These inscriptions, carved in square Roman capitals which are retraced with red colouring (‘rubricated’), can be found on the bases of bronze replicas of the statues of Julius Caesar and the emperors Augustus, Nerva, and Trajan, which were placed along Via dei Fori Imperiali (former Via dell’Impero) in 1933, as well as on the basis of the statue of emperor Hadrian which was placed in the Parco Adriano in 1934.  

The idea for these statues came from Antonio Muñoz, General Inspector of Antiquities and Fine Arts of the Governorate. Muñoz also authored the Latin inscriptions. For the inscriptions relating to Augustus, Nerva, and Trajan, in April 1933, Muñoz consulted Ettore Pais, Roman historian, archaeologist, epigraphist, professor at Sapienza University, senator, and member of Fascist party. Pais suggested to add all imperial titles, but Muñoz favoured propagandistic effectiveness over historical correctness and eventually only retained the filiation from Pais’ suggestions.

The inscriptions imitate ancient dedications and follow their structure: the abbreviation SPQR at the top, indicating municipal authority (in the 1930s, the Governorate), yet also echoing the Senate and people of the ancient Rome; the title of imperator Caesar (excepted Julius Caesar, who is called dictator perpetuus) and the emperor’s name; the date at the end, here in Fascist style (with the verb renovare, ‘to renew’, suggesting a connection between Roman antiquity and the Fascist present). Augustus’ and Trajan’s inscriptions are enriched by the filiation and the honorary titles pater patriae for the former (cf. Aug. R.G. 35.1 and Suet. Aug. 58.1) and optimus princeps for the latter. 

The statue of Julius Caesar and the corresponding inscription were specially designed for the inauguration of the excavated Forum of Caesar on 21 April 1932 (i.e., the anniversary of Rome’s foundation). The statue was erected on the archaeological site itself (see Archivio Storico Istituto Luce, Roma, foro di Cesare. Il collocamento della statua di bronzo di Cesare, Giornale Luce A0952, 04/1932). The initiative was successful, and Muñoz, in compliance with the desire of Mussolini, decided to repeat it with statues of other emperors along Via dell’Impero, opened on 28 October (i.e., the anniversary of the March on Rome). The other statues were inaugurated one year later on 21 April 1933: each statue was placed at the forum of the emperor it referred to, and Caesar’s statue was moved from the excavation site to the street as well (see Archivio Storico Istituto Luce, I simulacri in bronzo di Cesare, Augusto, Traiano, Nerva sono stati eretti lungo la trionfale Via dell’Impero, Giornale Luce B0253, 04/1933). Muñoz also commissioned statues of Vespasian and Titus to be erected close to the Templum Pacis (or Forum Pacis), but the city governor Francesco Boncompagni Ludovisi aborted this plan for unclear reasons. The statues of Vespasian and Titus were never cast. 

On 21 April 1934, the same operation was repeated for the inauguration of Parco Adriano, designed by the architect Attilio Spaccarelli (1890–1976) between the inner and external bastions of Castel Sant’Angelo. The statue of Emperor Hadrian was located at a distance from the rear entrance of the castle that had been built over the Hadrian’s Mausoleum during the Middle Ages. Due to the absence of ancient archeological remnants in this area, the effect is here not as symbolically powerful as on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.

The statues were not entirely new designs but rather replicated ancient statues. Caesar’s statue is a copy of the one located in the “Aula Giulio Cesare” in Palazzo Senatorio, on the Capitolium; Augustus’ is a copy of the famous Prima Porta Augustus, preserved in the Vatican Museums; Nerva’s is a collage of the body of Lucius Verus’ statue preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and a portrait bust of Nerva, probably to be identified with the sculpture currently in National Roman Museum of Palazzo Massimo; Trajan’s statue is a copy of the statue preserved in National Archaeological Museum of Naples; finally, Hadrian’s derives from the statue belonging to the Torlonia collection preserved in Villa Albani (Inv. portico 82). All statues were cast by the Laganà Artistic and Industrial Foundry of Naples. 

Bibliography

Ceccarelli, Giuseppe. 1934. ‘L’isolamento della mole adriana.’ Capitolium 10 (5): 209–22.

D’Amelio, Angela Maria. 2007. ‘Foro di Cesare.’ In Fori Imperiali. Demolizioni e scavi. Fotografie 1924/1940, edited by Rossella Leone and Anita Margiotta, 420–23. Milan: Electa.

Nastasi, Antonino. 2019. Le iscrizioni in latino di Roma Capitale (1870-2018). Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 24–27; 180–81; 236–37.

Porretta, Paola. 2008. ‘Antonio Muñoz e via dei Fori imperiali a Roma.’ In Architetti e archeologi costruttori d’identità, edited by Elisabetta Pallottino, 31–43. Ricerche di Storia dell’Arte 95. Rome: Carocci.

Spaccarelli, Attilio. 1934. ‘Il piano e i lavori d’assestamento.’ Capitolium 10 (5): 223–46.

Antonino Nastasi