f crtt BLVM ENTH EX A I UB A . -/ R1S SB r V Atlas of Classical Portraits All rights reserved Atlas of Classical Portraits Greek With Brief Descriptive Commentary by W. H. D. Rouse, M.A. Rugby School Sometime Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge London J. M. Dent & Co. Aldine House, E.C. 1898 Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co. At the Ballantyne Press SRLF Preface THIS Album is meant to be used as a companion to school histories, and to classical or Scripture reading. Many teachers do not realise how much not only the imagination, but the memory, may be helped by the use of pictures. A boy beginning Roman or Greek history is confronted by a mass of names, none of which he has ever heard before, and the result of his labours is often an extraordinary jumble. But if, while he reads the story of any man, he has a picture of that man before him, he will not only keep the stories of different men apart with greater ease, but he will take more interest in the stories themselves. No boy who uses this Album is likely to confuse Socrates with Sophocles ; and there are very many of the faces here given, which are in themselves so striking, as to arouse a keen curiosity to learn who they were and what they did. Moreover, the portraits teach at a glance much about the character of the man (compare together the two portraits of Nero); and it would be an interesting exercise to let a pupil guess from the face of what manner the man was, and then to see how near that guess hits the truth. It is suggested that the Album be always kept at hand, like a dictionary, and that any name of importance be looked up in it, until Preface the pupil is well acquainted with the portraits ; questions might occa- sionally be asked about them to make sure that this is being done. The portraits of the first sixteen Roman emperors have been included, in the hope that they may fill a gap in the pupil's historical knowledge, since this part of Roman history, in some respects the most interesting of all, is not included in ordinary school work. These will also illustrate Tacitus, Juvenal, and Martial ; and some are of importance for Scrip- ture history Nero, for example, and Titus. Lastly, Severus has been added for his bearing on English history, and Constantine for his support of Christianity. The biographical notes are necessarily short. The facts of each life are given in the barest outlines, as these may easily be found else- where. But I hope that interest will be excited by the addition of happy criticisms of ancient or modern writers, and some of the characteristic sayings of the persons themselves. A word is needed as to the authenticity of the portraits. By far the greater number of these are genuine beyond all doubt ; but there is no room here to discuss the evidence. Those who wish to go further into the matter can easily do so by looking up the books cited below, particularly Friedrichs- Welters' Gipsabgiisse and Bernoulli's Iconographie. References are given to the books only where there is some special reason ; but they are provided with full indices, where most of the other names may be easily found. The Greek portraits are, as a whole, less certain than the Roman, for a Roman may often be identified with certainty by the help of coins. No fault will be found, I trust, for the inclusion of a few imaginary portraits, such as that of Homer ; this face, Preface for instance, is in every line the inspired seer, and excellently realises the impression made upon the reader of Homeric poetry. And if the probabilities are not violated, it is better to have an imaginary or dubious portrait than none at all. vii Books referred to in Greek Section A.-B. Griechische und Romische Portraits. HEINRICH BRUNN and PAUL ARNDT. Published by Friedrich Bruckmann, Miinchen. In progress. (Cited by number of plate.) F.-W. Die Gipsabgiisse Antiker Bildwerke in historischen Folge erklcirt. KARL FRIEDRICHS and PAUL WOLTERS. Berlin : W. Spemann, 1885. (Cited by paragraph.) H. Die offenttichen Sammlungen Klassischer Alterthiimer in Rom. WOLFGANG HELBIG. Leipzig: Karl Baedeker, 1891. (Cited by paragraph.) I.-B. Portrdtkopfe auf Antiken Miinzen Hellenischer und Helleni- sierter Volker. F. IMHOOF-BLUMER. Leipzig : B. Teubner, 1885. (Cited by plate and number.) viii Portraits i. AESCHINES : Naples Museum, Cat. No. 6018. Found in Hercula- neum. The identification is made certain by comparison with inscribed busts in the Vatican and the British Museum. See F.-W. 1316, A.-B. 116-120. Dates 389-314 B.C. The rival of Demosthenes. In his time he played many parts : schoolmaster, soldier, actor, orator. He took the Macedonian side in the struggle of Athens with Philip. As a soldier he distinguished himself in the field ; for instance, at the battle of Mantinea (362). He is bitterly upbraided and abused in the speeches of his rival, but there is no reason for doubting that he was brave, honourable, and (according to his lights) patriotic. He spent the latter part of his life in Asia Minor and the islands. It is said that he once read over to some friends his own speech against Ctesiphon. They expressed wonder to hear that he had notwithstanding been defeated. " You would cease to wonder," replied Aeschines. " if you had heard Demosthenes." 1. AESCHINES. Fhota. Sommer, Nafoli, 2. AESCHYLUS: Rome, Capitol, Stanza del filosofi 82. F.-W. 487, H. 494. Not certain, but belongs to middle of fifth century B.C. Dates 525-456 B.C. In his early manhood he fought at Marathon, Salamis, and Plataea. He was practically the inventor of tragedy in Greece, so great were the improvements he made. He wrote seventy tragedies, of which seven remain : Persians, Seven against Thebes, Suppliants, Prometheus, Agamemnon, Choephorae, and Eumenides. The last three form the only extant "trilogy." " O our Aeschylus, ihe thund'rous ! How he drove the bolted breath Through the cloud, to wedge it ponderous In the gnarled oak beneath !" E. B. BROWNING, Wine of Cyprus. 3. AESOP : Rome, Villa Albani. Probably an imaginary portrait. F.-W. 1324. Date: flourished about 570 B.C. He was originally a slave, and nothing is known for certain about his life. He had a great reputation for wisdom and wit, and his fables are for ever famous : but as the tendency was to ascribe all fables to him, as all Psalms to David, it is impossible to tell which are his and which not. 4. ALCIBIADES : Rome, Vatican. H. 277. The inscribed base pro- bably does not belong to the bust, but the portrait may be Alcibiades for all that. The arguments may be seen in the authority quoted. Dates about 450-404 B.C. Born at Athens ; soldier and politician. A clever and unscrupulous man, who loved himself more than his country ; for when he was banished, he turned his hand against Athens. He had all the advantages of birth, wealth, and talent, together with remarkable beauty (hardly shown in this portrait) ; and he knew how to make himself popular with the mob. His private character can best be understood by the description in Plato's Symposium. The lines in the Frogs of Aristophanes (1431 f.) refer to him : v \^ovra /UTJ 'v TroXei ty 5' (KTpa>f>rj TIJ, ToZs TpiTrou vi When a child, one who was wrestling with him held him fast, whereupon Alcibiades bit his hand. " You bite like a woman ! ;) cried the lad. Ou p.ev ovv, replied he, aAA' ws ol Aeovres. He is said to have cut off the tail of a splendid dog of his, 6Vws TOVTO AryoKriv ' KOr^vaioi irepl e^ov, KCU [U]8ev aAAo (Plutarch, Apophth., p. 186 E.) 4 2. AESCHYLUS. niit-Rntckmann Portriits 3. AESOP. 4. ALCIBIADES. 5 5- ALEXANDER THE GREAT: Munich, Glyptothek 153, A.-B. 185. This is the head of a complete statue. For other portraits of Alexander, see F.-W. Index. A new one has lately been discovered on a sarcophagus, at Sidon, where he is repre- sented on horseback and in battle. See Coin-Plate No. i. Dates 356-323 B.C. Educated partly by Aristotle. His first assay in government was made at the age of sixteen, and he began to reign over Macedon at twenty. After making himself master of Greece, he invaded Asia, and conquered the Persians at the Granicus (334), took Tyre and Gaza, subdued Egypt and founded Alexandria (331), conquered Darius at Gaugamela or Arbela (331), and became master of Western Asia. He crossed the Hindu Kush, and after several campaigns in Central Asia he penetrated into the Punjab, defeating King Porus on the Indus (327), and sailed down the Indus to its mouth. When he had hardly begun to organise his empire, he died at the age of thirty-two (323). He founded many towns in Asia, and his memory still lingers in popular tales ; many of the royal houses of Central Asia profess to be descended from him, and Greek art and science have left their traces behind. "It is worth while to pause and reflect for a moment on the succession here brought before us : Alexander, the disciple of Aristotle, the disciple of Plato, the disciple of Socrates. That four such names, each supreme in its own line, should have been thus linked together, is a fact unparalleled in the history of the world ; and its momentous nature is seen in its consequences, the Hel- lenising of the East and West by the sword of Alexander and by the writings of Plato and Aristotle." (Mayor, Hist. Anc. Phil., p. 84.) Many sayings of his are preserved by Plutarch in his Apophthrg- mata (179 D. ff.). His father urged him when a boy to run at Olympia, to which he replied, ei ye /JacriAeas efiv t'/zeAAov dj/ra- ywvio-ras. Darius offered him 10,000 talents and the half of Asia. On his refusing, Parmenio said, " Were I Alexander I should take it." "So would I," was the answer, "if I were Parmenio." He said also, (3a(ri\iKov TTIV eu TTOIOWTO, KO.KWS aKoi'eiv. Once being in thirst, water was offered to him ; but he, seeing the soldiers around looking with eager eyes upon it, refused to drink, saying, av airros 7TIO) /AOl/OS, 0.6v^(TOWTLV OVTOL. (Plut., AlcX. xlii.) 6. ALEXANDER THE GREAT: British Museum. F.-W. 1602. An idealised head, identified (not without doubt) by its likeness to the undoubted portraits. 7. ARISTOPHANES : Florence, Uffizi. A late work, and the inscription is either blundered or spurious ; his father was Philippus, not Philippides. The mistake may perhaps be due to a confusion 6 5. ALEXANDER. Anidt-Bi uckmann rortr&ts. 6. ALEXANDER. 7. ARISTOPHANES. Ediziom Brogi. 7 with Philippides, a later comic poet. No other inscribed por- trait of Aristophanes exists, but there is a herme in Bonn which is supposed to represent him and Menander, F.-W. 1311. Dates (?) 444- (?) 380 B.C. The great comic dramatist of Greece, and chief writer of the Old Comedy, that is, a caricature of con- temporary events and persons. He wrote fifty-four plays, of which eleven are extant : Acharniaiis, Knights, Clouds, Wasps, Peace, Birds, Lysistrata, Thesmophoriazusne, Phitus, Frogs, Ecclesiazusae. "Aristophanes, who took The world with mirth, and laughter-struck The hollow caves of Thought, and woke The infinite echoes hid in each." E. B. BROWNING, A Vision of Poets. 8. ARISTOTLE : Rome, Palazzo Spada. H. 947. Uncertain, but the pose suits a philosopher. There is a fragment of inscription : API2TT. .... 2. Dates 384-322 B.C. Born at Stagira. He was a pupil of Plato, and founded the Peripatetic school of philosophy, so called because he used to discourse while walking about in the TrepiTraroi of the Lyceum. He was the author of an astonishing number of books, and his influence on the world has been immense, for in the Middle Ages all education was founded on his writings. Plato is reported to have said that Aristotle was vovs r^s " the intellect of his school." Dante (Inferno, iv. 130) says of him : " Poi che innalzai un poco piu le ciglia, Vidi il maestro di color che sanno, Seder tra filosofica famiglia ; Tutto lo miran, tulti onor gli fanno." 8. ARISTOTLE. 9. DEMOSTHENES: Rome, Vatican. H. 30, F.-W. 1312. Probably a free copy of a famous statue by Polyeuktos, made in 280 B.C. after his death. There are many portraits of Demosthenes in existence, not the least remarkable being a fragmentary head now in the National Museum at Athens, which strongly resembles this. Dates (?)385~322 B.C. The greatest of the Athenian orators, and perhaps the greatest orator who ever lived. He pleaded in causes both public and private. He took the patriotic side in the struggle with Macedon, and tried in vain to awake Athens to the magnitude of the danger. His character has been variously estimated, and he has been called both a mean and cowardly traitor and a brave and enlightened patriot. Here is his motto (De Corona, 258. 95): KOI yap avSpa I8ia Kal TroAtv Koivy TT/abs TO, KaAAwrTa Ttov i'TTap^6vT(ai del 8fl TreipatrOat, TU AoiTTO, TTpOLTTfLV. 9. DEMOSTHENES. io. DIOGENES: Rome, Capitol. H. 466. Identified by comparison with a relief (H. 802) which depicts the scene between Alexander and Diogenes. Dates (?) 412-323 B.C. Born at Sinope; founder of the Cynic school of philosophy, if philosophy that can be called which has no scientific tenets. The Cynics were so called from their dog-like habits. In his youth he was so determined to learn, that on his teacher's trying to drive him off with a stick, he said, "Strike away ! you will never find stick hard enough to drive me off so long as you have something to say " (Diog. Laert., Diog, ii.). Once being caught by pirates, he was to be sold, and they asked him what he could do. He replied, dvopwv ap^av. " Go on," said he to the auctioneer, et TIS WtXoi Seo-Tror^v eavrw irpiaa-OaL (chap. iv.). Many specimens of his caustic wit are preserved by Diogenes Laertius. Alexander the Great is reported to have said, " Were I not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes " (Plut., Alex. xiv.). Diogenes abjured all luxuries and most necessaries, and made rudeness into a fine art. He is said to have lived for a long time in a large earthen jar. The following is an epitaph on him, pre- served in the Anthology (vii. 64) : eiirt, KVOV, rives avSpbs e$e0Tws fffj/j.a v\ds ^v, avcv TOV povi[J.iDiXr) p.fv avrov r) Tlvdia irpoa-elirt KOI Oebv ju.aAA.ov fj avOpoiirov (xix. fin.}. 1 8. LYSIAS : Naples, Museum, Cat. No. 6130. A.-B. 131. Inscribed. Dates 458-378 B.C. Born at Athens, though son of a Syracusan Kephalos. He wrote between two and three hundred orations, and his style is simple and effective. He was a literary artist of " consummate literary skill," and was the first so to write speeches for his clients, that the words appeared to be their own (Jebb, Attic Orators, i. 158-9). 17. LYCURGUS. 18. LYSIAS. Arndt-Bruckmnnn forlrats '9 ig- MiiNANDER : Rome, Vatican. H. 199. F.-W. 1623. Identified by comparison with an inscribed medallion-bust. Dates 342-291 B.C. Born at Athens, and chief poet of the New Comedy, or Comedy of Manners, which made no reference to politics or persons. He wrote upwards of a hundred plays, but only fragments survive. What they were like as a whole may be gathered to some extent from Terence, who imitated and trans- lated him. Quintilian says of him (/nst. Or. x. i. 69): "Omnem vitae imaginem expressit." To the same effect is the utterance of Aristophanes of Byzantium : w MevavS/at KCU /3ie, Trorepos ap v/ ; (Walz, Rhetores Graect, iv. 101). 19. MENANDER. 20. MILTIADES : Paris, Louvre; from a photograph made specially for this book. A Greek general, but the name Miltiades is arbitrary. Dates : end of sixth and first part of fifth century B.C. Son of Cimon, of a noble and distinguished family from Aegina. His adventurous life anticipates modern rulers such as Rajah Brooke of Sarawak. His uncle Miltiades had led out a colony to the Thracian Chersonese (N. of Dardanelles), where he became " tyrant," and in this office was succeeded by his nephews, Stesagoras and the Miltiades of whom we now speak. Miltiades the nephew conquered Lemnos and Imbros for Athens, and partly civilised his own state. The hostility of Darius drove him forth, and he returned to Athens. He was the life and soul of the resistance to the first Persian invasion, and general at the battle of Marathon (490 B.C.), which indeed but for him had never been fought at all. After this great success he persuaded the Athenians to give him seventy ships, to attack the Persians ; but those he used to besiege Paros, owing to a private grudge. On his return he was condemned to a fine for misusing his powers, and died in prison of a wound received at Paros. " The tyrant of the Chersonese Was freedom's best and bravest friend : That tyrant was Miltiades ! " BYRON. 21. PERIANDER: Naples, Museum. Imaginary portrait. Date : flourished at the end of the sixth century B.C. Son of Cypselus; became tyrant of Corinth about 525 B.C., and is said to have reigned forty years. His rule seems to have been good at first, but afterwards severe ; and he was a successful military leader, favouring a forward policy, and at the same time encourag- ing commerce. He was a patron of literature and the arts. He was one of the Seven Sages, whose names and typical sayings are given in the following epigram from the Anthology (ix. 366) : eirrci uv tptu /car' TTOS irb\iv, ottvofj.0., i, Tvwdi aeavrbv 6s 5 K.6piv6ov Hvaie x6Xou Kparteiv lleplavdpos' Iltrra/cos, OiiStv &yav, 5s frjf yivos eic MvrcX^P^f' TV pfia 5' opav /3(6roio ZiXwv lepais v 'K6r)vais' Toi)s TrX^ocas /ca/c/ous 5 Bias airt(j>T}ve j' (pftiyeiv 5 GaX^s MiX^tos yDS Periander would have done well to observe his own maxim, for he killed his wife in a fit of passion. 20. MILTIADES. 21. PER1ANDER. Sommer I'kota. 23 PERICLES: Rome, Vatican. H. 281. Inscribed. There is a replica in the British Museum. F.-W. 481. These are probably good copies of a famous contemporary portrait by Kresilas. Dates about 489-429 B.C. (he was a public man in 469). Born at Athens ; orator, soldier, and statesman. He was a generous patron of literature and the fine arts ; and under his supervision Athens was filled with splendid buildings : one of these is the Parthenon. His oratory is described as "thunder and lightning," and produced a great impression ; but no record remains. He was leader of the democratic party, and remodelled the constitution of Athens. He commanded with success in the field, and his plan for carrying on the war with Sparta would have been successful had it been carried out. While he lived, his influence was supreme in Athens, and he was one of her greatest men. Sayings of Pericles : ou povov rets \ ( ip as & f ' Kadapas e\fiv T v vrparriyov, dXXtt Kol TCIS o\jsfis (Plutarch, Vit. /'er. viii. 8). On his death-bed he claimed it as his chief glory that ovdels 81 (fj.e T/>V ovratv 'Afrpmiav /ze'Xnv ifidriov TTfpitftdXfTO (Plutarch). Aristophanes says of his oratory : evrevdev opyf/ nepiKXerjs ovXv/iTrios rj uvfv 23. PLATO : Berlin Museum, Cat. No. 300. A.-B. 5. The only inscribed portrait of Plato, but rough, and rather damaged. Dates 429-347 B.C. Born at Athens ; the most famous of all philo- sophers except Aristotle. He founded the school of the Academy, so called from the 'AfcaSij/ma at Athens where he taught. He wrote his philosophical works in dialogue, and professed to be merely the mouth- piece of Socrates. His dialogues are full of wit and poetry, and are invaluable as a record of manners as well as for the light they throw on the social life of historical persons, for many of the chief figures in Athenian history appear in them. The following epitaph on Plato is given in the Anthology, vii. 62 : alert, rlirre fitj3r]Ka.s virep rdtpov ; T) T/COS, elwt, AffTtpbevra. dfdiv olKov bLiroffKoireeu ; if/vxys dfJ-1 nXdrwvoj a.iroirTaiJLtvr) l s ts "0\vfJ.irov fiK&V ffSi/jLO. be yfj yrjyevfs 'A.T0ts ?x. " Eagle, what mak'st thou there ? What starry zone, What God's high home beholding in the sky ? The soul of Plato, to Olympus flown I image ; but his bones in Athens lie." A good description of his philosophy is the phrase in Rep. vi. 486 A. : 6fu>pia TTavros p.ev xpovov yrdcrr)s 8e OIKTIOS. Aristotle is reported to have called him a man w ot>8' alvelv rouri KOKOICTI 6tp.is. 24. SAPPHO: Florence, Pitti. A.-B. 149. The portrait of a Greek poetess ; but whether Sappho, uncertain. There are several other portraits called by her name, and her face appears on certain Lesbian coins. Date : flourished about 600 R.C. Born in Lesbos. She was renowned in antiquity as the chiefest of poetesses. Only a few fragments of her poems survive, but they are full of passion and fine imagery. She wrote in the Aeolic dialect. 24 22. PERICLES. 23. PLATO. Arndt-Bnukmann Portrdts. 24. SAPPHO. Arndt-Bntckmaitn Portriits. 25. SOCRATES : information about his portraits may be found in Helbig's Index, and Baumeister, Denkmciler des Kl. Alter- thums, s.v. There is no doubt about the likeness; all the portraits resemble each other, and answer to the description of Socrates in Plato, Symp. 215, B. Inscribed : eyw ov vvv TrpwTOV aAAa Ko.l aei TOIOUTOS ofos TWV dAAo) ireiOefrdai. fj T os av JJLOL Aoyibju,eva) Dates 469-399 B.C. Born near Athens, and trained for a sculptor. He spent his life in discussing moral and religious questions with any one who would talk to him, and thus practically founded the philo- sophical school of which Plato became head. How much of the philosophy ascribed to him by Plato is really his, cannot be determined, as he wrote nothing, but only used skilful questioning as a means of criticising others' ideas, and suggesting his own. He used to hear a mysterious voice, which forbade him to do anything that would be wrong or bad for him. He was a man of great physical and mental powers, and the more we read of him the more we admire his character. A vivid description of Socrates is given by Alcibiades in the Symposium of Plato (215 ff.). Few men have ever been loved so dearly by their friends ; yet he was put to death in 399 on a false charge, which he hardly condescended to refute, but died in the sure and certain hope of a glorious life to come. Aristotle says of him (Magn. Mor. I. i. p. 1 183, b. 9) : ovSev wero 8flv liarrfv elvat. Xenophon {Mem. I. 6, 10) represents him as saying : e'y&> 8e vo[j.ia> TO fj.(v fj.r]8(vos 8(ls fKa^urTutv eyyurarw TOV dftov. The Delphic oracle gave this utterance (Diog. Laert, Socr. xviii., &C.) : dv8p>v cmavr^v ^cuKpdTijs cro(f)a>TaTos. 26. SOLON : Naples, Museum. Imaginary portrait. Dates about 638 to about 558 B.C. The great Athenian lawgiver, one of the Seven Sages, and a poet. He roused the Athenians by his poetry to attempt the conquest of Salamis, and led them himself; a long and indecisive struggle was ended by arbitration, Sparta being the arbitrator, and awarding the island to Athens. In 594 he was chosen archon, with unlimited powers, to put an end to party feuds and relieve the burden of debt, which he did by his famous Seisachtheia. He then reorganised the state on a basis of property, making four classes, and giving the executive to eKKXrja-ia and (3ov\r). He was related to the tyrant Peisistratus. Sayings of Solon : KaXbv p.tv elvai TTJV rvpavvida ^rop/ov, OVK (X (lv ^* airo/Sao-iv (Plut., Vit. Sol. xiv. 10). "Call no man happy till he is dead, for who knows but fortune may change?" (cp. xxvii. 8). Others pre- served by Diogenes Laertius (Sohn, xii.) are : (pi\ovs ^ T(IXV KTO>- ovs &' &y KTT](Ty, fj.ri aTroSoKt/xafe. "Ap^e, Trpeoroj/ fiadutv np^fffdai. Now Trotoi). For the Seven Sages, see further under No. 21. 26 25. SOCRATES. 26. SOLON. Sommer Photo. 27. SOPHOCLES: Rome, Lateran. 11.656. F.-W. 1307. Probably a copy of a famous bronze statue which stood in the theatre of Dionysos at Athens. Dates 495-406 B.C. Born at Colonus, just outside Athens. He was the most accomplished artist of the three great tragedians, uniting the strength of Aeschylus with a grace and finish all his own. He was skilful in music and dancing, and considered the handsomest man of his day. He wrote one hundred and thirty tragedies, of which seven remain : Antigone, Electra, Trachiniae, Oedipus the King, Ajax, Philoctetes, Oedipus at Colonus. Aristophanes, in his bantering description of the three great tragedians, says of Sophocles (Frogs, 82) : 6 8' ciVoXos p(v fvdd8', eVK<)Xo