- The Late Antiquity Historical Portraits -

[Joar]

I started out making this set of historical portraits a few years back, depicting some of the most famous, and infamous, characters of the period known as Late Antiquity, or the Migration Era. The reason for doing this was beacause it's always bothered me that it's almost impossible to find what we might call modern renditions of many of these men and women. We're often left to suffice with a medieval or renaissance painting who's accuracy is highly questionable, to say the least. Although I've used statues, busts, coins and historical descriptions when making these portraits, I've also, for natural reasons, taken a great deal of what we might call poetic license. The reason why is quite simple: coins tells us very little about someone's appearance, statues and busts from this era are highly idealized, and are works of propaganda, and the historical descriptions are often written by non-contemporary writers, or someone whose writings served a very clear purpose; to slander or to glorify. So in essence it is fair to say that these are my interpretations.

I also like to mention that this is not a release of any kind, but rather a preview, and a highly incomplete one at that. None of the series below are finished, and several of the planned characters are still missing. For this presentation, I've also added some visual effects to the portraits, which will not be featured in-game. The finished portraits will be released in a style that will fit the original ones used in Rome: Total War and its expansion, Barbarian Invasion.

Here's a few examples of how the finished portraits may look:

- Click the grey banners below to view the portraits inside -

- Series I - The Age of Crisis -

The Age of Crisis These characters are taken from the 3rd century AD, and will be featured in the upcoming INVASIO BARBARORVM : RESTITVTOR ORBIS. To view the individual portraits, please click on the grey banners. - Valerianus - - Gallienus - - Claudius II - - Aurelianus - - Zenobia - - Shapur - - Probus - - Numerianus - - Diocletianus - - Galerius - - Constantius - - Constantinus - - Maxentius - - Licinius -

- Series II - The Legacy of Constantine -

The Legacy of Constantine These following portraits are featured in INVASIO BARBARORVM : SOMNIVM APOSTATAE IVLIANI. To view the individual portraits, please click on the grey banners. - Arshak II - - Chnodomar - - Constantius II - - Julianus - - Procopius - - Samudragupta - - Shapur II - - Valens - - Valentinianus -

- Series III - The Decline of the West -

The Decline of the West These characters are taken from the 5th century AD. - Please click the grey banners to view the portraits inside - - Stilicho - - Constantinus III - - Alaric - - Honorius - - Constantius III - - Flavius Aëtius - - Galla Placidia - - Valentinianus III - - Theodosius II - - Atilla - - Gaiseric - - Yazdegerd - - Ricimer - - Majorianus - - Orestes - - Romulus Augustus - - Odovacar - - Zeno - This is a set of portraits I've made having the political situation of 5th century Gaul in mind. - Aegidius - - Syagrius - - Riothamus - - Childeric - - Chlodovech - - Gundobad - - Euric - - Goar - - Sangiban -

- Series IV - The Age of Justinian -

The Age of Justinian These characters are taken from the 6th century AD. - Please click the grey banners to view the portraits inside - - Justinianus - - Theodora - - Belisarius - - Narses - - Gelimer - - Theodoric - - Amalasuntha - - Totila - - Teia - - Kavadh - - Alboin -

- The King Arthur Collection -

I've previously released a set of portraits from the so called Arthurian age. To view and download these portraits, click on the image above.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

Looking forward to this - you should make Valentinian III look like the scrwany little Brat he was lololololol.

I'd like to see your rendition of Some of the Famous guys from Africa (eg. Augustine of Hippo or Boniface) Maybe make their skin dark cause RTW seems kinda Racist in that Respect - The only Black guys are the Mauri.

[Joar]

Thanks, everyone.

Looking forward to this - you should make Valentinian III look like the scrwany little Brat he was lololololol.

Valentinian III is already finished. Check the third section.

I'd like to see your rendition of Some of the Famous guys from Africa (eg. Augustine of Hippo or Boniface) Maybe make their skin dark cause RTW seems kinda Racist in that Respect - The only Black guys are the Mauri.

Bonifatius is planned, but I don't know about non-playable characters. Maybe at a later stage.

And I don't think it's "racism", but rather a way of making it so that the portraits fits together in a uniform style. If you think about it, it does look kind of weird that a white man should have black offspring, and vice versa. All the different portrait cultures of vanilla RTW/BI kind of look the same even though they in reality engulf different ethnicities, from barbarians to easterners.

There's also a modern misconception that northern Africans were/are black ( as in sub-saharan black ), but they're not. The northern African people of Antiquity looked pretty much as modern day northern Africans do ( in Tunisia, Algeria etc ). And Bonifatius was a Roman, probably of European stock, 'cause otherwise I'm sure the sources would have mentioned that he was a native African, or even more so if he was sub-saharan black.

[Dragases]

And Bonifatius was a Roman, probably of European stock, 'cause otherwise I'm sure the sources would have mentioned that he was a native African, or even more so if he was sub-saharan black.

There are only two sources who comment on Bonifatius' origins. Procopius plainly states that he was a Roman. The forger of the pseudo-Bonifatius letters states that he hails from Thrace. However, his credentials are very poor and the only reason why he makes a reference to is to contrast with Castinus' supposedly Scythian (=Moesian) origins.

Other sources make no comment about Bonifatius' origins, but there are very good reasons to claim that he might've been a Romano-African of Punic stock (like Augustine). First and foremost, the name Bonifatius only comes in vogue during the later empire and is rarely attested outside of Roman Africa and Italy. However, of the 13 imperials officials we know who were called Bonifatius, most of them were from Africa. Procopius explicitly states that Gelimer's secretary, a Bonifatius, was a native of Byzacena.

This would also help explain Bonifatius "sudden" appearance in Tubunae as a tribune from 416 on, after previously been present in Marseille (when he personally struck Athaulf). A noteworthy feature of Constantius' reforms was to appoint local men in important regional positions. The Gallic council of 418 is self-explanatory and Asterius, the comes Hispania of the 410s, was a native of Tarraconensis. Promoting a native soldier as officer in charge of the limes in Numidia would have been completely on pair with that policy.

I'm currently updating a manuscript on the life and career of Bonifatius, which I hope to convert into an academic monographs. The immortal gods willing, it should be available next year

[Jezza93]

Are you sure Ballista was a real person...I thought he was just the fictional protagonist of the warrior of rome series....?


I looked for him on wiki and yeah I suppose he was real

Though whoever wrote the wiki article clearly has no idea,Harry Sidebottom does though.

[Joar]

Are you sure Ballista was a real person...I thought he was just the fictional protagonist of the warrior of rome series....?

Who is this Ballista? I don't recall making any such character.

Diocletianus: I ever thought Diocletianus more, how to say?....mature or middle-aged or veteran looking man, this becouse Diocle became Imperator after at least 15/20 years of service coming from the low ranks to the top of the military hierarchy, he was 41 years old when he became emperor in 284 AD, your protrait is good but maybe a bit young for the real man, in the end he was a veteran soldier.

Constantinus is good! and this is the problem I found: he seems too much a good man while he was a real man, a real tough guy, he won a civil war and killed all his opponents, he was not a beautiful, well educated, young and aristocratic Roman boy!

Allthough i also would think that Diocletian should look a bit older i am really swept away by this Brilliant collection of Historical portraits for the IB Mods.

It's possible that I go back and give Diocletian another try, however one must remember that these portraits represents a younger or an older version of the characters. In RTW, the young portrait represents a man from around the age of 16 to 50 years old. That's quite a span, so it's somewhat important, I think, that the portrait is as plausible as possible for a man in his late teens as well as in his 40's.

When it comes to Constantine I think you read too much into his face... And just because someone looks "good" doesn't necessarily mean they are.

[Diocle]

Ballista is the protagonist of the Harry Sidebottom Novels Warrior of Rome series, set during the III c. crisis in the time of Gallienus. He was real historical character, but quite different from the man of the novel (An Anglo/Saxon warrior in service of Rome). Here link to Ballista, search under 'the usurpers in the East, the Macrini and Ballista':

http://www.roman-emperors.org/galusurp.htm#Note%202

To Joar: you are right about the killer Constanitinus! The problem is that I hate that man so maybe I could be a little prevented!

Again Great protraits Joar!!!

Can I undergo a question? You did the protrait of Clovis, when will you do the protrait of the great Langobard King Alwin (Alboino) who conquerd Italy after the Gothic Wars and founded the Langobardic Kingdom of Italy?

[The_Nord]

As always, great, great work.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Excellent work as always - the portraits are very detailed and will lead to a more immersive playing experience, Joar. I especially look forward to the earlier ones in the upcoming mod!

[Constantius]

Brilliant! will REP you for master pieces, when get back to my computer

[First Citizen Gallienus]

Excellent.

[elendir]

They look great! Excellent job.
Theodora is exactly how I imagined her while I was reading Guy Gavriel Kay's Sarantine novels

[michell]

Beautiful

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

Oh ok Joar.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

Forgot Theodoric the Visigoth.

I think Aegidius and Clovus I think was the guy who sacked Soissons in 487 should also be added.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

In 363 Julian, at the head of a strong army, advanced to Shapur's capital at Ctesiphon and defeated a superior Sassanid army at the Battle of Ctesiphon

I simply don't see that happening. Just because there were many more Persians there doesn't mean anything.

[Joar]

I simply don't see that happening. Just because there were many more Persians there doesn't mean anything.

What?

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

What?

I don't see a Sassanid army being superior to a Roman one. Even if it is much larger.

[Dragases]

PS: Great topic, Joar! Absolutely wonderful work

Do you mind if I make further suggestion/corrections about the bio's of your stars?

I don't see a Sassanid army being superior to a Roman one. Even if it is much larger.

I'd suggest you keep that sort of trolling for the topics that actually deal with Persia.

[Joar]

Do you mind if I make further suggestion/corrections about the bio's of your stars?

Not at all, go right ahead! Like I wrote in the intro text, the bio text is only there to give it a bit of background, but very little of it is actually written by me. Most of it is from dictionaries etc. I've spent as little time as possible on the text, because my focus have, for natural reasons, been on the portraits, i.e. the appearence of the characters rather than their deeds.

I'd be grateful for any contribution to the bios, just as long as it is kept somewhat "short and to the point", so to speak. PM me your suggestions, and I'll edit the opening post.

@ Cocroach

If that quote is from the Julian the Apostate text, you better take it up with julianus heraclius, 'cause he's the one that wrote those bios, I believe.