To serve the Empire: Roman eagle as a divine messenger and guardian of majesty of the first Roman Emperor, Octavianus Augustus (63 BC- 14 AD). Politics — culture — belief

Abstract

To serve the Empire: Roman eagle as a divine messenger and guardian of majesty of the first Roman Emperor, Octavianus Augustus BC-AD . Politics -culture -belief Hadrian L. Kry kiewicz, hadrian@poczta.ig.pl Uniwersytet Szczeci ski Al. Papie a Jana Paw a II 22a, Szczecin Streszczenie G ównym celem niniejszej pracy sta a si prezentacja symboliki rzymskiego or a na przyk adzie okresu rz dów princepsa Oktawiana Augusta (44/31 przed Chr. -14 n.e.), poprzez zg bienie genezy, zastosowania oraz roli ideowej jego wizerunku w sztuce i kulturze Imperium Romanum. Analizie poddane zostaj zarówno wiadectwa pisane autorów staro ytnych, jak i liczne zabytki kultury materialnej (numizmaty, gemmy). Rozwa ania uzupe niaj uwagi odno nie pocz tków wizerunku or a jako rozpoznawalnego atrybutu cesarskiego (w adzy cesarskiej). AbstractThe presented paper focuses on comprehending the symbolism, variety and scale of the eagle's image implementation in art and broadly named culture of ancient Rome of the Augustan age (ca. 27 B.C.-14 A.D.). Both literary, numismatical, as well as gemmoglyptical evidence are examined, in our a empt to be er understand the ideological notion of the fawn bird's image in the ancient times.

The King of Birds and the Bird of Kings: About the Symbolism of the Eagle in Culture, Beliefs and Art

“…time of the consulship of Marius, a military reformer (107 BCE), only the eagle was placed on the poles of the signum with spread wings sitting on a bundle of lightning, and below it the number of the legion provided on a fragment of cloth. The motif of an eagle holding a laurel wreath in its claws or beak was used in classical art (Kryśkiewicz, 2014). It was also considered to be an enemy of serpents, as Homer already mentions in the Iliad: "A bird appeared to them when they were about to enter there: a sky eagle on the left side of the army flying, which in its claws carried a great serpent with a scarlet body.…”