PR ancient shell
Do not be surprised. PR was always, even when people did not know about its existence. For example, the Egyptian Pharaoh was a god for the Egyptians, but ... he was dressed in exactly the same cut skirt as the last peasant, which demonstrated his "proximity to the people." A modern politician puts a black tie on a funeral, but the debate is usually red - the color of domination, and that is why American image makers do not advise girls to wear red underwear on their first intimate date. Subconsciously, this may have an effect on the young man not in the best way, right up to embarrassment. But the midshipmen of the Marine Corps in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the twentieth century, on the contrary, were given official slacks ... of red color, and they were used exclusively for trips to cereal places! Well, in the past, the purpose of "showing oneself" and domination over all others was served by luxurious clothes, and even such a utilitarian thing as a battle shell protecting the chest and back. So a different shell was more important in terms of informational impact on the public, rather than as a means of individual protection. Well, as an example, let's take a close look at the famous statue of Caesar Octavius Augustus found in Prima Port, which can be seen in almost any textbook on stories Ancient world. And - even though it seems surprising, there are no less secrets in it than in a different cipher, only that which seems incomprehensible to us today, at that time everyone understood right away!
Commander of the Republican Rome in a muscular metal cuirass. To the left of it are the scribes, to the right - the honorary guardian lictors. Fig. A. McBride
First, however, it should be remembered that the Celts and the Etruscans already used metal (bronze and copper shells) muscular cuirass, the main decoration of which was more or less relief muscles of their owners, as well as spirals and circles from relief cones. The Greeks refused these “excesses”, and their cuirass showed only the beauty of metal torsos. True, linen shells - lithoraxes of quilted linen fabric could be decorated with overlaid chased images of lion's faces and the Gorgon Medusa, but they did not enjoy their pomp, like the Romans did in the republican era.
Etruria. "Warrior's Tomb in Vulci" and the armor found in it and weapon. National Museum "Baths of Diocletian", Rome.
Breastplate from Warrior's Tomb in Vulci.
That is, if rank-and-file warriors wore metal plates on belts or chain mail on their chests, then the commander could afford what was most possible, it was a muscular cuirass with stressed muscles, which his servant polished every time to a mirror shine, which again emphasized his high status .
But now the Republic was replaced by the Empire (even if it was still in the form of a principality) and it was here that everything changed, and in a very noticeable way.
Greek anatomical armor: cuirass - thorax and leggings - cnemidy. British museum
It all started with the fact that 20 April 1863, in Prima Port, was found a statue of Octavius Augustus, which is now in the Vatican. Art critics believe that this statue is the most perfect image of Augustus, which is shown dressed in a rich chased carapace, which shows several figures at once. At first it seems they were made on it solely for the sake of beauty. However, it turns out that this is just a non-verbal code, that is, a non-verbal code, or, in other words, a purely intuitive PR that helped with the help of visual information to influence the Roman public!
King Menelaus Greek vase from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. He is wearing a linen shell with metal scales fixed on it.
First of all, it must be emphasized that Octavian Augustus never called himself neither the emperor nor the king, but demanded that the people around him call him a princeps - “first among equals”, that is, demonstrate his affection for the traditions of the Roman republic. And he really gained a great many different first posts, declaring himself the first senator, the first tribune, the commander in chief, and even ... the supreme (that is, the first!) Priest. Thus, he concentrated in the hands of the power of a true supreme ruler, almost more than many kings at that time possessed! At the same time, the Roman people, brought up in the traditions of democracy, did not at all consider themselves to be deceived by this and did not make any claims to the usurper! How to explain it?
The statue of the Roman emperor or commander in a chased cuirass, trimmed elaborately and whimsically, but tasteless. It depicts the goddess Selena and two Nereids. Approximate dating 100 - 130 AD Exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
And so that Augustus was able to show all his actions in such a way that the Romans quite sincerely thought that he was acting in the common interest and, in addition, reverently honors the ancient patriarchal traditions of republican Rome. Here he cut the army - saved people's money! Introduced a tax on luxury - another laudable savings on ... gladiator fights. Began to severely punish thievish officials? Well, this is absolutely wonderful: “Everything does for the people”!
Painted sculpture of Octavian Augustus. That is how in ancient times both Greek and Roman sculptures should have looked.
All is well! One thing is bad: neither Octavian's face, nor his posture, nor his musculature looked like an ancient hero. He was not tall, even if he was a little bit, but he was limping, and he was often cold, so he sometimes wore several tunics at a time.
However, who do we see on the statue depicting it? The beautiful demigod is who we see on her. And although the statue, naturally, could not speak, it was the “shell” put on her that “spoke” for her, being an excellent means of non-verbal PR communication!
Graphic representation of details on the shell of Octavian Augustus.
Well, so what people of that time, looking at him, learned? On the upper part of the shell there was a picture of the god Helios, since it was believed that this god knows everything about everyone, because from above you can see everything from above. In addition, it is the god of the Sun, therefore, the purity of the thoughts of the princeps, therefore, no one should have been in doubt. Below, two goddesses, Aurora and Selene, were depicted at once, which symbolized the prosperity of Rome, which supposedly came under Augustus. God Mars, accompanied by a wolf (two figures in the very center of the shell), receiving from the Parthenian Roman eagle, well, it is clear to everyone - a symbol of victory over Parthia - although it was not military, but only diplomatic! But it was! On both sides on the armor were the allegorical images of Germany and Spain, conquered by the power of the Roman weapon, and the god Apollo, riding on a griffin, hinted at all at all ... the divinity of the Princeps family! Like, this is none other than the god Apollo himself connected with his mother while she slept, but in the end - such a wonderful ruler! Accordingly, the goddess Diana with a deer on the left side of the shell showed the connection of Octavian with the Roman demos, since she was considered her patroness. Octavian tried to never neglect the voices of the demos, arranged gladiatorial battles and bread distributions for him, so it was immediately apparent to all that the goddess princeps was patronizing. God Tellus with his cornucopia is again a hint at the well-being that Octavian brought to the Roman people.
It’s funny that Augustus is bos on the statue, although, as an emperor, he usually always and everywhere wore shoes. In this case, it is a Greek tradition - to depict a hero without shoes. And here is hidden another hint, a hint that Octavian is none other than the second Alexander of Macedon. In addition, two more characters are depicted on the shell - a dolphin and Cupid, also for a reason. And he and the other - the satellites of the goddess Venus. Venus was considered the patroness of the house of Julius, and her companion dolphin reminded that the goddess was born from sea foam. There is an assumption that Augustus initially held a spear in his left hand - another heroic symbol, but in the Renaissance the spear was replaced by an imperial scepter, and thus the imperial "greatness" of Octavian Augustus was finally approved.
Sculpture in marble.
Well, of course, considering all these details, people of our time can say little. But for the contemporaries of Octavian, his statue was an "open book." So it was enough for the Roman only to look at her briefly to make sure once again: yes, indeed, Octavian Augustus is in fact divine, everything that he does for society is only for the benefit and good for everyone and for everyone! So, even in those years far from us, people paid so much attention to non-verbal communications, and, of course, everything is the same place to be now!
Commander of the Republican Rome in a muscular metal cuirass. To the left of it are the scribes, to the right - the honorary guardian lictors. Fig. A. McBride
First, however, it should be remembered that the Celts and the Etruscans already used metal (bronze and copper shells) muscular cuirass, the main decoration of which was more or less relief muscles of their owners, as well as spirals and circles from relief cones. The Greeks refused these “excesses”, and their cuirass showed only the beauty of metal torsos. True, linen shells - lithoraxes of quilted linen fabric could be decorated with overlaid chased images of lion's faces and the Gorgon Medusa, but they did not enjoy their pomp, like the Romans did in the republican era.
Etruria. "Warrior's Tomb in Vulci" and the armor found in it and weapon. National Museum "Baths of Diocletian", Rome.
Breastplate from Warrior's Tomb in Vulci.
That is, if rank-and-file warriors wore metal plates on belts or chain mail on their chests, then the commander could afford what was most possible, it was a muscular cuirass with stressed muscles, which his servant polished every time to a mirror shine, which again emphasized his high status .
But now the Republic was replaced by the Empire (even if it was still in the form of a principality) and it was here that everything changed, and in a very noticeable way.
Greek anatomical armor: cuirass - thorax and leggings - cnemidy. British museum
It all started with the fact that 20 April 1863, in Prima Port, was found a statue of Octavius Augustus, which is now in the Vatican. Art critics believe that this statue is the most perfect image of Augustus, which is shown dressed in a rich chased carapace, which shows several figures at once. At first it seems they were made on it solely for the sake of beauty. However, it turns out that this is just a non-verbal code, that is, a non-verbal code, or, in other words, a purely intuitive PR that helped with the help of visual information to influence the Roman public!
King Menelaus Greek vase from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. He is wearing a linen shell with metal scales fixed on it.
First of all, it must be emphasized that Octavian Augustus never called himself neither the emperor nor the king, but demanded that the people around him call him a princeps - “first among equals”, that is, demonstrate his affection for the traditions of the Roman republic. And he really gained a great many different first posts, declaring himself the first senator, the first tribune, the commander in chief, and even ... the supreme (that is, the first!) Priest. Thus, he concentrated in the hands of the power of a true supreme ruler, almost more than many kings at that time possessed! At the same time, the Roman people, brought up in the traditions of democracy, did not at all consider themselves to be deceived by this and did not make any claims to the usurper! How to explain it?
The statue of the Roman emperor or commander in a chased cuirass, trimmed elaborately and whimsically, but tasteless. It depicts the goddess Selena and two Nereids. Approximate dating 100 - 130 AD Exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
And so that Augustus was able to show all his actions in such a way that the Romans quite sincerely thought that he was acting in the common interest and, in addition, reverently honors the ancient patriarchal traditions of republican Rome. Here he cut the army - saved people's money! Introduced a tax on luxury - another laudable savings on ... gladiator fights. Began to severely punish thievish officials? Well, this is absolutely wonderful: “Everything does for the people”!
Painted sculpture of Octavian Augustus. That is how in ancient times both Greek and Roman sculptures should have looked.
All is well! One thing is bad: neither Octavian's face, nor his posture, nor his musculature looked like an ancient hero. He was not tall, even if he was a little bit, but he was limping, and he was often cold, so he sometimes wore several tunics at a time.
However, who do we see on the statue depicting it? The beautiful demigod is who we see on her. And although the statue, naturally, could not speak, it was the “shell” put on her that “spoke” for her, being an excellent means of non-verbal PR communication!
Graphic representation of details on the shell of Octavian Augustus.
Well, so what people of that time, looking at him, learned? On the upper part of the shell there was a picture of the god Helios, since it was believed that this god knows everything about everyone, because from above you can see everything from above. In addition, it is the god of the Sun, therefore, the purity of the thoughts of the princeps, therefore, no one should have been in doubt. Below, two goddesses, Aurora and Selene, were depicted at once, which symbolized the prosperity of Rome, which supposedly came under Augustus. God Mars, accompanied by a wolf (two figures in the very center of the shell), receiving from the Parthenian Roman eagle, well, it is clear to everyone - a symbol of victory over Parthia - although it was not military, but only diplomatic! But it was! On both sides on the armor were the allegorical images of Germany and Spain, conquered by the power of the Roman weapon, and the god Apollo, riding on a griffin, hinted at all at all ... the divinity of the Princeps family! Like, this is none other than the god Apollo himself connected with his mother while she slept, but in the end - such a wonderful ruler! Accordingly, the goddess Diana with a deer on the left side of the shell showed the connection of Octavian with the Roman demos, since she was considered her patroness. Octavian tried to never neglect the voices of the demos, arranged gladiatorial battles and bread distributions for him, so it was immediately apparent to all that the goddess princeps was patronizing. God Tellus with his cornucopia is again a hint at the well-being that Octavian brought to the Roman people.
It’s funny that Augustus is bos on the statue, although, as an emperor, he usually always and everywhere wore shoes. In this case, it is a Greek tradition - to depict a hero without shoes. And here is hidden another hint, a hint that Octavian is none other than the second Alexander of Macedon. In addition, two more characters are depicted on the shell - a dolphin and Cupid, also for a reason. And he and the other - the satellites of the goddess Venus. Venus was considered the patroness of the house of Julius, and her companion dolphin reminded that the goddess was born from sea foam. There is an assumption that Augustus initially held a spear in his left hand - another heroic symbol, but in the Renaissance the spear was replaced by an imperial scepter, and thus the imperial "greatness" of Octavian Augustus was finally approved.
Sculpture in marble.
Well, of course, considering all these details, people of our time can say little. But for the contemporaries of Octavian, his statue was an "open book." So it was enough for the Roman only to look at her briefly to make sure once again: yes, indeed, Octavian Augustus is in fact divine, everything that he does for society is only for the benefit and good for everyone and for everyone! So, even in those years far from us, people paid so much attention to non-verbal communications, and, of course, everything is the same place to be now!
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