12 X: Lucy Grig (Edinburgh), Representations of the emperor in late antique popular culture

Abstract

Studies of representations of Roman emperors  have traditionally focused on elite texts and objects but this  paper seeks to explore instead  imperial representations and reception in the popular culture of Late Antiquity.  After introducing what is meant here by ‘popular culture’ we shall turn to the representations themselves. The ubiquity of the imperial image in Late Antiquity is clear from a wide range of evidence: looking afresh at some of these types of images will build a different picture of the representation of the emperor in Late Antiquity. Questions of reproduction and mass-production involve the roles of a range of agents: individual artisans, patrons and consumers who interacted with these object – ranging from  panel paintings to dessert molds,  from weights to graffiti- in different ways. After looking at these visual and material examples we shall turn to consider  the theme of carnival – a classic locale for investigating pre-modern popular culture. Performance, satire, acclamations and song will all be considered as well, as well as physical attacks on the image of the emperor. The paper will conclude by considering – paradoxically – how far the image of the emperor actually mattered.