Fun post, @robinjojo ! Both of these emperors had fairly prominent noses. Lord Nerva also appears to have a rather long neck but I think that might be a result of artistic license on the part of the celator. When I was a child, I overheard my grandmother telling her friend about my uncle’s girlfriend. She said “Her neck’s so long, she’ll never die.” I looked it up and learned that those are lyrics from a folk song entitled “Old Joe Clark.” I’m not sure if the expression has some ancient history to it or not.
Take the nose. An extension of the face, I suppose To breath the perfumed air of the rose Or snort indignantly as one chose. It’s perched in noble profile Making a point all the while – For what would we do without the nose, Who knows? Is this from Cyrano?
No, something I composed on the spur of the moment. Sometimes my mind clicks, but most of the time it doesn't.
Would you say that Nerva had the prototypical Roman nose? He certainly seemed to take great pride in it.
But then there is also beauty, as typified by the coinage of Syracuse, whose portrayal of Arethusa, in many permutations, represent some of the finest expressions of numismatic art.
