Olympia and
Munich Trajans, FWIW. My mere teaching squibs are provided from File Info:
•
Munich, Glyptothek.
Bust of
Trajan, wreathed and with an
aegis (note snakes and
gorgoneion) over
his shoulder. Here the
gorgoneion is of more human character, like the famous Rondanini.
• Olympia Museum, from the fountain exedra of Herodes Atticus, Hadrian's Athenian banker friend, in the sanctuary at Olympia.
Portrait of
Trajan as Zeus/Jupiter,
complete with
eagle as in the
Vatican Claudius. The date of execution, of course, is that of the exedra of Herodes which it was made to adorn, but the
type dates either from the end of Trajan's reign or, more likely, from the date of
his deification when
Hadrian would have
had a divine
type specially created (not that the divine
types are always posthumous--they aren't). Anyway, you see why we call the New
Iberia Hadrian* a
Jupiter type. Since
Trajan is here in the exedra, one of the matronly female
portraits has to have been
Plotina, who not only was
his empress but was also Sabina's great aunt.
* I have heard that the New
Iberia bank sold its
Hadrian. I guess some other bank bought the little bank.
My reason for posting them here is my conviction that the bare
bust, with or without attributes, implies the divine character of the
Augustus. Now, neither of them wears a
paludamentum (Gods don't). Therefore, I am inclined to regard a bare
bust with stuff on the left shoulder as alluding to a half-draped
Jupiter or to an aegised Zeus-Jupiter, rather than to the emperor as
Imperator (commader in chief of the legions or
victor). I don't think I'm being arbitrary, because
Romans all over the Imperial world saw
statues with this stuff all the time and, I think (if they looked at all), would recognize it on coins.
Pat L.
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