A while ago I posted a series of what I considered exceptional Roman busts. I photographed them while visited Rome and Vienna. There has been ongoing interest in them from around the web. So I’ve decided to post a followup. Number III appears to depict a barbarian of some sort, probably a German or a Gaul. The last one might not actually be Roman, but merely Roman style (she resides in Vienna). Numbers VIIII and X are on display underground at the Palatine in Rome, but were found at Pompeii.
I
II
III
IIII
V
VI
VII
VIII
VIIII
X
XI
For the benefit of those who didn’t know, the ancient Romans did not use the same Roman numeral system familiar to us today. In the detail of the Colosseum below, we can see 53 and 54 represented as LIII and LIIII respectively.
I’ve seen this (older) system used in books that are merely 200-300 years old as well. I don’t claim that the newer system is inferior to the old one; I used the old one so that my ancient guests would feel at home.
