Die Ausrustung der roemischen Armee auf der Siegessaule des Marcus Aurelius in Rom: Ein Vergleich zwischen der skulpturalen Darstellung und den archaologischen Bodenfunden

The reliefs of the column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome are used extensively for the illustration of Roman soldiers. However, despite the fact that in the last decades a number of sites at the Danube Limes have been analyzed, where numerous militaria from the Markomannic Wars have emerged, there is no comparison between this work of official Roman art and the archaeological finds. This book aims to address this lacuna. Each piece of equipment of the Roman soldier is analyzed in its sculptural representation and compared with the existing finds as well as supplementary comparisons with secondary sources. The result is a broad picture of the Roman army under Marcus Aurelius and of Rome’s depiction of their forces in state propaganda. In addition, the present work comprehensively separates the antique parts of the frieze from the additions made during the late Renaissance for the first time and thus provides a solid basis for future archaeological and art historical evaluations.