A genuine Ancient Roman carnelian intaglio
seal depicting Emperor Caracalla (reigned
198-
217 A.D.) has been set in a stunning gold
pendant dating from the Classical Revival
period.
The art of glyptics, or carving on colored
precious stones, is probably one of the oldest
known to humanity. Intaglios, gems with an
incised design, were made as early as the
fourth and third millennia B.C. in
Mesopotamia
and the Aegean Islands. The exhibit a
virtuosity of execution that suggests an old
and stable tradition rooted in the earliest
centuries. The tools required for carving
gems
were simple: a wheel with a belt-drive and a
set of drills. Abrasives were necessary since
the minerals used were too hard for a metal
edge. A special difficulty of engraving
intaglios,
aside from their miniature size, was that the
master had to work with a mirror-image in
mind.
Caracalla was born April 4,188 in Lyon,
where
his father, Septimius Severus, was serving as
governor of the province of Gallia
Lugdunensis
under Emperor Commodus. His name was
changed from Lucius Septimius Bassianus to
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus at the age of
seven. From the time of his name change to
Antoninus, Caracalla was the designated heir
of Severus. Less than three years later he
was
proclaimed emperor, officially joining his
father
as co-rulers of the empire. Upon his father’s
death in 211, Caracalla ruled the empire
jointly with his brother, Geta, until he was
murdered later the same year, leaving
Caracalla in sole control at the age of 23. The
year 212 saw a flurry of administrative
reforms under the young emperor's
leadership. Soldiers received increases in pay
and in legal rights, but the most noteworthy
change was the bestowal of Roman
citizenship
upon all free residents of the empire. In 217,
Caracalla was assassinated on the road back
from his military campaigns against the
Parthians in the east. Although Caracalla
remains a rather dubious figure, historians
often overlook the energetic, reformist and
even intellectual character of Caracalla's
reign.
The changes brought about in the little more
than five years of Caracalla's sole rule would
have long-lasting implications throughout the
empire for generations to come.
- (FJ.7158)
|
