Representing Rome's Emperors: Historical and Cultural Perspectives through Time

Roman emperors have long functioned—and continue to function—in the western imagination as paradigms of imperial leadership to be emulated or avoided. This innovative volume brings together an international team of experts to examine the literary and artistic representations of Roman emperors across more than two thousand years of history. In doing so, it breaks down traditional disciplinary boundaries that have separated the study of emperors in antiquity from their representation in later periods. The individual chapters offer close readings of different texts, media, and contexts, ranging from the Annals of Tacitus, Roman lamps, and triumphal statues to medieval legends, early modern philosophical tracts, twentieth-century novels, and museum exhibitions. Collectively they explore the creative impulses and political agendas that have shaped how we understand Roman emperors today.