While it was common to find ancestors on coins, a living person was not an acceptable practice. The portraits of Julius Caesar were more veristic then PompeyвЂ™s. By copying AlexanderвЂ™s hair, Pompey wanted to show that he had similar qualities to the young Macedonian and that he could reach the same prestige. Similarly, everyone knew the deeds of Alexander: a young Macedonian prince who defeated the formidable Persian Empire. After the conquest of the East, Hellenistic culture and wealth fascinated Rome. Of course, this is not a mere coincidence. If we pay attention to the generalвЂ™s hairstyle, we would note a strong similarity with Alexander the GreatвЂ™s hairstyle.

His portraits were deeply influenced by the Hellenistic East. Pompey, for instance, abandoned the veristic style, opting for a more idealised version. The portraits of Pompey and Caesar changed the style and use of portraiture. Pompey and Caesar: The Struggle For Imperium At the same time, the propagandistic overtone is still preserved. With the rise of prominent figures, like Caesar and Pompey, portraiture presents different features. In the Late Republic, however, politics starts to shift away from tradition. Warts, wrinkles and furrows showed the personвЂ™s authority, wisdom and military prowess, essential requirements for a political life. Artistic expressions of old age, therefore, should remind any viewer of the austere and the experience required to become a politician. In order to be part of the Senate, the main political body of Rome, a patrician should have been at least forty-two years old. In the Republican period, old age was an essential requirement for the most prestigious political positions. What is important to understand, though, is that these facial features serve a political propaganda. The subjectвЂ™s imperfections could have been accentuated, making them almost surreal. Verism, however, does not necessarily portray reality. Rather than being used only in funerals, by the Late Republic portraits could be present in the rich households as a way to remind the visitors of the ancient prestige. From this practice, then, the portrait of individuals was translated to everyday life. Thus, while the funeral was about the dead person, it was also about the whole family, whose honour and prestige were determined by the great deeds of its members. They served the purpose of reminding the bystanders of all the achievements of a family. Their function in a funeral procession highlights a most significant aspect of Roman society. These masks or imagines, as they were known, were originally made out of wax, moulded as death masks directly from the deceased. The origin of this practice lies in the masks, paraded across the Forum, during a funeral. In the Late Republic, Verism aimed at portraying an individual with all his (generally it is a he) imperfections, such as warts and wrinkles. Verism: Republican Values and the Power of Old AgeДЄlready in ancient Rome, the leading figures of society strived to depict themselves in a respectable light. Nevertheless, I find ancient Rome to be a most fascinating example of how specific individuals sought to portray themselves in the eyes of their fellows and, indeed, in the eyes of a modern audience. Medieval cathedrals, the Parthenon, the Pyramids all yearnВ to reach a propagandistic aim. Is this a modern phenomenon, brought about by вЂњdemocraticвЂќ discourse? Of course not. As soon as we turn the television on, we see this or that candidate visiting hospitals, holding children, helping the homeless etc. Nowadays, we are used to politicians projecting a positive image of themselves.

Roman republican portraiture