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Primary sourceSculpture

Panel Relief of Marcus Aurelius Sacrificing

A marble relief showing Emperor Marcus Aurelius performing a sacrifice as pontifex before the Temple of Jupiter, with his family, after victory against Germanic tribes.

Shows Marcus Aurelius performing a sacrifice as pontifex, presenting his religious piety as emperor.

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Marble relief panel showing a Roman sacrifice scene: a bearded figure in a toga extends a hand over a small altar or tripod while attendants and a bull stand nearby. Columned temple facade with a pediment and a frieze above a bull-driven procession are in the background, with several onlookers at left and right.
Bas-relief from the lost Arch of Marcus Aurelius, Rome. Capitoline Museums, Rome.

About this source

What it is

This marble relief panel comes from a lost arch honoring Marcus Aurelius, now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. It shows the emperor, as pontifex, extending his hand over an altar during a sacrifice, with attendants and a bull nearby, and the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in the background.

Why it matters

The relief was made to celebrate Marcus Aurelius's success in the Marcomannic Wars against Germanic tribes, showing him and his family giving thanks through religious ritual. It is the only surviving depiction of this important Roman temple, making it valuable both as art and as historical evidence of Roman religious and civic life.

Look closer

  • What does the emperor's gesture and role as pontifex tell you about how Romans linked religion and political power?
  • Why might the artist have included the temple in the background?
  • What does this image leave out about the wars it commemorates?

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

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Title page of a 1558 Latin and Greek edition of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, printed in Zurich by Andreas Gesner. The page lists Xylander as translator and includes a second title for Marinus' Life of Proclus.Book

Primary source

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius · c. 170-180 AD (this edition printed 1558)

Bronze equestrian statue of a bearded man on a rearing horse, with his right hand raised in a gesture. He wears a draped cloak. The horse's right foreleg is lifted. Displayed indoors on a dark plinth under lights.Sculpture

Primary source

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

c. 173 AD

Tall marble column with a spiral band of carved relief scenes rising from a pedestal, topped by a bronze statue on a railed platform, against a clear blue sky. A cream-colored multi-story building with rows of windows stands behind the column, with an iron fence in front.Artifact

Secondary source

Column of Marcus Aurelius

completed c. 193 AD

Book

Secondary source

Marcus Antoninus (Historia Augusta)

Scriptores Historiae Augustae · probably 4th century AD

Manuscript page in brown ink with red rubrics, showing dense Latin text in a medieval hand. Red headings read 'Vita Antonini Pii explicit' and 'Incipit Marci Antonini Philosophi'. A large decorated initial M begins the next life. Marginal notes appear at the top and right.Book

Secondary source

Historia Augusta (Augustan History)

Scriptores Historiae Augustae

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