Statues of emperors, and the use of imagery by the provincial elite

Images of emperors and imperial symbols became an ubiquitous feature of urban life in the Roman empire, finding their way into almost any power relation. They appeared on grand monuments in urban spaces to game tokens in homes, and communicated a multitude of messages, sometimes with little to do with the emperors themselves. Emperors strove to direct and control the use of their images, by providing models but also by managing access, and to move an imperial statue was a case for sacred law. However, many aspects of the phenomenon escaped their control, and imperial imagery was among the most widespread, and instantly recognizable, iconographic systems in the ancient world.

RomanRoman EmpireRoman World