Roman Creations of a Barbarian Other

Statue of a Kneeling Barbarian

One characteristic that is uniform across nearly all empires is the need to create a collective identity in opposition to an Other. This Other provides those in power with a “boogeyman” to rally the populace against. What defines this Other does not always represent the lived experiences of those being Othered, but the traits associated with Otherness does reflect the values and fears of the people creating the Other. Othering is not unique to empires, and Romans began Othering long before the rule of Augustus. In fact, the Roman use of Othering to create the unified identity of Civilization in opposition to Barbarian was borrowed from the Greeks, but the Romans modified and nearly perfected this dichotomous relationship. Romans portrayed many of their enemies with similar characteristics that they deemed represented the so-called barbarian, as seen in the Statue of a Kneeling Barbarian, a sculpture made out of paonazzetto marble, which is thought to have been commissioned by Augustus in 20 BCE following his retrieval of the standard from the Parthians. The sculpture shows a man in trousers and a tunic with long hair and an unkempt beard, all traits that are characteristically unroman and can be found in depictions of barbarians throughout the Roman Empire.

Statue of a Captured Dacian

Indeed, the Statue of the Captured Dacian, which was commissioned in the late second century CE, bears a striking resemblance to the Statue of a Kneeling Barbarian. The Dacian sports a similar hairstyle, the same trousers, the same hat, and a similar style of tunic, which ends just below the knees. The two statues look so much alike because they share the same un-roman characteristics, and not because these are accurate representations of the people they are meant to portray. An interesting use, or rather reuse, of this barbarian imagery can be found on the Arch of Constantine. The arch commemorates Constantine's victory over Emperor Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE. The battle was fought between two Roman Emperors with Roman armies, so it is strange that four statues of captured Dacians stand at the top of the arch. These statues were likely taken from Trajan's Forum and resemble the Statue of the Captured Dacian. In fact, much of the artwork on the Arch of Constantine is recycled from previous monuments, and it serves to construct Maxentius as unroman. The arch celebrates Constantine's supposed liberation of Rome from an oppressor and specifically erases any indication that the war was fought between Romans. Constantine's use of othering solidifies his identity as the rightful Roman emperor and assuages any fears of disunity among the Roman peoples, sending the message that Maxentius and his barbarians are everything that Romans are not.

The Arch of Constantine

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Kellum, Barbara. "Imperial Messages" in The Oxford Handbook of Roman Sculpture. Edited by Elise A. Friedland, Melanie Grunow Sobocinski, and Elaine K, Gazda. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.

Mattingly, David J. Imperialism, Power, and Identity: Experiencing the Roman Empire. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011.