Reconstruction of Augustus of Prima Porta

Мыслевцев А.С.

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Reconstruction of the first emperor of Rome

One of the “calling cards” of the visual images of the ancient Roman state can be considered the statue of Augustus from Prima Porta. In those days, she was one of the most spectacular products of propaganda, but even in our time, her image can make one admire and tremble. The head of Legio X Fretensis was no exception, who decided to take on the task of recreating such a complex and iconic image.

Thus began the first reconstruction in Russia of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian Augustus.

The goal was maximum compliance with the original source using the highest quality approaches and developments. It makes no sense to make the first person of the Roman state “of average quality,” so the project included “significant” expenses in advance. Work on the image began a couple of years ago, and it took the longest to create its “core” - lorica musculata. This work can rightfully be called the most impressive and complex among everything that was created in the domestic (and perhaps world) ancient reconstruction. It was mastered by a master working under the name Don Charisma, and only after its completion work began on the remaining elements of the kit. This approach is largely due to the fact that the fitting and adjustment of the rest of the equipment was carried out, first of all, according to the muscles (and, of course, according to the figure of the owner himself). And now, when everything is ready, the time has come to talk about the “Magnum opus” of ancient reconstruction.

The basis of the image is the Statue of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus from Prima Porta. Marble. Around 20-17 BC. Inv. No. 2290. Rome, Vatican Museums, Chiaramonti Museum, New Wing, 14.

You can read more about such an iconic historical figure - the First Emperor - here: Octavian Augustus

A huge amount of time was spent studying the primary source, which is distinguished by the enormous detail characteristic of emperors, as well as other high-ranking officials of the empire. Octavian Augustus of Prima Porta is depicted in the “deified style”, and therefore some of the equipment is missing. And part of the statue was not preserved at all (the most striking example is the spear in the left hand, from which a clear trace remains).

OK. 20 AD e. High 115 cm. Perugia, National Archaeological Museum of Umbria.

To fill in the main missing elements, the closest pictorial source in terms of social status, time and style was chosen - the statue of Germanicus. Germanicus was one of the most senior military leaders of his time and a member of the ruling dynasty, in a word, one of the first people of Rome. And despite the fact that the statue was made 40 years later, the image was created under the strong influence of the statue of Augustus from Prima Porta. So this statue is perfectly suited to fill the gaps in the image. The statue was also used as an auxiliary source.

Upon detailed examination of the main and auxiliary sources, the following elements of equipment for reconstruction can be identified:

Equipment from the main source:

1) Anatomical armor (lorica musculata)

2) Leather subarmor (subarmalis)

3) Cloak (paludamentum)

4) Tunica

Equipment from auxiliary sources:

5) Shoes (calcei)

6) Spear (hasta)

7) Award wreath (corona civica)

Now that we have sorted out the main elements of reconstruction based on visual sources, let’s go through the individual elements.

1. Anatomical armor (Lorica musculata)

Let's start with the main element - the loricas are muscular. It is made of brass 1 mm thick (initial sheet thickness is 1.2 mm). The technique of deep chasing was used, which only a few craftsmen are capable of.

Of course, complete compliance with the source code is impossible, since the possibilities for creating art objects and the maximum detail on them are much higher. Difficulties in reproduction are sometimes caused by the insufficient preservation of the original source, as well as the quality of the photos of the statue themselves (alas, it was not possible to photograph it in person). In addition, the process of deep art embossing is creative, and no matter how high the skill of the master, there will be differences, at least in certain artistic aspects. Some design difficulties also arise (after all, when depicting a muscleman on a statue, in fact, it is just a pattern and there is no need to equip it on a person). And when adapting to the real closest archaeological finds of muscles, it was necessary to make some assumptions. However, the reconstruction is as accurate as possible.

To mint each figure, the muscle was heated, filled with tin, and only then the process of minting the layer took place. And this was repeated many times for each of the figures. Insanely labor intensive, and that’s not counting the requirements for the artistic part!

Everything literally “breathes” with coinage and symbolism. Let's imagine one of the versions of the decoding of the front part of the Augustus muscles:

1. Jupiter (or Helios/Sol) 2. Aurora 3. Selena 4. Mars accompanied by a wolf (or Octavian Augustus himself) 5. Parthian handing over the eagle lost by Crassus 6. The conquered incarnation of Germany (or Gaul) 7. The conquered incarnation of Spain 8. Apollo riding a griffin 9. Diana with a doe 10. Tellus with cornucopia (Or Terra/Gaia) 11. Female Sphinxes

A particular challenge was the reconstruction of the rear part of the armor. The reverse side of the statue is much worse preserved, especially the muscular one, but it was clearly chased, like the front part (it is worth noting that chasing on the back is rare in pictorial sources, even for Roman emperors). So while the front part of the muscle could be copied with only minor allowances, a significant amount of effort had to be applied to restore the rear part.

Trophy of Augustus (Latin Tropaeum Alpium, Tropaeum Augusti; French Trophée des Alpes)

Statue of Victoria and Minerva. 1st century AD Possibly a copy of a Greek work from the 4th century BC. Museo Arqueológico Nacional

On the back, only the trophy near conquered Spain is clearly visible. This suggests that on the other side, opposite conquered Germany, there will be a German-style trophy. The Alpine Trophy (or Trophy of Augustus) was taken as the basis for the coinage. It was erected by order of the Senate in honor of the victories won by Emperor Octavian Augustus over the tribes, including the Celts, Ligurians and Rhaetes, who inhabited the territory of the Maritime Alps and threatened trade on Roman roads. It is usually dated to 6-7 BC. e. Located in the commune of La Turbie, 6 km from Monaco.

Also visible on the back of the statue are wings, presumably those of Victoria. She was often depicted with Minerva (Statue of Victoria and Minerva. 1st century AD. Possibly a copy of a Greek work of the 4th century BC Museo Arqueológico Nacional), so it was decided on the back to place them together in poses symmetrical to the figures on the front (Mars/Augustus and the Parthian passing the eagle). Unfortunately, it was not possible to restore anything more logically justified, and therefore the rest of the space on the back was taken up by muscle relief.

Also, archaeological finds of this type of armor were used to interpret the material base and design of the musculata itself. They are mostly bronze, without coinage, and date back to the 4th-3rd centuries BC. But there are also exceptions. One of these rarest and most valuable examples is musculata parts from the burial of Chemnitz in Postdam, dating back to the 1st-2nd century AD. In the selection below - photo No. 1 - Metropolitan Museum of Art. 4th century BC, photo No. 2 - Iron thorax with gold fittings, found on the territory of Epirus in the tomb of Prodromi. 290-270 BC e., and photo No. 3 - the burial described above in Chemnitz.

Master: Don Charisma

2. Leather underarmor (Subarmalis)

The second most important item in the emperor's kit is ready - the underarmor, made specifically for the muscles. It is together that they will create the main part of the image of Augustus from Prima Porta. The basis for choosing the colors of the elements for the underarmor was taken from the work of pigment residue analysis "Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival by Emma Zahonero and Jesús Mendiola" (mvarte.com)

A huge amount of work was done to select the skin and its color scheme, to study every centimeter of the statue and its pterigae. But the most complex and extensive, of course, was the master’s handiwork itself.

Interesting statistics - 48 lower and 32 upper pterygians were counted on the statue. And this made the design, to put it mildly, quite labor-intensive. The following amount of hand stitching was done:

• Shoulders (pterygians) - 2568 cm
• Bottom in front (pterygium) - 7544 cm
• Lower back (pterygians) - 8640 cm
• Front of the vest body - 3338 cm
• The back of the vest body is 2716 cm

Total threads used were about 248m

But that's not all. The fringe is naturally also hand-woven. And it took... 552 meters of woolen threads. (Approximately 800 grams)

There is very little archeology, as well as images without armor on top of the subarmalis. But we’ll add a little bit below for those who love sources. In the first photo is a Fragment of a leather subarmalis from Dura Europos (Hariri-Siria), 2-3rd century AD, in the second is a Sculpture depicting Mars, presumably in a subarmalis. Found in the vicinity of the form of Bremenium. 3rd century AD

Master: Ilya Kushnir

3. Cloak (Paludamentum).

Let's move on to a couple of simpler things. First of all, this cloak has a rather unusual shape. Unlike most emperors, Augustus did not wear his cloak on his shoulders, but... rather like a belt, i.e. on the arm and lower back.

Fabric making process

Such wearing was reflected in the cloak itself. To get closer to the visual effect of drapery as on a statue, the thinnest and densest plain weave fabric was made to order, from which the cloak was then sewn. There are a lot of sources on plain weave wool fabric; they will be given at the end of the “tunic” section.

Fabric master: Yulia Biryukova

Sewing master: Kira Kholodetskaya

4. Tunica

It would seem that such a common element of clothing as a tunic is also not so simple for Augustus. Upon closer examination, it turns out that it is not sewn on the upper part of the sleeves, and ... it has buttons, which is usually not found on pictorial sources for men. August, to use modern language, was a fashionista.

Fabric creation process

As with the cloak, the fabric was also made to order. The weaving is the same - linen. The length and cutting were selected in order to obtain a visual image after putting on the underarmor and muscles as close as possible to the statue.

The shape and type of buttons could not be accurately identified from the statue, so ordinary bronze buttons from Egypt of the 1st century AD were taken as the archaeological basis. The “sleeves” were fastened with buttons through a simple mechanism - eyelets.

Examples of archaeological finds of plain weave woolen fabrics are below. The first 3 photos are finds from the Cave of Letters (Yadin Y. 1963. The Cave of Letters. Jerusalem, 236, Pl 68, Pl 83)

Fabric master: Yulia Biryukova

Sewing master: Kira Kholodetskaya

5. Shoes (Сalcei)

The original image of Emperor Augustus of Prima Porta is barefoot. But to complement the image, the most common calcei were used among the upper class, especially among senators and emperors. This type is found on other statues of Augustus, so it fits perfectly. A distinctive feature of such shoes is double lacing, with two of the three cords coming from the sole, forming a cross pattern on the front of the shoe, as well as the presence of a small analogue of the “tongue”, which is not typical for other types of ancient Roman shoes. In the calceus in the “lifting” area there is a reinforced incision necessary for putting on the boot. This place is well fortified. This is achieved, on the one hand, by sewing along the contour of a leather strip, which is located almost along the entire top of the boot. Also adding strength is that very rare “tongue”, which provides additional comfort and durability when worn. The last seam of the sole was secured with a “tunnel” seam.

A little about the sources. Unfortunately, calcium of this type has not reached us. But there are many visual sources. In the photo below: Statue of Emperor Augustus. Marble. Rome, Roman National Museum, Palazzo Massimo in Terme. Around 20 BC ; Detail of the statue Statue of Holconius Rufus, 1st century BC-1st century AD, Archaeological Museum of Naples; Statue of Aulus Metellus, circa 100 BC. e, National Archaeological Museum, Florence; Fragment of an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, 2nd century AD, Rome

Master: Ilya Kushnir

6. Spear (Hasta)

The spear on the main source - Augusta from Prima Porta - has not survived. But on the auxiliary statue of Germanicus from Perugia, the spear is clearly visible, and it was taken as the pictorial source. It should be noted that both the inlet and the tip have an extremely rare shape. The tip has a diamond-shaped broadening towards its end, while 2 “branches” seem to extend from it. Most likely, such a spear had a purely symbolic and ceremonial purpose and was not used in battle. Which is generally understandable - the highest officials of the Empire did not need this, and the same statue of Augustus has primarily propaganda value.

The inflow has a leaf shape - also not the most optimal, if we consider it for functional use like a regular spear.

Master: Dmitry Koryagin

7. Award Wreath (Corona Civica)

And finally, we move on to the last detail in which Augustus was depicted quite often - the wreath. The reconstruction is made of a copper-containing alloy, the leaves are hammered. There are a huge number of pictorial sources on the “crowns”, but unfortunately Rome is deprived of archeology. Almost all archaeological finds are of Greek origin. A small selection of sources is also given below. Photo 1 - marble bust of Octavian Augustus (25 BC); Photo 2 - Statue of Tiberius. Marble. Rome, Vatican Museum (Gregorian Profane Museum). Mid-first century AD, Photo 3 - Statue of Claudius. Marble. First century AD ; Photo 4-7 - Greek gold wreaths of the 5th-2nd centuries BC.

Bottom line

My Magnum Opus reconstruction is complete! And completed more than worthy, in the image of the emperor. It was interesting and educational to work on it. I had to explore and take into account every little detail in the statue of Augustus, and rejoice at new discoveries (as they say - the devil is in the details). Reconstruction is not only a result, but also a process. And it was delicious - the more difficult the goal, the more fun. I would like to say thank you to the craftsmen who took part in the project. This is Don Charisma, Ilya Kushnir, Yulia Biryukova, Kira Kholodetskaya. Without you, naturally, the ideas would have remained ideas.

Octavian Augustus is my favorite ancient Roman historical figure, and his statue from Prima Porta is my most iconic piece of art, inspiring much of my love of Rome and Reconstruction. So, with the goal of setting a new standard in reconstruction by making the image of the emperor, the choice of “which emperor” was made instantly.

I hope that just as I was inspired by August, my work in reconstructing his image will inspire people to improve and create new kits. And who knows, maybe more people will appear reconstructing the era of Augustus, and the reconstruction of antiquity in Russia will experience a new flourishing.

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Literature

•Bemerkungen zu Grab 622 von Kemnitz, Kreis Potsdam in Brandenburg

•Caes. De Bell. civ. - Gaius Julius Caesar. Civil War // Notes of Julius Caesar and his successors. M., 2002.

•CIL. – Corpus inscriptionum Latinarum. Vol. I-XVI. Berolini, 1863 - …

•ILS. – Dessau H. Inscriptiones Latinae selectae. Vol. I-III. Berolini, 1892-1914 (2 ed. 1954-1955).

•Jos. Bell. Iud. — Josephus Flavius. Jewish War / Trans. Ya.L. Devil. Minsk, 1991.

•Plin. Nat. Hist. — S. Plini Secundi Naturalis historia / Recensuit D. Detlifsen. Vol. IV-V. Berolini, 1871-1873.

•Tac. Hist. - Tacitus. History / Transl. G. S. Knabe // Ibid. T.P.M., 1993.

•Tac. Ann. - Tacitus. Annals / Transl. A. S. Bobovich // Cornelius Tacitus. Works: In 2 vols.: Ed. prepared A. S. Bobovich, Ya. M. Borovsky, M. E. Sergeenko. T.I.M., 1993.

•Tertul. De corona. – Works of Tertullian, a Christian writer at the end of the 1st and beginning of the 2nd century. St. Petersburg, 1847.

•Veget. — Flavius ​​Vegetius Renatus. Brief summary of military affairs / Transl. S. P. Kondratieva // Greek polyorcetics. Flavius ​​Vegetius Renatus. St. Petersburg, 1996.

•Bishop, Coulston, 1993. – Bishop, M.C., Coulston, J.C. Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome. London, 1993.

•Connolly, 1981. – Connolly P. Greece and Rome at War. London, 1981.

•Curle, 1911. – Curle J. A Roman Frontier Post and its People. The Fort at Newstead. Glasgow, 1911.

•Hofmann, 1905. – Hofmann A. Römische Militärgrabsteine ​​der Donauländer. Vienna, 1905.

•Jahn, 1860. – Jahn O. Die Lauersforter Phalerae. Fest-Programm zu Winckelmanns Geburtstage. Bonn, 1860.

•Lehner, 1904. – Lehner,H. Die Einzelfunde von Novaesium // Bonner Jahrbücher. 111-12, p. 243-418.

•Maxfield, 1981. – Maxfield V.A. The Military Decorations of the Roman Army. London, 1981.

•Robinson, 1975. – Robinson H.R. The Armor of Imperial Rome. London, 1975.

Related Topics

• Practical Reconstruction Experience
• Octavian Augustus
• Lorica Musculata
• Subarmalis
• Tunic
• Calceus
• Coronae

Publication Source

• Legio X Fretensis club material
• Vatican Museums: Augustus of Prima Porta