Objects study

The Colossus of Constantine

• A huge statue of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, created in the early 4th century CE and displayed in the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in Rome.

• Its size and appearance presented Constantine as a powerful, almost superhuman ruler chosen to govern the Roman Empire.

• Helped establish the idea that rulers could use monumental art and religious symbolism to demonstrate their authority.

• Later Christian and medieval rulers adopted similar ideas, portraying themselves as divinely supported leaders whose political power was connected to God.

Childeric’s signet ring

• A gold ring found in the tomb of Childeric I, a 5th-century Frankish king and father of Clovis.

• It showed Childeric wearing Roman-style military clothing and represented his authority as both a Frankish ruler and Roman-style leader.

• Showed how rulers combined Roman traditions with Germanic identity to legitimize their rule.

• Demonstrates how early medieval kings used Roman symbols of authority to present themselves as powerful and legitimate successors to the Roman political order.

Justinian mosaic, Church of San Vitale

• Created around 547 CE, shows Byzantine Emperor Justinian I surrounded by soldiers, government officials, and church leaders.

• Justinian is placed at the center with a halo, connecting his political authority to Christian religious authority.

• Presented the emperor as a ruler whose authority came from God.

• Helped establish the medieval idea that political and religious power were closely connected and that rulers could use Christian imagery to strengthen their legitimacy.

Theodora mosaic, Church of San Vitale

• Shows Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian I, surrounded by members of the imperial court and carrying a golden chalice for the Eucharist.

• Her rich clothing, jewelry, halo, and central position emphasize her wealth, status, and imperial authority.

• Connected royal authority with Christianity and divine approval.

• Shows how rulers used religious imagery, luxury, and ceremony to present themselves as powerful figures whose authority was supported by God.

Gold coins of Abd al-Malik

• Part of a new Islamic coinage that replaced Byzantine-style images of rulers with Arabic inscriptions and Islamic religious statements.

• Emphasized belief in one God and identified the authority of the Islamic state.

• Showed how rulers could use money to communicate political and religious authority.

• By creating a distinct Islamic coinage, Abd al-Malik demonstrated the independence and power of the Islamic caliphate instead of relying on older Roman and Byzantine symbols.

Gospel Book of Otto III

• Created around 1000 CE, was a richly decorated Christian manuscript made for Holy Roman Emperor Otto III.

• Shows Otto seated on a throne, surrounded by church and government officials, while personifications of different regions approach him with gifts.

• Portrayed Otto as a Christian emperor with divinely supported authority.

• Connected his rule to the Roman and Byzantine imperial traditions, showing how medieval rulers used Christian imagery and Roman traditions to legitimize their power.