I See Dead Faces

Imagine strolling around the Roman forum on a hot summer’s day. The people around you are doing business and discussing politics. It’s just a regular day at the forum. But then you turn north and notice a grand building, the Basilica Aemilia. The glistening of some strange objects pique your interest and you’re pulled towards the majestic structure. There you finally notice them. Silver faces are staring down at you from brazen shields. Yikes!

These shields on the Basilica Aemilia are called Imago Clipeata. They’re portraits of famous and influential ancestors of prominent Roman families. These shields were normally displayed in Roman houses with regular portrait busts and beeswax masks, portraying long dead family members who held the highest political offices. They were pretty rare on public buildings. The Basilica Aemilia is one of the more famous examples. In this case, the ancestral faces displayed on the shields probably belonged to the gens Aemilia. If you didn’t know who they were, you could read the inscriptions stating their names and honors. Actually, you were encouraged to read the inscriptions, because it was believed virtues could be learned by looking at the likeness of great people.

But that's not all. According to the Roman writer Pliny “no one can look at [the shields] without a feeling of pleasure and lively interest.” Pliny Nat. 35,3