Physical descriptions of Roman Emperors.

Most people in the Ancient world thought of the Roman Emperors as towering semi divine individuals, this is in part thanks to a good PR department and because so few people actually saw their leader in person. Granted there were statues and paintings, but the average Roman probably never saw the Emperor in the flesh. Forunatatly the men who were around the Emperors, Senators, wrote most of the history books we have today and they usually include a description of the Emperor.

So I'll start off by describing a Roman Emperor and providing the source and a coin of said Emperor.
Here is an Emperor who shares many physical traits that I do, Emperor Constantius II.

" Low in statue; from waist to neck rather long, short legs; body strong, firm and capable of enduring toil; health preserved by riding, throwing the javelin, using the bow, and practicing military exercises, as well as by moderation in eating and drinking; complexion dark; eyes large and keen-sighted; hair soft, cheeks carefully shaven, smooth and healthy looking."

And for a coin!!

Constantius II AR siliqua
351-55 CE
Constantinople mint

Rev: VOTIS / XXX / MVLTIS / XXXX within wreath, Cºθ in ex

Slight cabinet tone with super detail and metal!

RIC 102

3.11g

21mm

Source:https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4172009.pdf

Now let's see some coins and phenotypes of some Roman Emperors!

 

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Wow, nice siliqua with a very expressive bust!

 

Thanks @John Anthony
Here is another Emperor and coin.
Arcadius:"Body short, thin and sluggish; dark complexion and eyes. Dullness of wit betrayed by speech and by eyes, which always seemed to be in the act of closing."

Feel free to post some coins!

 

Arcadius was certainly quite weak in appearance, and it seems that mints had no problem portraying him as such. He definitely looks like he's about to doze off on the first coin - actually it's very similar to the look my wife gives me when I start talking about coins...

 

Oh dear!

 

Cool OP!!

Well, I chose Claudius because Suetonius' description of him always struck me as the exact opposite of how an Emperor would appear in person LOL

And, I think I had those traits while 'partying' at University

"Claudius had a certain dignity of presence, which showed to best advantage when he happened to be standing or seated and expressing no emotion. This was because, though tall, well-built, handsome with a fine head of white hair and a firm neck, he stumbled as he walked owing to weakness of the knees; and because, if excited by play or serious business, he had several disagreeable traits. They included an uncontrollable laugh, a horrible habit, under the stress of anger of slobbering at the mouth and running at the nose, a stammer and persistent nervous tick---which grew so bad under emotional stress that his head would toss from side to side."

This bronze (As) with the bust and reverse of CONSTANTIA probably was struck at Rome, RIC 111, although I just discovered I hadn't followed up on it after purchase many months ago

T CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP PP
CONSTANTIAE AVGUSTI/ S C

 

Caesar Augustus was rather effeminate in appearance - or at least he didn't have the features of Melqart. It's interesting to trace the PR department's efforts on his behalf over time. Here he is on a bronze of Colonia Celsa, and a much later memorial bronze of Tiberius. Of course, he did grow up and become a man, but he never had such a strong chin...

 

Suetonius, known for his trash-talking biographies, described Nero (paragraph 51):

"He was about the average height, his body marked with spots and malodorous, his hair light blond, his features regular rather than attractive, his eyes blue and somewhat weak, his neck over thick, his belly prominent, and his legs very slender. His health was good, for though indulging in every kind of riotous excess, he was ill but three times in all during the fourteen years of his reign, and even then not enough to give up wine or any of his usual habits. He was utterly shameless in the care of his person and in his dress, always having his hair arranged in tiers of curls, and during the trip to Greece also letting it grow long and hang down behind; and he often appeared in public in a dining-robe, with a handkerchief bound about his neck, ungirt and unshod."

Huh. I always pictured him as brunette, thanks to John Belushi


Nero
struck in Rome, CE 63
Orichalcum sestertius, 34 mm, 26.7 gm
Obv: NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP PP; laureate head right, wearing aegis
Rev: ANNONA AVGVSTI CERES; Ceres, veiled and draped, seated left, holding corn ears and torch, her feet on stool, facing Annona standing right, holding cornucopia; between them, modius on garlanded altar; in background, stern of ship
Ref: RIC 98. Cohen 24
Formerly stuck in an NGC slab

 

On several occasions we have had someone say that a diecutter must have been in trouble for making a portrait so unflattering but we really don't know any example of something like this happening. Perhaps the Roman way of vanity did not expect everyone to have a certain size nose or consider a tall man more capable than a short one. (Do the research on US Presidents and see how many winners were the taller of the two candidates.) We always need to be careful not to read our culture into their words. Maybe they were not bothered by looking fat and ugly. The exception here seems to be Augustus who got better looking as he aged.

 

Nice coins, guys!

Here is everyone's favourite screw up.

Honorius: "Invested with the purple at age of ten; physically feeble, languid, and spiritless, of dark complexion ; courage weak and mind unenlight- ened; in early years practiced riding, hurling missiles from a sling, and drawing the bow, but soon took to the amusement of poultry raising and to a life of ease at Ravenna."


HONORIUS (393-423). Siliqua. Rome.
Circ 407-408 CE
Obv: D N HONORIVS P F AVG.
Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VIRTVS ROMANORVM / RMPS.
Roma seated left on cuirass, holding spear and victory on globe.

RIC 1267.
Condition: Very fine.
Weight: 1.28 g.
Diameter: 18 mm.

 

WOW !!! Love that Nero bronze @TIF

I'm still in the market for a high-grade sestertius of Nero to complete my series of denominations, but I think your example would blow my usual monthly budget to smithereens LOL

 

Ah, he was the one with a pet chicken called Rome. When he was told "Rome has fallen" he was beside himself until he found out his chicken was ok and it was only the city that had fallen.

 

I was pretty lucky on with this one, price-wise and competition-wise. It came at the end of an auction which was widely advertised for its gold coins. The auction was running late, of course, and by the time this lot came up many dealers and bidders had left. Also, a savvy coinfriend was in attendance. He was able to preview the coin for me and gave it a thumbs-up, which was very reassuring.

 

Constantine I also

 

ALEXANDER III .............. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ - Γ

The below description has been pretty much what I have read about Alexander over my lifetime...

From: http://www.liquisearch.com/alexander_the_great/character/physical_appearance

"Greek biographer Plutarch (ca. 45–120 AD) describes Alexander's appearance as:

1 The outward appearance of Alexander is best represented by the statues of him which Lysippus made, and it was by this artist alone that Alexander himself thought it fit that he should be modelled. 2 For those peculiarities which many of his successors and friends afterwards tried to imitate, namely, the poise of the neck, which was bent slightly to the left, and the melting glance of his eyes, this artist has accurately observed. 3 Apelles, however, in painting him as wielder of the thunder-bolt, did not reproduce his complexion, but made it too dark and swarthy. Whereas he was of a fair colour, as they say, and his fairness passed into ruddiness on his breast particularly, and in his face. 4 Moreover, that a very pleasant odour exhaled from his skin and that there was a fragrance about his mouth and all his flesh, so that his garments were filled with it, this we have read in the Memoirs of Aristoxenus.
Greek historian Arrian (Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon' ca. 86 – 160) described Alexander as:

he strong, handsome commander with one eye dark as the night and one blue as the sky.
The semi-legendary Alexander Romance also suggests that Alexander suffered from heterochromia iridum: that one eye was dark and the other light.

British historian Peter Green provided a description of Alexander's appearance, based on his review of statues and some ancient documents:

Physically, Alexander was not prepossessing. Even by Macedonian standards he was very short, though stocky and tough. His beard was scanty, and he stood out against his hirsute Macedonian barons by going clean-shaven. His neck was in some way twisted, so that he appeared to be gazing upward at an angle. His eyes (one blue, one brown) revealed a dewy, feminine quality. He had a high complexion and a harsh voice.
Ancient authors recorded that Alexander was so pleased with portraits of himself created by Lysippos that he forbade other sculptors from crafting his image. Lysippos had often used the Contrapposto sculptural scheme to portray Alexander and other characters such as Apoxyomenos, Hermes and Eros. Lysippos' sculpture, famous for its naturalism, as opposed to a stiffer, more static pose, is thought to be the most faithful depiction."




I have his bust on my desk...


Since I recently posted some lifetimes, here as another TET that I have:



THRACE
AR Tetradrachm,
14.3g, 28.7mm, c. 294 - 281 B.C.;
Obv: diademed head of Alexander the Great wearing the horn of Ammon
Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ (king) ΛYΣIMAXOY (Lysimachos), Athena enthroned left resting arm on shield, transverse spear resting against right side, Athena holds Nike crowning name with wreath, ΣΠE(?) monogram under her hand;
Ex: Roma Numismatics e-auction 5 (23 Feb 2014), lot 353;
Ref: Müller -, Thompson -, SNG Cop -, SNG Tübingen -, Armenak Hoard -

Comments: Apparently unpublished; Ephesus(?)high-relief unusual style portrait, toned, tiny flan crack, light marks
extremely rare

 

Ahh Alexander.........
Very nice!

 

COOl Alexander TET @Alegandron !!! Definitely an unusual portrait style. I have been going through so many recently that my head is spinning LOL

EDIT: I just googled for a similar likeness and Ptolemies' popped up...coincidence???

Terrific description of Alexander!!!

BTW: I just won a Pella type with that reverse and I'm having a HELL of a time tying to properly reference it.....flawed but interesting (at least to me) and I'll post it in a few days.

 

Love the description of Valentinian I
VALENTINIAN I: "Stately in appearance; body muscular and strong; fair and radiant complexion; eyes blue in color, looking askance and stern; beauty of figure and harmony of features corresponded to dignity of person which should attend a monarch."
Valentinian I is one of my favourite Emperors of all time so its nice to know what the man looked liked and how he composed himself.

ANCIENT ROME: Valentinian I (364-375 CE) Ar Siliqua (18mm, 2.13g) of Rome, 1st Officina; SR-4099, RSC-81d. Obv: diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; Rev: Valentinian seated left holding sceptre and Victory. Very Fine. Circa 365-67 CE

 

REALLY looking forward to seeing your post... and thank you for your kind comments.

This one cost me "a few shekels", but I am slowly going after the Diodachi. I am not interested in the descendents of each of the Greek Kingdoms, just Alexander's Generals of the Diodachi. Those guys conquered Persia (awesome Histories and Battles), and founded whole Empires. Cool dudes.

Their descendants (to me): decadent.

 

That reminds me, I need to get a Tetradrachm of that Ptolemy(VIII) who sawed his son into pieces and sent the remains to his sister/wife for her birthday present.
What a lovely family