Representations of empire : images of foreign peoples and places on Roman coinage (138 B.C.-96 A.D.)

Abstract

This thesis examines figural representations of foreign peoples and places on Roman coinage. An accompanying appendix thoroughly catalogues this imagery between its earliest extant appearance in approximately 138 B.C. and the death of Domitian in 96 A.D.

A systematic survey makes it possible to nuance existing narratives of the development of this imagery that privileged the late first and early second centuries A.D. as the key moments of change by revealing considerable diversity and innovation in the earlier period. A second contribution is methodological, highlighting the need for contextual analysis of individual issues to supplement the typological approach that has dominated earlier scholarship.

Chapter One focuses on image types produced between 138-31 B.C. This was a particularly vibrant period for the production of these images and the chapter reveals a diverse spectrum of imagery. This contrasts sharply with previous assessments that characterised the period as dominated by images of submission. Chapter Two concentrates on Augustan imperial coinage (31 B.C.-14 A.D.) and identifies a shift towards more consistent usage of submissive imagery. Chapter Three highlights a significant decline in the use of images of foreign peoples and places on imperial coinage minted by the Julio-Claudian successors (14-68 A.D.). Chapter Four identifies a dramatic, albeit inconsistent, resurgence in the use of personifications of foreign peoples and places on coinage minted by competing imperial claimants during the civil wars of 68-69 A.D. Chapter Five focuses on Flavian imperial coinage (69-96 A.D.) and uncovers a significant resurgence in captive imagery. It identifies a new blurring of the lines between the iconographic traditions of captives and personifications of peoples and places. This blending of the two traditions lays important foundations for subsequent imagery on Trajanic imperial coinage.