Imperial female hairstyles on Alexandrian tetradrachms of the 3rd century A.D.

Abstract

The article treats the development of female hairstyles on Alexandrian tetradrachms during the period of the so called "Soldier Emperors." During the Roman Imperial period, new hairstyles were generally brought into fashion by the females of the imperial court and later distributed throughout the Roman Empire, thanks to a well-established Bildnispropaganda. As a consequence, an omnipresence of the imperial images was established, showing the members of the reigning family with the same appearance and hairstyles in the entire Empire. This uniformity however, seems to have come to an end on the coinage of Roman Egypt during the period of the "Soldier Emperors." Contrary to other parts of the Empire, on Alexandrian coinage we find the Empresses during that period with hairstyles that were in fashion during the Severan Period (193-235 A.D.). Considering the turbulences and upheavals during the period of the "Soldier Emperors", one might argue that this situation could have been the result of an interruption of the Bildnispropaganda in the Empire. Throughout the article, this argument will be subject to closer examination, as will be other factors that go along with the political situation of its time. Therefore, this study is not only relevant from a numismatic perspective but also from a perspective of the crisis in which the Roman Empire found itself in the 3rd century A.D.