Who\'s that boy?

[Jona Lendering]

This bust of a dreamy boy is in the Munich Glyptothek. I once made a slide of it, and wrote in my notebook that it was Geta (the ill-fated son of Septimius Severus). On second thoughts, I think my note is wrong and the bust represents a prince from the second century - perhaps Commodus? Anyone any thoughts?

[Memmia]

Salve,

I'm pretty sure that you were right the first time, Jona.
He looks like Geta to me.

Do you think there is a likeness on these coins ?
(Even though he is a lot younger on the statue :lol: )

www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/geta/t.html

[Aurelianus]

Comparing this bust with my roman coins collection it seams to be Geta as well.

[M.H. White]

I've only seen one bust of Geta, in Rome if I remember aright, but I think you might be right thinking it is Commodus. He has the rather large, heavy lidded eyes shared by Marcus Aurelius and his son. The shape of his face/head is also consistent with that of Marcus & son, to my eye at least, though I am by no means trained in looking for these sorts of things.

[Decebalus]

I found a picture of this head in:

German Hafner, Bildlexikon antiker Personen (Zürich 1993)

where it is doubtless identified as Geta`s brother Caracalla.

There`s a copy of a lost head of Geta in Tripolis which looks quite

different to that in Munich.

Greets,

Decebalus/Andreas Gagelmann

[Nerva]

If that's Caracella then he must have been subject to some form of metamorphic event given the later busts and statues of him. Far more likely to be Geta (the poor sod).

[Jona Lendering]

I found a picture of this head in:
German Hafner, Bildlexikon antiker Personen (Zürich 1993)
where it is doubtless identified as Geta`s brother Caracalla.

Thanks!

[Memmia]

Hi,

I found this site, and it has pics of busts of Geta and Caracalla.

They look very similar, but show your pic as being Geta :?
Caracalla as a child had curlier hair although the looks are almost identical.

What do you think ?

Hope this helps

www.romancoins.info/Caesar-Sculpture-3.HTML

[Jona Lendering]

Well, that settles it, dear Memmia: the photo on RomanCoins.Info is of the very bust I've put online - the one from Munich. And although Caracalla and Geta resemble each other, their hair style is different. We are really talking about two classes of portrait. Thanks!

[Aurelianus]

I still think that it is Geta.

I've compared several coins from Caracalla and Geta. The young portraits are very similar. But Geta has more a “baby-faceâ€

[Jona Lendering]

Caracallas chin is more pronounced (in this time phase).

That's true, and looking at those busts makes me hesitate too.

Aurelianus\\n[quote]By the way: I didn’t found any coin of Caracalla showing him without wearing a laurel wreath or an aureole. From Geta there are a lot of “bare headedâ€

[Aurelianus]

Bingo

[Arthes]

Elgabalas also has very similar looks when younger..
Was it the fashion to have one sideburn aka Egyptians with sidelocks.....or is the centre picture of Geta a different bust....as I suspect... :wink: ?
It still gets to me, just how much these look like some modern people and some I have met...I am still trying to remember where I know Septimus Severus from..it aggrievates me every time I look at his photo...maybe we met in York!!!

[Memmia]

Elgabalas also has very similar looks when younger..
Was it the fashion to have one sideburn aka Egyptians with sidelocks.....or is the centre picture of Geta a different bust....as I suspect... :wink: ?
It still gets to me, just how much these look like some modern people and some I have met...I am still trying to remember where I know Septimus Severus from..it aggrievates me every time I look at his photo...maybe we met in York!!!

Yes, Septimus Severus owns that quaint little tea shop in the 'Shambles' nice scones, Septimus!

There used to be a guy who lived in my road who looked a bit like Caracalla, he was always working on his car and owned a giant dog :lol:

I think that Elagabalus was accepted as Emperor by the army who liked him (initially)because of his strong 'Severan' type looks, which is quite evident when you compare him with the busts of Geta and Caracalla. Was it actually rumoured that he was supposed to be Caracalla's illegitimate son ?