Hadrian at IMJ - II
Fragmentary remains of a bronze statue of the emperor Hadrian (117 – 138 AD) discovered in a camp of the 6th Roman Legion, “Legio Ferrata”, near Tel Shalem in Israel. The statue is one of the few extant bronze sculptures of a Roman emperor. It was apparently used for the ritual worship of the Emperor. It portrays Hadrian in a typical pose of the supreme military commander greeting his troops.
The head is of the “Rollockenfrisur” type, which was widespread in the provinces and was characterized by the depiction of nine curls, which surround the face. The head and arm are attached to a cuirassed torso, which is decorated with a relief depicting a battle scene with a group of three pairs of archaic warriors who fight in duels. The cuirass also wears the “cingulum”, or the military belt, which indicates the wearer’s rank. The torso does not appear to be dressed in the paludamentum, or the military cloak which usually falls from the shoulders of cuirassed statues of Roman military generals, but is rather dressed with a type of scarf-like garment
Based on the current reconstruction it seems that the statue depicted Hadrian addressing the army in a pose of “adlocutio”, although a reconsideration of the angle of the arm has suggested that it in fact bent at the elbow in order to hold a spear or baton. Excavated from the same site were the fragmentary remains of a bronze head of a young boy, a number of lappets and straps from the cuirassed torso, and the large toe of a left foot.
Probably cast in an imperial workshop, the statue features the standardized likeness of the emperor, down to the unique shape of his earlobe, a symptom of the heart disease that eventually caused his death.
Source: Judaism and Rome @ judaism-and-rome.cnrs.fr
Roman bronze sculpture
135 – 137 AC
Jerusalem, Israel Museum
Hadrian at IMJ - II
Fragmentary remains of a bronze statue of the emperor Hadrian (117 – 138 AD) discovered in a camp of the 6th Roman Legion, “Legio Ferrata”, near Tel Shalem in Israel. The statue is one of the few extant bronze sculptures of a Roman emperor. It was apparently used for the ritual worship of the Emperor. It portrays Hadrian in a typical pose of the supreme military commander greeting his troops.
The head is of the “Rollockenfrisur” type, which was widespread in the provinces and was characterized by the depiction of nine curls, which surround the face. The head and arm are attached to a cuirassed torso, which is decorated with a relief depicting a battle scene with a group of three pairs of archaic warriors who fight in duels. The cuirass also wears the “cingulum”, or the military belt, which indicates the wearer’s rank. The torso does not appear to be dressed in the paludamentum, or the military cloak which usually falls from the shoulders of cuirassed statues of Roman military generals, but is rather dressed with a type of scarf-like garment
Based on the current reconstruction it seems that the statue depicted Hadrian addressing the army in a pose of “adlocutio”, although a reconsideration of the angle of the arm has suggested that it in fact bent at the elbow in order to hold a spear or baton. Excavated from the same site were the fragmentary remains of a bronze head of a young boy, a number of lappets and straps from the cuirassed torso, and the large toe of a left foot.
Probably cast in an imperial workshop, the statue features the standardized likeness of the emperor, down to the unique shape of his earlobe, a symptom of the heart disease that eventually caused his death.
Source: Judaism and Rome @ judaism-and-rome.cnrs.fr
Roman bronze sculpture
135 – 137 AC
Jerusalem, Israel Museum