The two aurei of Hadrian honoring his adoptive father the late Trajan, show a new image: a haloed phoenix, standing majestically, with no legend, holding on one of the types a branch of laurel. If the Egyptian sacred creature is since long attested in the Graeco-Latin texts, representations are seen only in Italy from the 1st c. AD. The bird entered politics under the Julio-Claudians, punctuating the current events with appearances of good omen and calendar meaning. Tacitus’s note shows the topicality of the formalized myth. Besides the status and personality of Trajan and Hadrian, the historic events, the geographical context and the religious beliefs (connected to the oracle of Apollo’s temple in Daphne, Syria) explain the relevance of this imperial, dynastic and solar emblem. The unique bird is his own father and son; its revival assures the bliss and sustainability of the world; his first act is to render funeral honors to his parent. This image with a very rich symbolism: consecration and eternal life, filial devotion and continuity of power, and promise of a golden age for Rome, is intended to last long. - [Abstract]

Language: French

ISBN: 978-2-7574-3024-8; DOI: 10.4000/books.septentrion.92038