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5 - Roman Emperors, Conquest, and Violence

Images from the Eastern Provinces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2020

By
Caillan Davenport
Edited by
Amy Russell  and
Monica Hellström
Amy Russell
Affiliation:
Brown University, Rhode Island
Monica Hellström
Affiliation:
University of Durham
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Summary

This chapter examines monuments and objects depicting the Roman emperor as a violent agent of conquest which were produced in the eastern provinces during the first and second centuries CE. Imagery of the emperor subjugating and enslaving peoples and provinces could be found on large public buildings, such as the Sebasteion at Aphrodisias, as well as on statues, coins, and terracotta votives. The creators and patrons of these imperial representations were influenced both by local (Greek, Egyptian) and by Roman concepts of rulership and artistic traditions. This desire to depict the violent treatment of foreign peoples by Roman emperors demonstrates that eastern patrons and artists sought to identify themselves with the civilised world of Rome, rather than with the subjugated barbarian ‘other’. The Roman emperor was thus envisioned as a protector of his people, and a guarantor of their safety and security. But it is probable that these images also carried a more sinister message, reminding the emperor’s subjects that he could punish them as well.

Keywords

Roman emperorsRoman imperial ideologyeastern provincesCaligulaClaudiusNeroDomitianTrajanHadrianCaracalla
Type
Chapter
Information
The Social Dynamics of Roman Imperial Imagery , pp. 100 - 127
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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