Roman Emperors - Part 3

 Titus to Trajan

Today is the Ides of March, when Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC to prevent him from becoming Emperor.  We've already covered Caesar and his immediate successors in part 1 of this series.  Today we present some more nude Roman emperors.

Titus was the 10th emperor, the son of the emperor Vespatian.  Before becoming emperor, Titus won renown as a military commander in the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans.  Titus besieged and captured Jerusalem in 70 AD and destroyed the Second Temple, the Jews' holiest site, which to this day has never been rebuilt.  We may think of this as a bad thing, but to the Romans, it was cause for celebration, and the Arch of Titus in Rome still stands, commemorating Titus' victory over the Jews.

Titus only ruled for two years before dying of a fever.  This statue of Titus, dating from 79-81 AD, is in the Vatican Museums.

Titus was succeeded by his brother Domitian.  His contemporaries portrayed him as a cruel tyrant, but some modern historians say that, although he was an autocrat, he nevertheless ruled Rome well for 15 years.

This statue depicts Domitian as a prince, before he became Emperor.  It dates from 70-80 AD and is in the Glyptothek museum in Munich, Germany.

Domitian was assassinated in 96 AD, succeeded by Nerva, who ruled for only a year, who in turn was succeeded by his son ...

Trajan (above).  Trajan had a long and successful rule.  Through military conquest, the empire reached its greatest extent under Trajan, but he also implemented projects for extensive public building and social welfare for the poor, resulting in his reputation as one of the good emperors.

This statue of Trajan in the Altes Museum, Berlin, dates from the early second century.

Finally, we have this modern statue called Trajan and the She-Wolf in Bucharest, Romania, made by sculptor Vasile Gorduz in 2012.  It commemorates the Roman heritage of Romania, because Trajan added Dacia (now Romania) to the Roman empire.  To this day Romanians speak a language based on Latin, like Italian or Spanish, and the very name of their country proclaims that they are Roman.

The she-wolf is an emblem of Rome because of the legend that Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus, were suckled as infants by a she-wolf.  The statue drew immediate criticism and ridicule, partly because Trajan is nude (although, as we know, there's a fine old tradition of nude statues), partly because the wolf seems to be levitating, unsupported by Trajan's hands, and partly because of the strange snake-like thing coming out of the wolf's neck.  What can I say?  It's art, and it's not often that anyone celebrates a Roman emperor these days.