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Not sure if this goes here but couldn't think of anywhere else...
I recently ran across a display of Roman coins that depict how the Emperor Nero appears to have put on a great deal of weight by the time he was assassinated.
This led to some more rooting about resulting in finding a recent attempt to recreate his likeness by a Spanish artist in charge of the Cesares de Roma project.
Definitely not one to sweep the ladies off their feet.
53155011_761801044200928_7534614479732998144_n-5c787facaa8f9__880.jpg53008537_761801310867568_4498945158426918912_n-5c787fa0392d6__880.jpg
From a ScienceAlert piece titled: Artist's Life-Like Sculpture of Roman Emperor Nero Shows a Neckbearded Jerkface.
It should be noted that Europeans didn't even have a word for orange until the 1500s with the color being typically described as the color that's between yellow and red. When the first oranges were brought to Europe so was the name of the color.
For those interested, the artist also did recreations of Julius Caesar and Augustus, who didn't appear as thug-like as Nero. Spanish Artist Recreates Famous Roman Emperors Through His Realistic Sculptures
I recently ran across a display of Roman coins that depict how the Emperor Nero appears to have put on a great deal of weight by the time he was assassinated.
This led to some more rooting about resulting in finding a recent attempt to recreate his likeness by a Spanish artist in charge of the Cesares de Roma project.
Definitely not one to sweep the ladies off their feet.
53155011_761801044200928_7534614479732998144_n-5c787facaa8f9__880.jpg53008537_761801310867568_4498945158426918912_n-5c787fa0392d6__880.jpg
From a ScienceAlert piece titled: Artist's Life-Like Sculpture of Roman Emperor Nero Shows a Neckbearded Jerkface.
While the artist doesn't go into detail on his inspiration, the end result does reflect classic depictions made of Nero over the ages, including a 17th century marble bust on display at the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
Sure, Nero died a good eight centuries before the bust was carved, so any question of accuracy is a fair one, but coins struck during the emperor's reign suggest the double chin and neckbeard are bang on the money.
As for colour, references made by contemporary historians such as Suetonius did say he had grey to blue eyes. They also said Nero's hair was 'subflavo', which translates roughly as the yellow or blonde of a lion's mane. So where did the modern rust-coloured mop come from? That bit isn't clear.
Sure, Nero died a good eight centuries before the bust was carved, so any question of accuracy is a fair one, but coins struck during the emperor's reign suggest the double chin and neckbeard are bang on the money.
As for colour, references made by contemporary historians such as Suetonius did say he had grey to blue eyes. They also said Nero's hair was 'subflavo', which translates roughly as the yellow or blonde of a lion's mane. So where did the modern rust-coloured mop come from? That bit isn't clear.
It should be noted that Europeans didn't even have a word for orange until the 1500s with the color being typically described as the color that's between yellow and red. When the first oranges were brought to Europe so was the name of the color.
For those interested, the artist also did recreations of Julius Caesar and Augustus, who didn't appear as thug-like as Nero. Spanish Artist Recreates Famous Roman Emperors Through His Realistic Sculptures
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