Roman sculpture from Augustus to Constantine . ng on the Rostra wouldfind sculptured on his left and on his right the buildingsas they actually were in real life. The omission, notedabove, of the monuments of the east side of the Forumis then plausibly explained by the fact that, since theyfaced the Rostra and the speaker, it was not necessaryto represent them. Though there is a good deal in favour of an earlyTrajanic date, it must be admitted, that the face ofthe Emperor is mutilated beyond recognition onboth reliefs, while so far as the actual subject isconcerned, the reliefs might admit of
Roman sculpture from Augustus to Constantine . ng on the Rostra wouldfind sculptured on his left and on his right the buildingsas they actually were in real life. The omission, notedabove, of the monuments of the east side of the Forumis then plausibly explained by the fact that, since theyfaced the Rostra and the speaker, it was not necessaryto represent them. Though there is a good deal in favour of an earlyTrajanic date, it must be admitted, that the face ofthe Emperor is mutilated beyond recognition onboth reliefs, while so far as the actual subject isconcerned, the reliefs might admit of other inter-pretations than the one put forward. It has, forinstance, been urged, and the argument is a tempt-ing one, that the reliefs are Flavian, and illustrateDomitians wise edicts against Oriental mutilation *—a humane measure which was justly praised by con-temporary writers (Martial, ix., 8, 6, cf. Statins, Silvoe,iii., 4, 14 ; Suetonius, Flavins Domitianus, ch. 7)—and?* CassiusDio, Ixvii. 2, 3 ; ed. Boissevain, vol. iii. p. THE PRINCIPATE OF TRAJAN 157 that the second relief represents his edict against thescripta famosa, or Hbellous pamphlets, which he orderedto be burnt in a public place (Suetonius, Domitianus,ch. 8). Although both interpretations are now generallyrejected, it cannot be denied that the lines of Martial,with the insistence on the benefit to tender childhood,are entirely in accordance with the spirit of the statuarygroup : Tibi, summe Rheni domitor, et parens orbis,Pudice princeps, gratias agunt urbes.(To thee, mighty Conqueror of the Rhine, and Fatherof the World, the cities render thanks, oh Chaste Prince). The strongest argument against it is the total destruc-tion of Domitians monuments, ordered on his have, it is true, seen that, as usual in such cases, thedestruction was not everywhere as thoroughgoing asrepresented by rhetorical historians; * on the other handit is unlikely that reliefs showing Domitian as a specialand kindly b
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