Note how the figures are rendered in a more blocky, almost abstract way, typical of what some have referred to as “tetrarchic cubism”. Part of a frieze made specifically for the Arch of Constantine depicting an oratio. A Dacian figure, perhaps a nobleman, perched on the attic of the Arch, is actually a statue of the early second century AD, made in the time of the emperor Trajan, who had famously campaigned in Dacia. ( Source.)Ī winged Victory, squeezed into a corner, is contemporary given some of the more rectangular features (sometimes referred to as “tetrarchic cubism”), but also betrays some classicising elements in the iconographic and the attempts at rendering a more flowing garment. Note the statues of Dacians, originally made to celebrate Trajan’s victories. A view of the inscription at the top of the Arch of Constantine. But look closer and you will realize that many of the details of the Arch are a hodge-podge of sculptural elements taken from older monuments. The structure itself was newly constructed to celebrate the victory of Constantine over Maxentius. The Arch of Constantine is located on the Forum Romanum, the heart of the city. While Constantine had founded a new city for himself (Constantinople), Rome nevertheless remained important as the original city from which the rest of the empire had grown. It’s the art that I want to focus on here, and in particular Constantine’s triumphal arch in Rome. What characterizes Constantine’s rule is a continuous negotiation of the old and the new, which we can clearly recognize in the religion (the pagan Roman beliefs versus the Christian faith), politics (the rule of a single monarchy versus the Tetrarchy), and art of this period. While his own religious convictions are a matter of debate, Constantine supposedly didn’t get baptized until right before his death (see, e.g., Eusebius, Vita Constantini). The fact that his mother Helena had been a Christian undoubtedly played a large part in his generally favourable disposition towards Christians. Another colleague, Licinus, would retain control over the east until AD 324, after which Constantine was the sole ruler of the Roman Empire until his death in AD 337.įamously, Constantine stopped the Roman persecution of Christians and legalized their faith in the Edict of Milan (AD 313). In AD 312 he defeated his fellow Tetrarch Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. AD 306–337) sought to rule the Empire by himself. He passed a number of important reforms, not the least of which saw imperial rule divided among four men, the so-called Tetrarchy.īut stability, at this point in time, was only fleeting. In an earlier article, I referenced the Soldier Emperors of the third century AD and how, by AD 284, one man managed to return law and order to the Roman Empire. This article was originally published on the defunct Ancient World Magazine website and is now re-published here.
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