Insignia of Roman Emperor Maxentius Unearthed
Pastor Dale Morgan
Insignia of Roman Emperor Maxentius Unearthed*
By MARTA FALCONI
The Associated Press
Sunday, December 3, 2006; 10:01 AM
ROME -- Archaeologists have unearthed what they say are the only
existing imperial insignia belonging to Emperor Maxentius _ precious
objects that were buried to preserve them and keep them from enemies
when he was killed by his rival Constantine.
Excavation under Rome's Palatine Hill near the Colosseum turned up items
including three lances and four javelins that experts said are striking
for their completeness _ digs usually turn up only fragments _ and the
fact that they are the only known artifacts of their kind.
Some of the objects, which accompanied the emperor during his public
appearances, are believed to be the base for the emperor's standards _
rectangular or triangular flags, officials said.
An imperial scepter with a carved flower and a globe, and a number of
glass spheres, believed to be a symbolic representation of the earth,
also were discovered.
The discovery was announced Wednesday by Italy's Culture Minister
Francesco Rutelli during a visit to New York.
The items, inside wooden boxes and wrapped in linen and silk, were found
buried at a sanctuary last year and have since been restored and
analyzed. The depth of the burial allows experts to date them to the
early 4th century A.D., ministry officials said.
"These artifacts clearly belonged to the emperor, especially the
scepter, which is very elaborated, it's not an item you would let
someone else have," Clementina Panella, the archaeologist who made the
discovery, said Friday.
"As far as we know, there are no similar findings," said Angelo Bottini,
the state's top official for archaeology in Rome. "Similar
representations are only on coins and paintings, but we never saw them
for real," he said. Bottini added that the artifacts will be shown to
the public in February.
Panella said the insignia were likely hidden by Maxentius' people in an
attempt to preserve the emperor's memory after he was defeated by
Constantine I in the 321 A.D. battle of the Milvian Bridge _ a turning
point for the history of the Roman empire which saw Constantine become
the unchallenged ruler of the West.
"Once he's lost, his objects could not continue to exist and, at the
same time, could not fall in the hands of the enemy," she said.
Darius A. Arya, an archaeologist and professor at the American Institute
for Roman Culture, said the discovery was highly unusual.
"Here's something precious that represents the greatness of Maxentius,
buried by his loyal people to save something that belonged to him," said
Arya, who was not involved in the excavation. "All together, they
represented the power of this particular emperor and you wouldn't want
the enemy or the usurper to get a hold of it."
Excavations on the Palatine in recent decades have turned up wonders
such as the house of Rome's first emperor, Augustus. Experts said that
much has yet to be uncovered, hidden in underground passageways.