The Image of Antinous in Imperial Ideology
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Level 5 by design analogy (narrative historical and iconographical analysis).
OpenAlex W2946077765 · doi:10.20381/ruor-23424
What was done
The author analyzed the ideological function of Antinous in Hadrianic Rome by examining Hadrian's political ideology and personal image, evaluating the religious cult of Antinous, and categorizing extant statues of Antinous by provenance and iconographic attributes.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data. The analysis concluded that the cult and statues of Antinous served as social and religious unifiers across provincial communities, incorporating iconographical links to established cults to support Hadrian's broader program of imperial integration rather than merely reflecting his personal philhellenism.
Why it matters
This work reframes the widespread sculptural presence of Antinous as a deliberate instrument of Roman imperial consolidation rather than an eccentric personal memorial.
Limits
The abstract does not state the number of statues examined, the geographic distribution data, or specific inclusion criteria. Findings depend on qualitative art-historical and contextual interpretation.
Cited by
- context More surviving statues and busts exist from the Roman Empire depicting Hadrian's lover Antinous than of almost anyone else from antiquity except Hadrian himself.