The Dying Celtic Warrior by sandra46
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Description
Since some of you were surprised when I spoke of the Italian Celts, I'll give you some info, together with this masterpiece at the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
The Dying Gaul (in Italian: Galata Morente) is an ancient Roman marble copy of a lost Hellenistic sculpture that is thought to have been executed in bronze, which was commissioned some time between 230 BC and 220 BC by King Attalus I of Pergamon to celebrate his victory over the Celtic Galatians in Anatolia. The present base was added after its rediscovery.
Cisalpine Gaul (Latin: Gallia Cisalpina, meaning Gaul on this side of the Alps) was the Roman name for a geographical area (later a province of the Roman Republic), in the territory of modern-day northern Italy (including Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino-Alto Adige,Southern Tirol and parts of Veneto), inhabited by the Celts. The River Rubicon marked its southern boundary with Italia proper. It was the crossing of this river in 49 BC by Julius Caesar, with his battle-hardened legions, returning from the conquest of Gaul, that precipitated a civil war in the Roman Republic. He said 'The dice is cast'. This led, eventually, to the establishment of the Roman Empire. The province was merged into Italia about 42 BC, as part of Octavian's 'Italicization' program during the Second Triumvirate. Virgil and Livy, two famous sons of the province, were born in Gallia Cisalpina, the former in Mantua and the latter in Padova.When I was at school in the books it was written that Ceasar avenged the previous sack of Rome. Brennus (or Brennos) was a chieftain of the Senones, a Gallic tribe originating from the modern areas of France known as Seine-et-Marne, Loiret, and Yonne, but which had expanded to occupy northern Italy. In 387 BC he led an army of Cisalpine Gauls in their attack on Rome. The Senones captured the entire city of Rome except for the Capitoline Hill, which was successfully held against them. However, seeing their city devastated, the Romans attempted to buy their salvation from Brennus. The Romans agreed to pay one thousand pounds weight of gold. According to Livy, during a dispute over the weights used to measure the gold (the Gauls had brought their own, heavier-than-standard) Brennus threw his sword onto the scales and uttered the famous words 'Vae victis!', which translates to 'Woe to the vanquished!'. The Romans, later succeeded in vanquishing Brenno, according to this version. However, the more accepted history (usually citing Livy and Plutarch) finds that the Senones marched to Rome to exact retribution for three Roman ambassadors breaking the law of nations (oath of neutrality) in hostilities outside of Clusium. According to this history, the Senones marched to Rome, ignoring the surrounding countryside; once there, they sacked the city for 7 months, and then withdrew. They founded the town of Senigallia, Marche, which still exists.
Thank you for your kind comments.
Comments (51)
bebert
belle sculpture, tres bien mise en valeur par la luminosité et la position de la photo.
Hendesse
Great shot and interesting informations. Thanks for sharing!
ragouc
Good shot.
felinx
Superbe !
csikigyopar
Carissima mia! Le tuo lavoro mi piace molto.Grazie..
mariogiannecchini
La statua e' bella , la foto anche! La storia ce l'hanno inculcata fin da piccoli, grazie per il ripasso !
0rest4wicked
Always enjoy the narrative and what wonderful sculptures.
decie
looks like he hit himself with the hammer ouch!!!! nice capture and information
mermaid
It's one of my favorite scultures...smile... a beautiful shot!
MagikUnicorn
EXCELLENT
myrrhluz
Beautiful statue! Lovely feet! Excellent capture and interesting information!
dakotabluemoon
Wow this is amazing love the history on this.
lucindawind
excellent sculpture and a wonderful shot from you of it ...great info !
anahata.c
fine history Sandra, which I knew only tangentially though I was aware of the celtic presence in europe. And your shot captured the sculpture very well, composing it between the open door, the statue, and the pillar behind its head. (Well seen--your intuition is at work throughout.) And the pedestal is well harmonized with the floor-line in the door & the pedestal of the far left statue. Just good composition for a sculpture...Roman history was always stunning in how absolute its reach was (in time) and how it conquered so many of its foes & vanquished every square inch of them, it seems. And you've highlighted this history with a Roman copy of a Hellenistic sculpture--the right tone for a piece about eventual Roman domination. And he's a Celt, a symbol of the vanquished to the sculptor, even though the sculptor was Greek. Very good choice of art for your history, and you captured the art very well. I read a little of Julius Caesar ("gallia est omnis divisa something tres" lol--I don't remember! though it's like quoting "to be or not to be," it was drummed into us like "thou shalt not steal"), and tacitus too, etc, but I retain only snippets ('you made of us a wasteland & called it peace', something like that). And it's always a pleasure to see how much you have at your fingertips from your years of teaching, researching & writing. Fine upload again...
mickeyrony
Superb monuments, grace. Cheer still and mile mercies ((5++)) Superbe monuments ,la grâce . Bravo encore et mile mercis ((5++))
OrphanedSoul
What a superb history and image!
virginiese
I know this statue ! I like this museum : there is the famous statue of Remus and Romulus with the wolf and a gigantic statue of a roman emperor wich is not complete ( I guess it was Constantin !)
Thetis
very compelling shot! always a pleasure to look at old masters. you've captured the essence of the motive so well!
Chipka
I am skipping around a bit in your gallery, but I had to comment on this immediately. What a wonderful capture; I love the lines of this statue and the composition in general. You use light marvelously and you've captured the vibe of the museum perfectly. This is wonderful art. I love the rich tapestry of details you wrote in your commentary as well! Great stuff!
Buffalo1
A fine photo of this wonderful work of art. It's good the Romans copied so many older peices so we know what they look like. Greeat history lesson, too!
alessimarco
I love this museum and this is the showcase piece...a classic masterpiece. And a nice lesson in Roman history!