The oldest and rarest example of a scene of Roman emperors embracing has been put on display at the Kocaeli Archaeology Museum in Turkey, Arkeonews reports.
The relief sculpture, depicting the embrace of the Roman emperors Diocletian (left) and Maximian (right), was discovered in 2001. Excavations were carried out after an earthquake in 1999.
In the sculpture, the emperors embrace each other after descending from their chariots during the ceremony of entering the cities. The short hair and beards, as well as the rich clothing, emphasize that the rulers belong to the soldier emperors of Rome.
Their embrace is a symbol of the new system of governance of the Roman Empire. Emperor Diocletian introduced the system of tetrarchy, in which the country was ruled by two sets of emperors. The sculpture may be the oldest example of a scene depicting the glorification of the tetrarchy. This find has allowed scientists to learn more about the customs of Ancient Rome.
