Wednesday 15 February 2012

Portraits of Hannibal

Coin attributed to Hannibal

The problem is that we don't have any portrait that definitely depicts Hannibal.

Typically a coin portrait can be compared with marble or bronze busts.

There were at least three statues of Hannibal in Rome, as Pliny gives in n.h. 34,32, so there's a good chance that there is a Hannibal among our unidentified ancient portraits that have all been considered to be Hannibal at times:
  • a young bronze ruler from Volubilis
  • a bearded man in Kopenhagen
  • a beardless portrait in Madrid
See G. Hafner in Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Madrid 14 (1973) p. 143.
Coin attributed to Hannibal (as Hercules)
Coin attributed to Hannibal
Silver Half-Shekel said to represent Hannibal c.220 BC
Carthaginian shekel from the time of Hannibal (ca221-201BC)

1 comment:

  1. Hannibal was a black man believe it or not.

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