The Sword of Tiberius – notes

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1. Lersch, L.: Das sogenannte Schwert des Tiberius, Bonn, 1849, p. 6.


2. Klein, K. - Becker, J.: Das Schwert des Tiberius, Abbildungen von Mainzer Alterthümern 2, 1850, p. 3 note 1; Klumbach, H.: Altes und Neues zum „Schwert des Tiberius“, Jahrbuch RGZM 17, 1970, p. 126–128; CIL XIII. 6796. The period when the sword was owned by Henry Farrer: Yates, J.: Der Pfahl-Graben. Kurze allgemeine Beschreibung des Limes Rhaeticus und Limes Transrhenanus des Römischen Reiches, Augsburg, 1858, p. 43; Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London vol. II: From April 1849 to April 1853, London, 1853, p. 220; Scharf, J.: On the Manchester Art-Treasures Exhibition, 1857, Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire 10, 1858, p. 278; Westgarth, M. W.: A Biographical Dictionary of Nineteenth Century Antique and Curiosity Dealers. Regional Furniture, Glasgow, 2009, p. 99.


3. For the development of Roman swords, see Miks, Ch.: Studien zur römischen Schwertbewaffnung in der Kaiserzeit (2 svazky), Rahden, 2007; Bishop, M. C.: The Gladius. The Roman Short Sword, Oxford/New York, 2016.


4. Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 60.


5. Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 2, p. 662, cat. no. 465.


6. Lang, J.: Study of the Metallography of Some Roman Swords, Britannia 19, 1988, p. 199–216.


7. Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 158–210.


8. Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 2, p. 662, cat. no. 465.


9. Lippold, G.: Zum „Schwert des Tiberius“, Festschrift des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums in Mainz zur Feier seines hundertjährigen Bestehens, vol. I, Mainz, 1952, p. 4 believes that the figure seated on the throne is actually holding Victoria.


10. CIL XIII. 6796.


11. Ibid.


12. Klein, K. - Becker, J.: Nachtrag zu II. Schwert des Tiberius, Abbildungen von Mainzer Alterthümern 3, 1851, p. 18; Lippold, A.: op. cit., p. 4; Dahmen, K.: Untersuchungen zu Form und Funktion kleinformatiger Porträts der römischen Kaiserzeit, Münster, 2001, p. 108, 109, who ultimately concludes that out of the pair Tiberius and Augustus (see below), Tiberius is the more likely candidate, when considering similarities with other known depictions.


13. Lersch, L.: op. cit., p. 7–20; Senckler, A.: Mars Ultor, BJ 14, 1849, p. 65–73; Roach Smith, Ch.: Notes from a Journal of an Antiquarian Tour on the Rhine, The Gentleman’s Magazine 189, 1851, p. 45; Ritter, F.: Entstehung der drei ältesten Rheinstädte, Mainz, Bonn und Köln, BJ 17, 1851, p. 40–43; Walters, H. B.: Catalogue of the Bronzes, Greek, Roman and Etruscan, in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, London, 1899, p. 157 č. 867; Gagé, J.: La Victoria Augusti et les auspices de Tibère, Revue Archéologique 32, 1930, p. 9–17; Gonzenbach, V. v.: Tiberische Gürtel- und Schwertscheidenbeschläge mit figürlichen Reliefs, Helvetia Antiqua. Festschrift Emil Vogt, Zürich, 1966, p. 200–201; Hölscher, T.: Victoria romana : archäologische Untersuchungen zur Geschichte und Wesensart der römischen Siegesgöttin von den Anfängen bis zum Ende des 3. Jhs. n. Chr., Mainz, 1967, p. 112–115; Zanker, P.: The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus, Ann Arbor, 1988, p. 232–233; Künzl, E.: Dekorierte Gladii und Cingula: Eine ikonographische Statistik, JRMES 5, 1994, p. 40; týž: Gladiusdekorationen der frühen römischen Kaiserzeit: dynastische Legitimation, Victoria und Aurea Aetas, Jahrbuch RGZM 43/2, 1996, p. 402–403; Mlasowsky, A.: Nomini ac fortunae Caesarum proximi. Die Sukzessionspropaganda der römischen Kaiser von Augustus bis Nero im Spiegel der Reichsprägung und der archäologischen Quellen, JDAI 111, 1996, p. 337–338; Dahmen, K.: op. cit., p. 108; Klein, M. J.: Römische Schwerter aus Mainz, in: Klein, M. J. (ed.), Die Römer und ihr Erbe. Fortschritt durch Innovation und Integration, Mainz, 2003, p. 43; Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 241–242; Boschung, D.: Schwert des Tiberius, in: Naumann-Steckner, F. - Trier, M. (eds.), 14 AD – Römische Herrschaft am Rhein, Köln, 2014, p. 148–151; Bishop, M. C.: op. cit., p. 15.


14. Only Lersch, L.: op. cit., pp. 20–21 suggests that the figure might be Vulcan, but this opinion has not gained support within the scholarly community. Schumacher, K.: Kataloge des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums (Band 1): Verzeichnis der Abgüsse und wichtigeren Photographien mit Germanen-Darstellungen, Mainz, 1912, p. 32, also mentions a soldier of the Imperial German Bodyguard as a possible alternative to Mars.


15. Cass. Dio LV. 10. 4; Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1850, p. 18–22; Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1851, p. 23–24; Senckler, A.: op. cit.


16. Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1850, p. 19–21. See also Senckler, A.: op. cit.


17. Lersch, L.: op. cit., p. 23–24; Schumacher, K.: op. cit., p. 33; Walker, S.: op. cit., p. 50.


18. Domaszewski, A. von: Die Religion des römischen Heeres, Westdeutsche Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kunst 14, 1895, p. 11; Schumacher, K.: op. cit., p. 33; Walker, S.: op. cit., p. 50; Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1996, p. 403. Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 242 also leans towards this interpretation.


19. Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1850, p. 10–22; Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1851, p. 18–20; Klein, K.: Schwert des Tiberius, Philologus 6, 1851, p. 105–111; Strong, E.: Art in Ancient Rome vol. II, New York, 1928; Walker, S.: Augustus and Tiberius on the „Sword of Tiberius“, in: Walker, S. - Burnett, A. (eds.), Augustus. Handlist of the Exhibition and Supplementary Studies, London, 1981, p. 49–55; Lippold, G.: op. cit. Schumacher, K.: op. cit., p. 32 leans towards Tiberius, but doesn't rule out Drusus.


20. Bergk, T.: Schwert des Tiberius, BJ 14, 1849, p. 185–186; Becker, J.: Drusus und die Vindelicier, Philologus 5/1, 1850, p. 119–131, who later changed his opinion and favored Tiberius.


21. Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1850, p. 12 pozn. 29; Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1851, p. 18–20; Bergk, : op. cit., p. 186; Lippold, G.: op. cit., p. 5. Mlasowsky, A.: op. cit., p. 338 believes that the inscription refers to Octavian Augustus, although he identifies the main figures as Tiberius and Germanicus.


22. Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1996, p. 403–404. Suet. Tib. 9.


23. Ibid, p. 403–404.


24. Tac. Ann. II. 17; Roach Smith, Ch.: op. cit., p. 46. Ritter, F.: op. cit., BJ 17, 1851, p. 43–45 suggested that the figure represents an Amazon celebrating Tiberius's and Drusus's victory over the Vindelici, as according to legend, Amazons once fought against the Vindelici and drove them out of the eastern lands. Gagé, J.: op. cit., p. 17 believed it to be an allegory for Germania.


25. Only Roach Smith, Ch.: op. cit., p. 46 suggested Germanicus, but admitted we cannot be sure.


26. Tiberius: Lersch, L.: op. cit., p. 21; Walters, H. B.: op. cit., p. 157; Gagé, J.: op. cit., p. 9–10, 16; Dahmen, K.: op. cit., p. 109; Bishop, M. C.: op. cit., p. 15. Augustus: Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1850, p. 10; Bergk, T.: op. cit., p. 185; Schumacher, K.: op. cit., p. 33; Lippold, A.: op. cit., p. 4; Zanker, P.: op. cit., p. 232; Hölscher, T.: op. cit., p. 113–114; Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1994, p. 40; týž: op. cit., 1996, p. 403; Klein, M. J.: op. cit., p. 43; Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 241–242.


27. Dahmen, K.: op. cit., p. 109; see also Gagé, J.: op. cit., p. 16.


28. Lippold, A.: op. cit., p. 5.


29. Hölscher, T.: op. cit., p. 113.


30. Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1851, p. 25 note 36; Walker, S.: op. cit., p. 50, 51; Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1994, p. 40; Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1996, p. 403; Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 241. The civic crown was awarded to Augustus by the Senate in 27 BC for ending the civil war and showing moderation toward enemies, thereby saving many Roman lives (Res gestae 34). According to S. Walker (p. 51), the decorations on the sword might either be related to Augustus's crown (Walker leans toward the theory that the seated figure on the scabbard's decoration is Augustus), or they might refer to honors received by the sword's owner. Given that the so-called Sword of Tiberius was most likely not a unique item made for a specific person (see below), the latter hypothesis seems unlikely. It is more probable that the decoration simply serves as embellishment without reference to any particular person or event.


31. Lersch, L.: op. cit., p. 6–7, 21; Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1950, p. 5, 6, 7 think that the scabbard was made of silver and the relief fittings were likely made of bronze; Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1951, p. 25 repeat the same opinion; Roach Smith, Ch.: op. cit., p. 45; Gagé, J.: op. cit., p. 9; Lippold, A.: op. cit., p. 4.


32. Lersch, L.: op. cit., p. 26.


33. Gagé, J.: op. cit., p. 15–16.


34. Ritter, F.: op. cit., p. 45.


35. Bergk, T.: op. cit., p. 186. Similarly Becker, J.: op. cit., p. 131.


36. Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1950, p. 18; Klein, K. - Becker, J.: op. cit., 1951, p. 26.


37. Klumbach, H.: op. cit., p. 128–130; Walker, S.: op. cit., p. 51, note 27; Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 2, p. 662, cat. no. 465. See also above.


38. See especially Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1996; Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1994; Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 234–284.


39. Klumbach, H.: op. cit., p. 131–132. Similarly: Lippold, G.: op. cit., p. 4. See also Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 241.


40. Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1996, p. 403.


41. Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 242.


42. E. Künzl points out the "pincer-like" ornament on the roof of the building, which is similar to the so-called lyre-shaped ornament (a pair of double volutes facing each other, separated by a rod) that appears on several military tombstones from Mainz. See Boppert, W.: Militärische Grabdenkmäler aus Mainz und Umgebung, Mainz, 1992, nos. 1, 27, 59, 83, 114, 115, 128. However, the same and similar ornaments are also known from Italy and most likely have their origins in Greco-Roman architecture: Drexel, F.: Ein Architekturmotiv, Germania 9, 1925, pp. 35–39, with related literature.


43. MacMullen, R.: Inscriptions on Armor and the Supply of Arms in the Roman Empire, AJA 64/1, 1960, p. 23–40.


44. Klumbach, H.: op. cit., p. 162.


45. Gonzenbach, V. v.: op. cit., p. 190–201. See also Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1994, p. 38–51; Künzl, E.: op. cit., 1996, p. 398–423; Miks, Ch.: op. cit. vol. 1, p. 241–251.


46. Lippold, G.: op. cit., p. 6–11; Walker, S.: op. cit., p. 51; Gagé, J.: op. cit., p. 10–35; Zanker, P.: op. cit., p. 230–233; Mlasowsky, A.: op. cit., p. 337–338. Another similar cameo was mentioned, which is located in the French National Library – the Great Cameo of France. Here too, we likely see a seated Tiberius and a standing Germanicus in cuirass in a similar composition. However, the interpretation of this scene is somewhat more complex. One should also not overlook the Boscoreale cups, which feature similar scenes within the context of Augustus's world rule.





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