Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus

This altar dates back to the 2nd century BCE, during the Republican Roman period, and is currently housed in the Louvre. It was made with Parian marble, and it was discovered in the Field of Mars, Rome. In terms of subject matter, the continuous, horizontal narrative depicts three separate scenes: the recording of Roman citizens in the register of the censor, the purification of the army before an altar dedicated to Mars, and the levy of soldiers.

In the first scene—the recording of Roman citizens in the register of the censor—an official on the very left is present, who was usually involved in the census and is recording the identity and property of the man standing in front of him in a codex made of two wooden wax tablets. Next to these two figures is the censor himself and is depicted with one hand on the shoulder of the man next to him, who is wearing a toga: this gesture was said to have suggested the assigning of that individual to a specific class. For historical context, the Roman census was a period where every five years, all Roman citizens had to return to their places of birth to be counted and recorded to keep track of the population. Based on a person’s wealth, the censor would then determine who could sit in the Senate and who would have to serve in the military.

In the second scene—the purification of the army before an altar dedicated to Mars—the ‘lustratio’ is depicted, which was a religious ceremony that involved a procession and the sacrificial offerings of a pig, ram, and bull. The purpose of this ceremony was to purify individuals, citives, objects, and buildings and within this altar’s context, the ceremony was used to legitimize the census. Present in this ceremony is the censor, who is touching Mars’ altar with his right hand, while armor-clad Mars presides to the left of the altar. Because Mars and the censor are seen touching the altar together, it suggests that the censor was given power directly from the God of War to pick soldiers—so to be picked as a soldier by the censor was to be picked by God and was, therefore, seen as the biggest honor.

Lastly, in the third scene—the levy of soldiers—a military scene is depicted, where two infantry men and a horseman with his horse that were present in the first and second scenes are seen again. This repetition, thus, evokes the message that civil and religious duties in Roman life are paramount in strengthening the force of the army.

The marine thiasos on the Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus also dates back some time around the 2nd to early 1st century BCE, and it is currently housed in the Glyptothek in Munich, Germany. The reliefs on this work differ heavily from the former, as it depicts the wedding of Neptune and Amphitrite with its stylistic choices inspired from the reliefs of the Altar of Zeus at Pergamon. Among the identifiable figures present are fully draped female figures sitting on the back of a hippocampus—where the woman with the torches in her hands likely represents the mother of the bride. As well, cupids holding reins of a taurocamp were depicted on the left, while a triton with a bare torso, snake-like legs, and wing-like fins playing a kithara was depicted on the right.

Sources:

relief architectural ; Autel de Domitius Ahenobarbus. (150 C.E.). Musée Du Louvre. https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010304645
Alessandro, E. A. with. (2020, October 13). Ancient Roman Art: Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus -. Exploring Art with Alessandro. https://www.exploringart.co/ancient-roman-art-altar-domitius-ahenobarbus/
Census-taking in the ancient world - Office for National Statistics. (n.d.). Www.ons.gov.uk. https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011census/howourcensusworks/aboutcensuses/censushistory/censustakingintheancientworld#:~:text=The%20Romans%20conducted%20censuses%20every