Emperor Traianius Decius

Date

c. 250

Description

Creator of the image: Unknown
Date of the image creation: c. 250
Medium of the image: Marble
Person depicted: Emperor Traianus Decius

Context: Caesar Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius Augustus (c. 201–251) was Roman Emperor for two years from 249 to 251 before being killed in the Battle of Abritus by the Goths who had invaded the Roman province of Thrace. He was the first emperor of Rome to come from the Balkans region. Christian sources suggest that Decius began an empire-wide persecution of Christians. This was linked to an edict where all citizens, including Christians, were required to provide a sacrifice for the Emperor. Some Christians refused. According to Chris Scarre (Chronicle of the Roman Emperors), this portrait, held in the Capitoline Museum in Italy, ‘conveys an impression of anxiety and weariness, as of a man shouldering heavy responsibilities’.

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