The Colossus of Constantine

 

The Colossus of Constantine, 312-315 C.E., Roman Empire

Constantine was an interesting emperor of the Roman Empire. He did not grow up being a successor to a throne or high class enough to be considered a lord, but he somehow became the emperor of the Roman Empire. As his father rose up the political ladder until obtaining Caesar status (Essentially becoming Vice Emperor) in the Eastern half of the empire, Constantine was a member of the Imperial court, becoming a politician as well as a warrior. When Emperors Diocletian and Maximian relinquished the thrones, and when Constantine's father relinquished his throne, Constantine did not become emperor. Instead, Constantine remained in the imperial court, passed over as another person was selected for the title of Emperor. Following a series of wars, betrayals, suicides, and politics, Constantine ended up on the throne of both halves of the empire by 324 C.E. After bringing the empire back together, Constantine changed the capital of the empire, moving it from Rome to Constantinople. This is when the empire began a new turning point, changing in culture and beliefs. This statue here is simply a piece of a gigantic statue of Constantine, estimated to be built around 312 - 315 C.E., carved out of white marble. The body of the sculpture was brick with wooden framework, covered in bronze. The whole sculpture itself is estimated to be around 12 meters tall (40 ft) while the head itself is 2.43 meters (8 ft). Originally it may have looked like this: 

Reconstruction of the Colossus in the Basilica Nova by the University of Virginia 

The purpose as to why this was built can only be speculated because there are no documents defining why it was built. If it was built in a celebration of him, if he requested it built to show the power of the empire, or if it was erected to display his importance in changing the empire, we cannot tell. What we do know, is that Constantine changed the Roman Empire. For years, Rome was a pagan empire, believing in multiple gods that reflected the Greek Pantheon but with different titles. Constantine believed that God guided him and allowed him to become the emperor of not just one half of the empire, but the whole entirety. Believing such, he enforced a change in religion, not only causing an end to pagan traditions in Rome but set down the footwork of how we see Medival Europe develop later on. That is why this piece is important. It provides a benchmark time of when cultures and lives began to change, being a reference point to so many other changes in the world. This statue being built caused a rippling effect, seemingly immediately after it was built there was a shift in art, where we begin to see a cultural allowance to create art depicting religious events and figures of Christianity that we didn't see before. 

Sources:

“The Colossus of Constantine.” Joy of Museums Virtual Tours, June 8, 2020. https://joyofmuseums.com/museums/europe/italy-museums/rome-museums/capitoline-museums/the-colossus-of-constantine/.

“Colossus of Constantine.” The Byzantine Legacy. Accessed September 18, 2020. https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/colossus-constantine.

Matthews, J.F., and Donald MacGillivray Nicol. “Constantine I.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., May 18, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-I-Roman-emperor.

Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "The Colossus of Constantine," in Smarthistory, December 9, 2015, accessed September 18, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/the-colossus-of-constantine/.