judaism_and_rome 2026-07-22T01:34:56+02:00 1 179 Inscription https://heurist.huma-num.fr/heurist/?recID=179&db=judaism_and_rome 2022-08-16 23:18:40 2025-07-22 16:56:40 public Obelisk of Constantius II, Circus Maximus (CIL VI, 1163) Granite base for an obelisk, inscribed on four sides with a dedicatory inscription; now lost. 0357 0357 5465 2149 fdd3b99c1aefac308d4b25cd79e45d4bb9882d4b obelisk-lateran.jpg image/jpeg 184 2022-08-12 11:55:31 Obelisk of Constantius II, Circus Maximus (CIL VI, 1163), 5465, Obelisk of Constantius II (CIL VI, 1163) (184.7 KB)) https://heurist.huma-num.fr/heurist/?db=judaism_and_rome&file=fdd3b99c1aefac308d4b25cd79e45d4bb9882d4b Latin 5299 5298 5297 5296 5295 5300 <p>In 357 CE the emperor Constantius II visited the city of Rome; in order to commemorate his visit he ordered that an Egyptian obelisk, dating to the reign of pharaoh Tuthmosis III (1504-1450 BCE) and completed by his grandson Tuthmosis IV, should be brought to Rome and set up in the Circus Maximus. A red granite base was also set up and inscribed with the above text, which was comprised of 24 hexameters, and recorded the monumental feat that moving the obelisk represented. That base is now lost, with the exception of a few small fragments, but the inscription has survived due to its inclusion in a number of Renaissance manuscripts, from which the entirety of the text can be reconstructed (for the manuscript tradition of this inscription, see Marchionni, “La Tradizione non solo Manoscrita,” p. 455-471). The inscription celebrated not only the extraordinary achievement of Constantius II in succeeding in managing to move the obelisk, but it presented it as a reflection of or metaphor for Constantius’s superior power as emperor; this was all the more relevant as Constantius had, only four years earlier, conquered the Roman emperor in the West, Gallus, leaving him as sole ruler of the empire.</p><p>The obelisk had originally stood as part of the complex of the temple of Amun in Karnak, Thebes. Having been set up in the 15^th century BCE, it remained standing there until the reign of Constantine, who determined, in emulation of the emperor Augustus, that it should be moved to adorn his own city of Constantinople. He was successful in moving the obelisk as far as Alexandria, but it did not cross the Mediterranean until the reign of his son Constantius II, some forty years later (for the history of the obelisk in Egypt, see Iversen, <em>Obelisks in Exile</em>, I, p. 55-64; Liverani, “Costanzo II e l’obelisco del Circo Massimo a Roma,” p. 471-487). Constantius II, the second son of the emperor Constantine and his wife Fausta, had ascended to the imperial throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans following the death of Constantine in 337 CE. In 340 CE, unrest broke out between the brothers over the governing of the western provinces, resulting the in the death of Constantine II and Constans as emperor in the west, with Constantius left to control the east. In 350 CE, the usurper Magnentius had overthrown and killed Constans, which led to Constantius II travelling west in order to restore order and control (see Dedication to the usurper Magnentius). At the battles of Mursa and Mons Seleucus Constantius defeated Magnentius, who later committed suicide, leaving the last surviving son of Constantine the sole ruler of the empire (for a detailed synthesis of these events, with full references to primary sources, see Harries, <em>Imperial Rome</em>, p. 185-208). Further military campaigns were to follow, with successful defeats of the Germanic tribes, including the Alamanni, in 354 CE, and the Quadi and Sarmatians in 357 CE. However, warring barbarian tribes were not the only source of his troubles; Constantius Gallus, the emperor’s cousin, had been raised to the position of Caesar in the east in 351 CE, but his repeated acts of violence and corruption had led to his execution in 354 CE (Harries, <em>Imperial Rome</em>, p. 196-199).</p><p>It was against this political backdrop that Constantius II visited the city of Rome in 357 CE. It was a memorable event that “publicly and successfully celebrated the relationship of city and emperor” (Harries, <em>Imperial Rome</em>, p. 274). Not only did Constantius II fulfil the ceremonial expectations of an imperial visitor to the city, arriving in a glorious military procession, but he also fulfilled his civic responsibilities, answering the queries of senators and petitioners and, crucially, setting up a monument – in the form of the obelisk – that permanently communicated his respect for the ancient capital. The obelisk was shipped from Alexandria, where it had lain for some forty years, and set up on the <em>spina</em> (central barrier) of the Circus Maximus, on a red granite base. The inscription that decorated each of the four sides was composed from twenty-four hexameters that related the obelisk’s journey to Rome, and its status there as a gift to the city from a victorious emperor. From the first lines of the epigram, Constantius II emphasised the link with his divine father, stating that the obelisk represented “the work of his father” (<em>Patris opus</em>) and “his own gift to you, Rome” (<em>munusque suum tibi, Roma</em>). The extraordinary nature of this gift is stressed, emphasising its marvellous quality, which “no land produced nor age had seen” (<em>quod nulla tulit tellus nec uiderat aetas</em>), which is also linked personally to Constantius’s own achievements as emperor: “he has set up in order to make his gifts equal to his brilliant triumphs” (c<em>ondidit ut claris exa[equ]et dona triumphis</em>). It is clear that the obelisk is a dynastic celebration that connects father and son; Constantine had invested in improvements to the Circus Maximus itself, and the form of the obelisk made subtle reference to his devotion to the cult of the sun god Sol (see e.g. <a href="https://heurist.huma-num.fr/judaism_and_rome/tpl/public-record/385" target="_blank">Nummus depicting the head of Constantine</a> and <a href="https://heurist.huma-num.fr/judaism_and_rome/tpl/public-record/89" target="_blank">The Column of Constantine</a>), whilst the actual dedication of it in the Circus fell to his son, whose success in bringing it to Rome was given as a metaphor for his own strength and power (Trout, “Poetry on Stone,” p. 86). The epigram tells us that the obelisk was not originally intended for Rome, however, but that Constantine wished “this ornament to be an adornment for the city of his name” (<em>hoc decus ornatum genitor cognominis urbis / esse uolens</em>), or Constantinople. The plan was delayed by fear that “by no skill and exertion and labor could the Caucasus-like mass be moved” (<em>nullo ingenio nisuque manuque moueri / Caucaseam molem discurrens fama monebat</em>), in further emphasis of the extraordinary nature of Constantius’s own achievement to do so. Constantius is described in the next line as “master of the world” (<em>dominus mundi</em>), a significant descriptor of Roman emperors also found on coinage, whose abilities went above and beyond those of his father. Grant Parker has noted that this movement of the obelisk resulted in social meaning too; not only was the physical act of moving impressive, but it was a “metaphor for their changes in audience too,” which might be understood as an “index of monarchic power and particularly riverine despotism” (Parker, “Obelisks still in exile,” p. 211). The appropriation of the obelisk and the addition of the Latin inscription to its base represented a performance of power that recontextualised the meaning of the obelisk in a multitude of senses. </p><p>The final key aspect of the dedicatory inscription is given in line 15, in which it is stated “meanwhile, a foul tyrant was laying waste to Rome” (<em>interea Romam taetro uastante tyranno</em>). This was a clear reference to the usurpation of Magnentius, which Constantius II had suppressed almost a decade earlier; Dennis Trout has suggested that the inclusion of the word “tyrant” (<em>tyrranus</em>) twice in the inscription (lines 15 and 21) was a deliberate repetition of the same word from the <a href="https://heurist.huma-num.fr/judaism_and_rome/tpl/public-record/90" target="_blank">Arch of Constantine</a> close to the Colosseum in Rome, and which had also been used as a “rhetorical twist central to Constantine’s representation of Maxentius”. <em>Tyrranus</em> connected Constantius’s victory against Magnentius with his father’s against Maxentius, and suggested that the two be considered comparable achievements (Trout, “Poetry on Stone,” p. 87). The dedication of the obelisk in the Circus Maximus was, then, an exercise in a number of different expressions of imperial power: the physical transportation of the vast monument from Egypt to Rome emphasised the strength, wealth and infrastructure of the empire, whilst also acting as a metaphor for the emperor’s own powers; the appropriation of the obelisk and its redeployment in a Roman, civic sense, complete with Latin dedicatory inscription, demonstrated Rome’s superiority in a public context, and the references to tyranny overthrown highlighted the martial prowess that underpinned all imperial power. The obelisk provided an ideal and tangible dynastic link between Constantine and his son Constantius II, with both commemorated by monuments that linked them to public spectacle. The form of the inscription, in metrical verse, was also a conscious act that permitted imperial patrons to announce “their cultural as well as civic and religious commitments in a city that had not yet forfeited all its importance as a stage for the performance of emperorship” (Trout, “Poetry on Stone,” p. 88).</p> Roman power Constantius II Magnentius obelisk Rome (city) monument tyrant Roman victory Roman triumph Circus Maximus trophy Now lost; fragments survive in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples; piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano, Rome (re-used to restore the body of the obelisk). Red Granite. Height: 34 cm Width: 134 cm Depth: 7.5 cm 4th CE 40 Temple of Amun, Karnak; moved to the Circus Maximus, Rome. PATRIS OPVS MVNVSQVE [----] TIBI ROMA DICAVIT<br /> AVGVSTVS [-----------]TIVS ORBE RECEPTO<br /> ET QVOD NVLLA TVLIT TELLVS NEC VIDERAT AETAS<br /> CONDIDIT VT CLARIS EXA[---]ET DONA TRIVMPHIS<br /> 5<br /> HOC DECVS ORNATVM GENITOR COGNOMINIS VRBIS<br /> ESSE VOLENS CAESA THEBIS DE RVPE REVELLIT<br /> SED GRAVIOR DIVVM TANGEBAT CVRA VEHENDI<br /> QVOD NVLLO INGENIO NISVQVE MANVQVE MOVERI<br /> CAVCASEAM MOLEM DISCVRRENS FAMA MONEBAT<br /> 10<br /> AT DOMINVS MVNDI CONSTANTIVS OMNIA FRETVS<br /> CEDERE VIRTVTI TERRIS INCEDERE IVSSIT<br /> HAVT PARTEM EXIGVAM MONTIS PONTOQVE TVMENTI<br /> CREDIDIT ET PLACIDO [-----------------]CTV<br /> LITVS AD HESPERIVM [------] MIRANTE CARINAM<br /> 15<br /> INTEREA ROMAM TA[--]RO VASTANTE TYRANNO<br /> AVGUSTI IACVIT DONVM STVDIVMQVE LOCANDI<br /> NON FASTV SPRETI SED QVOD NON CREDERET VLLVS<br /> TANTAE MOLIS OPVS SVPERAS CONSVRGERE IN AVRAS<br /> NVNC VELVTI RVRSVS RVF[--] AVVLSA METALLIS<br /> 20<br /> EMICVIT PVLSATQVE POLOS HAEC GLORIA DVDVM<br /> AVCTORI SERVATA SVO CV[- -]AEDE TYRANNI<br /> REDDITVR ATQVE ADITV RO[-----]RTVTE REPERTO<br /> VICTOR OVANS VRBI[---------------]E TROPAEVM<br /> PRINCIPIS ET MVNVS CONDI[--------]QVE TRIVMPHIS 89 90 385 324 Roman CIL VI, 1163 EDR122871 Yes <div style="text-align: justify;">Patris opus munusque [suum] tibi, Roma, dicauit</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Augustus [toto Constan]tius orbe recepto,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Et quod nulla tulit tellus nec uiderat aetas,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Condidit ut claris exa[equ]et dona triumphis.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">5</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Hoc decus ornatum genitor cognominis urbis</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Esse uolens caesa Thebis de rupe reuellit,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Sed grauior diuum tangebat cura uehendi,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Quod nullo ingenio nisuque manuque moueri</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Caucaseam molem discurrens fama monebat.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">10</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">At dominus mundi Constantius omnia fretus</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Cedere uirtuti terris incedere iussit</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Haut partem exiguam montis pontoque tumenti</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Credidit et placido [deuexit per mare flu]ctu</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Litus ad Hesperium [Tiberi] mirante carinam.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">15</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Interea Romam ta[et]ro uastante tyranno</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Augusti iacuit donum studiumque locandi</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Non fastu spreti, sed quod non crederet ullus</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Tantae molis opus superas consurgere in auras.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Nunc ueluti rursus ruf[is] auulsa metallis</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">20</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Emicuit pulsatque polos. haec gloria dudum</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Auctori seruata suo cu[m c]aede tyranni</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Redditur, atque aditu Ro[mae ui]rtute reperto</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Victor ouans urbi[que fauens ex host]e tropaeum</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Principis et munus condi[t decorat]que triumphis.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Translation taken from Trout, Dennis, “Poetry on Stone: Epigram and Audience in Rome,” in S. McGill and J. Pucci (eds.), <em>Classics Renewed: Reception and Innovation in the Latin Poetry of Late Antiquity. </em>Bibliothek der klassischen Altertumswissenschaften. NF, 152.   (Heidelberg:  Universitätsverlag Winter​, 2016), p. 84-86. Reproduced by kind permission of the publisher.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">The work of his father and his own gift to you, Rome,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Constantius Augustus dedicated when he possessed the whole world,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">and what no land produced nor age had seen</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">he has set up in order to make his gifts equal to his brilliant triumphs.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Wishing this ornament to be an adornment for the city of his name,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">At Thebes his father tore it away from hewn rock.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">But a weightier concern about moving it touched the divine ruler</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">because scurrying rumor announced that by no skill</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">and exertion and labor could the Caucasus-like mass be moved.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">But the master of the world, Constantius, trusting that all things</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">would yield to his power, ordered this sizeable part of a mountain to advance</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">over the lands and to the swelling sea</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">he entrusted it, and on calm wave the seas carried the ship</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">to the Italian shore, with the Tiber admiring.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, with a foul tyrant laying waste to Rome,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">the gift of Augustus was lying prostrate, as well as the desire for erecting it,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">not through scornful arrogance but because none could believe</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">that a monument of such a great mass could rise into the upper breezes.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Now as if torn away anew from the reddish quarry,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">it has sprung forth and strikes the heavens. The glory (of his accomplishment),</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">long reserved for its executor, with the tyrants slaughter</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">is now granted, and with his approach to Rome obtained through his power,</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">the victor, exulting, bestows on the city the lofty trophy</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">of an emperor and a tribute to (his own) ever worthy triumphs.</div> Yes urbs Thebae Roma dominus mundi mons pontus tumens placidus maris Hesperia tyrannus virtus victor tropaeum pater opus munus Constantius orbis tellus donum triumphus ornatus genitor Caroline Barron English Dedication Yes 303 1