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Quote:It really is a shame that the Roman's were so big on cremation, otherwise (assuming Alric didn't dump the bodies anyways when he sacked Rome),how interesting would it be to get some DNA samples and find how more about how these people actually looked.
Not exactly so, in christian era deceased were buried, in fact neighbour Rome we found several bones and sometimes whole skeletons in the graves, above all of poor fellows. I guess their DNA was quite the some of their ancestors of 2 centuries before, what I think is that none made dna analisys on those.
Marco
Civis Romanus Optime Iure Sum
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Quote:Personally I'd love to see what Antony looked like. His coins make him look exactly how he is described.
Me too!
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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It is interesting to note just how good a likness we have of Emperors from their coinage, however what is of more interest is just how fast the image or picture of an Emperor managed to get to all the mints around the Roman Empire.
When of course numismatics is studied a bit closer we do find there are slight differences in some depictions of some of them from various mints.
Brian Stobbs
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A great example of this is Vespasian. When he was proclaimed Emperor nobody in Rome knew what he looked like. His first coins have him looking like Otho, then Vitellius. Late in 70 AD he looks like a thin version of the Vespaian we know and then finally the full faced Vespasian appears. I'll post a few pictures when I'm back at my computer.
"The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones"
Antony
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Jay.
That is a good selection you have shown and it's one of the very Emperors that come to mind, with the short lived Otho and Vitellius there was no problem for they were in close contact to the mints who came up with their coinage.
However it is as you say and Vespasian may not have been in Rome for many years so just who would have remembered or even seen him.
Brian Stobbs
