DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26205#0034
32
Aurelius (scene III)32. On Constantine’s arch in the scene of the battle at Pons
Mulvius, the figure emerges from among the Tiber’s stream of this river’s
god (Fig. 61) who looks at the defeat of the army of Maxentius (cf. below,
p. 59) 33. This motif was also adopted by early Christian art, beeing employed
in a somewhat different context. On sarcophagi decorated with the episode
of the Crossing the Red Sea and inspired by the image of the battle at Mulvian
Bridge, the god of the Sea identical with the Tiber on Constantine’s arch,
watches the pharaoh’s army perishing in the waves 34.
Of course, when speaking of river waves it should be kept in mind that
very often artists used to represent schematically rendered waves under
a reclining figure, which floate on them yet does not emerge 35. At the same
time, one should remember that the same coinage centres frequently used
either a reclining or floating figure and so it is difficult to speak in such cases
of the preference of one compositional scheme over the other 36.
Many issues of coins with the image of a floating river are associated with
the emperors’ wives, next to whom often appears the figure of Tyche or Fortuna
of a given city37. Is in this case some kind of deification of the empress was
intended, presenting her as the patron goddess of a city? It seems that such
a hypothesis can be accorded with, yet it should be borne in mind that a floating
river also appears on the coins associated with the emperors 38 *. For lack of
32 C. Caprino (and others), La Colonna di Marco Aurelio, Roma 1955; G. Becatti, La colonna
di Marco Aurelio, Roma 1957; Hannestad, pp. 236—244.
33 L’Orange— v. Gerkan, p. 65, PI. 10a.
34 J. Lassus, Quelques representations du „passage de la Mer Rouge" dans Fart chretien d'Orient
et d'Occident, MelEcFr Rome, 46, 1929, pp. 159—181; C. Rizzardi, I sarcofagi paleocristiani
con representazione del passagio del Mare Rosso, Faenza 1970; J. A. Ostrowski, „The Crossing
of the Red Sea". A Fragment of a Sarcophagus in the Collection of the National Museum in Cracow,
Recherches Archeologiques de 1981, Krakow 1983, pp. 78—82.
35 The waves are marked, among others, on the statue of the Nile in Vatican, on the statue
of the Tiber in the Louvre, on the statue of the Tiber in Villa d’Este or on numerous coins.
36 For example: the Ister on the coins of Nicopolis is both seated and standing (Imhoof-
Blumer, Nos. 146—154), the Strymon of the coins of Pautalia reclines or floats (Imhoof-Blumer,
Nos. 168—169), the Sagaris on the coins of Nikaia reclines or floats (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 224—
229), the Maeander on the coins of Magnesia reclines or is seated (Imhof-Bl umer, Nos. 269—270),
and on the coins of Antioch ad Maeandrum he reclines or stands (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 285—289),
the Pyramos on the coins of Anazarbos floats, stands or reclines (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 428—432).
Likewise, the Nile on the coins of Alexandria is represented either as a bust or standing, seated or
reclining figure (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 500—520).
37 The Strymon on the coin of Pautalia, on the obv. the head of Faustina the Younger (Imhoof-
Blumer, No. 164); the Sagaris on the coin of Nikaia, on the obv. the head of Faustina the Younger
(Imhoof-Blumer, No. 224); the Melas on the coin of Side, on the obv. the bust of Julia Soemias
(Imhoof-Blumer, No. 405); the Kaistros on the coin of Sillyon, on the obv. the bust of Salonina
(Imhoof-Blumer, No. 406); a river on the coin of Colonia Lystra, on the obv. the bust of Faustina
the Younger (Imhoof-Blumer, No. 426); the Pyramos and the Megarsos on the coin of Mallos,
on the obv. the bust of Sabina (Imhoof-Blumer, No. 445) and great many of others.
38 The Hebros on the coin of Hadrianopolis, on the obv. the head of Caracalla (Imhoof-
Blumer, No. 164); the Sagaris on the coin of Nikaia, on the obv. the head of Commodus (Imhoff-
Aurelius (scene III)32. On Constantine’s arch in the scene of the battle at Pons
Mulvius, the figure emerges from among the Tiber’s stream of this river’s
god (Fig. 61) who looks at the defeat of the army of Maxentius (cf. below,
p. 59) 33. This motif was also adopted by early Christian art, beeing employed
in a somewhat different context. On sarcophagi decorated with the episode
of the Crossing the Red Sea and inspired by the image of the battle at Mulvian
Bridge, the god of the Sea identical with the Tiber on Constantine’s arch,
watches the pharaoh’s army perishing in the waves 34.
Of course, when speaking of river waves it should be kept in mind that
very often artists used to represent schematically rendered waves under
a reclining figure, which floate on them yet does not emerge 35. At the same
time, one should remember that the same coinage centres frequently used
either a reclining or floating figure and so it is difficult to speak in such cases
of the preference of one compositional scheme over the other 36.
Many issues of coins with the image of a floating river are associated with
the emperors’ wives, next to whom often appears the figure of Tyche or Fortuna
of a given city37. Is in this case some kind of deification of the empress was
intended, presenting her as the patron goddess of a city? It seems that such
a hypothesis can be accorded with, yet it should be borne in mind that a floating
river also appears on the coins associated with the emperors 38 *. For lack of
32 C. Caprino (and others), La Colonna di Marco Aurelio, Roma 1955; G. Becatti, La colonna
di Marco Aurelio, Roma 1957; Hannestad, pp. 236—244.
33 L’Orange— v. Gerkan, p. 65, PI. 10a.
34 J. Lassus, Quelques representations du „passage de la Mer Rouge" dans Fart chretien d'Orient
et d'Occident, MelEcFr Rome, 46, 1929, pp. 159—181; C. Rizzardi, I sarcofagi paleocristiani
con representazione del passagio del Mare Rosso, Faenza 1970; J. A. Ostrowski, „The Crossing
of the Red Sea". A Fragment of a Sarcophagus in the Collection of the National Museum in Cracow,
Recherches Archeologiques de 1981, Krakow 1983, pp. 78—82.
35 The waves are marked, among others, on the statue of the Nile in Vatican, on the statue
of the Tiber in the Louvre, on the statue of the Tiber in Villa d’Este or on numerous coins.
36 For example: the Ister on the coins of Nicopolis is both seated and standing (Imhoof-
Blumer, Nos. 146—154), the Strymon of the coins of Pautalia reclines or floats (Imhoof-Blumer,
Nos. 168—169), the Sagaris on the coins of Nikaia reclines or floats (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 224—
229), the Maeander on the coins of Magnesia reclines or is seated (Imhof-Bl umer, Nos. 269—270),
and on the coins of Antioch ad Maeandrum he reclines or stands (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 285—289),
the Pyramos on the coins of Anazarbos floats, stands or reclines (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 428—432).
Likewise, the Nile on the coins of Alexandria is represented either as a bust or standing, seated or
reclining figure (Imhoof-Blumer, Nos. 500—520).
37 The Strymon on the coin of Pautalia, on the obv. the head of Faustina the Younger (Imhoof-
Blumer, No. 164); the Sagaris on the coin of Nikaia, on the obv. the head of Faustina the Younger
(Imhoof-Blumer, No. 224); the Melas on the coin of Side, on the obv. the bust of Julia Soemias
(Imhoof-Blumer, No. 405); the Kaistros on the coin of Sillyon, on the obv. the bust of Salonina
(Imhoof-Blumer, No. 406); a river on the coin of Colonia Lystra, on the obv. the bust of Faustina
the Younger (Imhoof-Blumer, No. 426); the Pyramos and the Megarsos on the coin of Mallos,
on the obv. the bust of Sabina (Imhoof-Blumer, No. 445) and great many of others.
38 The Hebros on the coin of Hadrianopolis, on the obv. the head of Caracalla (Imhoof-
Blumer, No. 164); the Sagaris on the coin of Nikaia, on the obv. the head of Commodus (Imhoff-