Ercole, un privato o Massimiano Erculeo? A proposito di un’inedita testa dal Magazzino Sculture dei Musei Capitolini
In: Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma: 121, 2020
DOI: 10.48255/BCAR.CXXI.2020.011
This paper presents an unpublished overlifesized male head from the archives of the Musei Capitolini. At first sight, the short hair and beard, the strong features and the crowning stróphion allow to identify the head as belonging to Hercules. The rough workmanship of the hair and beard, the sharp wrinkles, the peculiar form of the pupil find some convincing comparanda in the second half of the later third century. However, the resolute personality and the expression of great energy of the head lead the author to identify it as a portrait of a person in the guise of Hercules. This identification and the head’s monumental size point to attribute it to an emperor, rather than to a private citizen. In this case we propose Maximianus, the only ruler of the relevant period to be called ‘Herculeus’ and represented as Hercules on his coins.