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Secondary sourceSculpture1st century BC - 4th century AD

Capuan bust of Hannibal

1st century BC - 4th century AD

A Roman-era marble bust long identified as a portrait of Hannibal, discovered in Capua in 1667, though its true identity is now disputed.

This marble bust was long believed to be a portrait of Hannibal, though the identification is now disputed by scholars.

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Black-and-white photograph of a marble bust of a bearded man wearing a decorated headband, gazing to his left, with a draped cloak over his shoulder. A small numbered label, 6137, is on the base.
Capuan bust, Roman era (1st century BC - 4th century AD). Naples National Archaeological Museum. Photograph by Fratelli Alinari, c. 1900.

About this source

What it is

This marble bust, made sometime between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD, was discovered in the Italian city of Capua in 1667. It is held today in the Naples National Archaeological Museum. For a long time it was identified as a portrait of the Carthaginian general Hannibal, and it is depicted on Tunisia's five dinar banknote.

Why it matters

Scholars have long disputed whether this bust truly shows Hannibal. Some note it wears the cloak of a Roman commander, not a Carthaginian one, and some suspect it may even be a Renaissance creation rather than an ancient Roman work. This makes the bust a useful lesson in how historical images are made, attributed, and sometimes wrongly accepted as real portraits of famous people.

Look closer

  • What details in the bust made people believe it showed Hannibal, and what details raise doubts?
  • Why might a Roman-era (or even Renaissance) sculptor want to create an image of a famous enemy general?
  • What problems arise when a disputed image becomes widely used as

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hannibal Barca on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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The Hannibalic War and The Punic Wars (Libyca)

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