Mistaken Identities: How to Identify a Roman Emperor

On September 29, 2011, the well-renowned Classicist Mary Beard discussed the difficulties of identifying old roman sculptures and what she believes this process tells us about ancient cultures.
The lecture was put on by the Stanford University Department of Classics and was part of the Lorenz Eitner Lectures on Classical Art and Culture series. The Eitner lecture series was founded to publicize classics and scholarship to a wider public audience.
Stanford University
www.stanford.edu/
Stanford Department of Classics
classics.stanford.edu/
Stanford University Channel on KZbin:
/ stanford

[@RonJohn63]

Lecture starts at 7:30

[@XPrettyBulletX]

Lol! Thanks!

[@richardscales9560]

Ridiculous amount of time spent on the introduction

[@kateholden2533]

That intro was one of the longest I’ve encountered.

[@dustyfairview9062]

Thank you

[@lozzylols]

Mary must have been on the sideline itching to get on with it lol

[@friendlybaby1]

Mary is a lovely and warm person and although I was never taught by her I know people who were. she is informal and natural and brings history to life infectiously.

[@joannamallory2823]

friendlybaby1 I only know her through her documentaries, but she really does bring it to life. I love her perspective.

[@shirleyniedzwiecki1104]

Bravo! It is rare that I choose hour long videos, let alone videos on such esoteric material. You're disarmingly informative, Pf Mary Beard. How graciously you share your progressive logic and illuminating adoration of art, exposing your hidden in plain sight charisma. You seem to teach that it's all art, art as the provenance and expression of human life. Art celebrating and recording life! Art that is history. History that is art.

[@DINAHLUCIA]

I love her! I love the way she makes these ancient humans come alive for me and i love the way she connects artworks and people and politics into stories.

[@Concetta20]

I really enjoyed her "Meet the Romans" series. I didn't know that the Romans were so biographical with their epitaphs, often amusing so.

[@zekelayton919]

I realize it is quite off topic but do anybody know of a good place to watch new series online?

[@mylesjasiah4479]

@Zeke Layton flixportal :)

[@zekelayton919]

@Myles Jasiah thank you, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D I appreciate it!

[@mylesjasiah4479]

@Zeke Layton You are welcome =)

[@earanda950]

Mary Beard is just great as always! I learn a lot every time I listen to her. Thanks to Stanford University for sharing these videos.

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

Lovely lecture by a star in her field. Thanks for posting and making available to a wider audience!

[@huntresskrystle]

Love Mary Beard! She's such an inspiration. :)

[@vladsnape2872]

17:17 I learnt something new today - the collective noun for a number of Caesars - a "squadron of Caesars"

[@surjagain]

The Goddess of Classics.

[@kateholden2533]

Very interesting. I’d taken the identifications for granted up to now. The last bit about there being three Agrippinas was fascinating.

[@mr51406]

30:40 I love Mary Beard! Especially if she uses Astérix! Very cool! ⭐️🌹

[@ratatataraxia]

Don’t skip the into, this guy actually knows how to do one.

[@DavidSmith-bi9yd]

Ironically i did...then read your comment and went back thank goodness I did ..thank you.🙂👍

[@Regnbuesolv]

You are so right, he gave a great introduction! 😍

[@mikelheron20]

@@Regnbuesolv The essence of a good introduction is brevity.

[@sidious36]

A remarkable scholar!

[@xblackcatx1312]

Not really. The truly remarkable, OBJECTIVE thinking, scholars aren't permitted to teach in universities. She's just a left wing propagandist. How can you people not see this.

[@jonathanrice1070]

Minus the 8 minute intro, great lecture!

[@nerorome7042]

many thanks to whoever uploaded this video :)

[@michellel564]

Mrs.Mary i love hearing you speak and tell the acient story's. I've picked up more acient information in the last few videos ive watched latley of you than i have with other lecturers or books in the past. Nice job! Cant wait for more. Thank you.

[@paulleverton9569]

The kraut buggers off at 7:07

[@nokomarie1963]

Very enjoyable and how nice that they turned up the AC for Dr. Beard!

[@PhilK116]

An excellent introduction from this superb German feller. Lots of humour. As interesting as Mary herself.

[@jesuisravi]

when, at 15:00 or so, she is talking about a coin that she obviously has on screen to her left where she keeps looking as she speaks, why aren't we, the internet audience, shown said coin? I mean, it is supposed to be the best sure likeness we have of Caesar. This hurts me.

[@qvide]

at 12:40

[@PhilK116]

He reminds me of a British comedian, and a British singer in "Madness" (Suggs)

[@marmite9005]

Fascinating!

[@esezjay4359]

Absolutely fascinating as always

[@shamsam4]

Fantastic, thank you!

[@mannyespinola]

Never a dull sentence with Mary Beard

[@70galaxie]

keep gettin' further & further back in MB's lectures. Facinating. Also, l can find very little on Lucy Grig, l wanna take her out for coffee! g5, old guy

[@praaht18]

Very interesting in my opinion

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

I'd love to have gone to see "Mel Brook's History of the World Pt1:Brooks, 1981" with Ms Beard and hear her take on the Roman section.

[@xblackcatx1312]

why? You can hear all the Leftist Jew propaganda she promotes on any video she's involved in. She's just like the professors I encountered in school; NOT objective but instead overtly left wing and intolerant of reason and truth. She's a moron actually.

[@joehall7772]

The introduction is brilliant. I am looking forward to the presenter.

[@pdhoggardable]

One of the exegetical methods of studying the Bible specifically the Book of Revelation is to understand the Hebrews relationship with Rome. Thank you for bringing ancient Rome to life.

[@raunothomas]

Introduction is kinda... thank You... enough (listen it thou) !!! But all the lecture... or representation is just most enjoyable! It is most true way to see most loved Mary Beard in her element (and out of it... but been so most lovely, and knowing about subject, she is talking about). She is truly wonderful! She is inspirational! Thank You for the video!!

[@marianna6572]

a few caesar's imagery reminded me of bill murray

[@HasseBasseBingBong]

This was very, very interesting!

[@lindanoble7047]

She's captivating

[@Suite_annamite]

@8:23: The discoverer might've actually instead yelled: "Juste ciel, c'est Jules César!"...(Good heavens, it's Julius Caesar!) because it would have flowed more with the slight rhyme.

[@gorillanutz7898]

He actually said "Bon sang! C'est César!".

[@ruimanuelredondo6324]

It is nice when you see people speaking like this and it is sad when you have no friends that like this thing's mostly because they are not at this level which I include my self

[@CalidrisJZ]

He sure looks like the Caesar in Asterix, so it must be him.

[@pwmiles56]

57:32 I guess Octavian (Augustus) and Octavia (his sister). Let's listen to the end... EDIT OK Prof Beard says it is Vipsania Agrippina and Tiberius (her husband), in line with the 1710 catalogue entry. But (supposing Rubens never named it) could it be a conversation piece, inviting viewers to supply their own identification?

[@moesypittounikos]

surely the same can't be said about Augustus? isn't there a statue with his name?

[@johnk.lindgren5940]

Kiitos

[@70galaxie]

from a craftsman view, those drill marks smack of modernity

[@6663000]

Where's Victor Davis Hanson?

[@Ulyssestnt]

How do we even know any of the statues we have are the one claimed except maybe Augustus of prima porta? The method hardly seems scientific but highly subjective.

[@bkohatl]

I think the Arles bust probably is Julius Caesar but recognize we will never know for sure. There would be NO reason for anyone to cast it into the Rhone unless it was dangerous to possess or you had animus to the person's whose portrait it might be. Which is more likely? A rich person's portrait would not normally be vengeful to an ancestor who helped provide you the wealth, which you possess and have profited from.

[@propagandaplagarise7382]

this type of classic make me WANTA be like this story just dreaming

[@rchristie5401]

I would surmise that there is a strong possibility that a real bust of Caesar and or other Emperors will be found in either, Pompeii or Herculaneum, eventually.

[@imtrex521]

Certainly something someone will call Caesar. But as MB points out there was really no dissemination vector for Emperors' likenesses so why should Pompeii be any different?

[@rchristie5401]

@@imtrex521 its been sealed under volcanic ash since 79 AD. Some artifacts date to 300 years before the catastrophe. What ever is inscribed on anything from that dat should be accurate.

[@imtrex521]

@@rchristie5401 You're also missing her point that regardless of any attribution these statues were meant to look alike in order to promote dynasties. That said, I think there is much wonderful treasure to be found in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Makes me sad that it comes with memory of such a great tragedy.

[@mgk284]

Mary Beard at 07:07

[@salentino286]

he is from austria

[@clarencel3993]

Mary Beard is so hot.

[@mikelheron20]

A seven minute introduction. Talk about loving the sound of your own voice.

[@bryanfreeman437]

Danny Huston's lesser known twin brother in the beginning?

[@janettempest716]

I love the way Mary makes history so interesting for normal people well done Mary

[@lesoleil1195]

7:07

[@andrewlace55]

How is he well reknown?

[@quagswag]

Rambling, but enjoyed

[@michaelpellegrini4811]

Unless my eyesight is failing me, all of the sculptural representations of Julius Caesar cited in her lecture are very similar and obviously based on the appearance of the same man. We should remember that sculpture in the ancient world was similar to photography in ours, and not always a form of propaganda.

[@thysonsacclaim]

Er... no. That particular form is very common. There's tons of sculptures that aren't in the same period or attributed to his likeness which ALL look similar to that because it depicts a common Western trope: the elder statesman / wise philosopher. Most of the ones shown weren't created in his lifetime...

[@GPCTM]

the world just crumbles apart when one begin to check things. Happens in any field. All seems to be well established and if you start to check the "facts" you soon realize that the world is full of idiots that are only interest in themselves. It's both terrorizing and very interesting.

[@seekter-kafa]

you stop him and shout ''deine papiere jude!'' or something like that

[@MrSegatman]

@Techylicious ay man i was just kidding, seriously congrats on on 1st view first like, envy is slim because it doesn't eat it bites

[@MrSegatman]

@Techylicious what are you a wise guy? im not here to defame you, sir.

[@m.federicomerino1350]

Of course we do not know if Cesar´s bust is a fake or not. But it looks like Vladimir Putin.....

[@richardlindquist5936]

Russians!

[@GrumpyOldMan9]

The guy who did the intro is probably Dutch.

[@Turin_Turumba]

South African

[@aivingast]

No he has a German accent

[@alphonseprecis2302]

Austrian. His name is Walter Scheidel (Vienna, Graz)

[@slimboyfat9409]

Vindabona

[@hairyfishcakes]

I’m pleased we cleared this up guys 😳

[@yanikkunitsin1466]

51:53 - oh, so if it's a fat bloke with second chin then it's Vittelius? I understand that year when Veronese painted it (1573) lies within the timeframe of when the bust of Pseudo-Vitellius was on display (1525-1593), but common! It supposed to allude to Venetian Patritian feast! Of course there would be fat old drunks, maybe even with their own personal silver pitchers... Anyways, better candidate would be character under the left arch - he's identical to sketch by Jacobo Tintoretto(Roman Head, ca. 1540-1580) There is also kitten and dog in front of the Saviour for some strange reason

[@allmightlionthunder5515]

Maybe they tried to make it look more real

[@PhilK116]

Ay man ? You geordie ?

[@BlueHans]

Walter Scheidel is Austrian, so why is he pronouncing is own first name in English?

[@XPrettyBulletX]

She scratches her head a lot. I wonder if it's a nervous tick?

[@xblackcatx1312]

Interesting you noted this. Most of what she says are half truths. Liars usually give it away with their non verbal actions. This woman is basically a Bolshevik and has an agenda. The jews don't put her on the BBC for no reason.

[@sassymedea3065]

@@xblackcatx1312 do you wear a tinfoil hat too

[@Brusselpicker]

Pointless without the slides/images she refers to.

[@alphonseprecis2302]

+Brusselpicker are we watching the same video? There are plenty of outtakes with images of the sculptures she's discussing

[@flowermeerkat6827]

I stopped watching because I found it annoying to watch her talk when the sculptures she spoke about flashed on screen for a second or so. Not the fault of the poster but whoever filmed the lecture should have focused on the slides not the lecturer. Too annoying to watch.

[@DS-yg4qs]

Tusculum caesar is real face of that punk.

[@wagstaffe7]

Her mannerisms are so distracting I find myself waatching to see what she will scratch next rather than paying attention to the lecture.

[@PhilK116]

Like Mary, but agree with perhaps 50% of what she says on things like the Rhone Ceasar, and maybe 5% of what she says on politics ! But she gets a lot of discraceful stick on Twitter

[@ArmorDoge]

Phil K same here. Unlike blackcat, I can handle disagreeing with someone.

[@ArmorDoge]

xblackcatx13 treason? Educate yourself.

[@FranciscoToro]

"well-renowned"? What did Dan Brown write this?

[@brober]

One could argue that under bi-sexual pagan polytheist emperors the Roman Empire reached it's height of wealth and power. Under heterosexual monotheist Christian emperors the Roman empire declined and fell.

[@Syrinx69]

Exactly! I have been making this point for years. Christianity is a complete FAILURE when it comes to running and building civilizations.

[@Syrinx69]

He was "successful" because he kissed the Christian's asses. It was all downhill from there.

[@alextna3522]

It's still a a bad theory. All kinds of social and ethnic movements are different between the 2 eras. You cannot compare and your point is flawed. Rome would ahve fallen anyways if it was pagan or christian or arian or whatever. And don't get me wrong I'm no religious person, it is just that in my studies other factors have a far greater impact on what happened in/to Rome than the religion of the people. Possibly Christianity helped glue those people together and enabled Rome (Through its eastern part, Byzantium) to live another 1000 years. Peace!

[@jopickett4306]

Alex Tna A few words. Attila of the Huns. Where was the christian god then?

[@jopickett4306]

Forming a new capital out of need isn't success. Christianity is just another religion on the scale of time. And not a successful one

[@newENIO11]

that looks like a bust of putin.

[@NapoleonCalland]

And what does that tell us about the power of ambiguity? ;)

[@enricomachado881]

Professor McGonagall looks hotter

[@colinmarble2552]

I wonder why Stanford is so amateurish in their presentation. Mary isn't a homely woman, but if she is showing slides, I would rather look at her slides than her or at least have her slides or her face as insets. Frustrating to have her describing images that the audience in the auditorium obviously can see since she often looks towards her left-hand side. Not surprised though, since professors I have had seldom even showed slides, rather thought we would all be excited by looking at them when they described, in detail, a scene or image that a relatively simple slide would have been much appreciated. You know what they say; a picture is worth a thousand words. All that said, after watching the whole presentation, I think Mary, despite her international reputation, would do well to join Toastmasters Intl. One or two months attending meetings and I think she might be an enjoyable speaker. The subject matter was very interesting, but she is dry and a lousy presenter and Stanford didn't help by just showing her read her text to us.

[@ergbudster3333]

Classic English academic nerd.

[@mike188881]

so sad how they have destroyed the classics at stan. and beards books lame. and this german is unbearable. :(

@Stanford you are known for your Swim Team and all of the rape perpetrators the Stanford institution protects.