.
 Gets murdered

PERTINAX:

 Restores the silver value of the coinage

 Tries to restore things.

Didanius Julianus:

 Wins auction to become emperor.

 Proclaimed emperor by troops in Rome

Civil War happens for about a year

Septimius Severus:

 From Lepcis Magna – Senatorial family? – wealth from olive oil

 Adoption type statue relating to Marcus Aurelius
o HOWEVER: people forget that he also related himself to Pertinax by taking his name
and some early statues show that he copied him.
 Really puts a lot of effort into adopting himself into the previous family – going so far as
claiming an unbroken line of succession back to Nerva. However he clearly wasn’t adopted
by Marcus Aurelius. There’s not blood relationship in any of this. THINK STATUE BASE FROM
OSTIA and Timgad
 There’s an official way/titulature in referring to the emperor. Doing this allows you to
emphasis visual cues in statues etc.
 Portrayed even on historical reliefs in the style of Marcus Aurelius

Caracalla:
  Septimius Severus dies AD 211 in York. Leaves Empire to Caracalla and Geta who hate
eachother.
 Campaign has been abandoned and Caracalla and Geta race to Rome.
 Caracalla murders Geta and proceeds with the Damnatio Memoria.
 When this happens Caracalla changes his look – short beard, short hair
o Super military looking and grumpy face
o Head turned to left emulating Alexander the Great
o Effort to keep the military on side - in fact the military’s pay is doubled between
Septimius Severus death and Caracalla’s death. They know they have to keep the
military on side.
 When Caracalla allows everyone to become citizens those new people take Aurelius as their
nomen.

Elagabalus and Alexander Severus:

 Went back to the more luxurious early third century type.

Soldier Emperors 235-238 :

 Short reigns – all military people rising through the ranks who develop enough a following to
sieze power through the army.
 The troops then get a donative (cash handout)
o The army gets wise to this (according to Andrew) so they make lots of emperors to
get lots of money
 Short hair and beard – chisel defined stubble/designer stubble (campaign beard)
 Complete antithesis of Lucius Verus – hair reflects constant movement and very busy. They
don’t have time for Luxury
o Hard work and hard lives
o Projecting force, resolution
 Reflects the fact that everything goes to shit at this time – economic
collapse, plague, war, etc.
o Portraiture seems to decline which may point to economic decline – combine this
with the lack of building, rebuilding (eurgetism), and honorific statues. This appears
to stop/collapse in the 230s
 Might be due to decreased metal output from mines
 Increased pressure on elites to fund civic development that they can’t
sustain
 Fewer chances to splash at
 More % of wealth being spent on defence.
 The best sculptors seems to move into sacraphogus works since this is
where the market goes.

Gordian I/Gordian II

 Wealthy senator playboys who have a base at El Jem, Tunisia

 Gordian I proclaimed by military, son goes with him.
 Then overthrown my Maximinus
 Then Gordian III takes over
 Then Philip the Arab
 And Trajan Decius.