Kings in Cuirass — Some Overlooked Full-Length Portraits of Herodian and Nabataean Dynasts

Abstract

The study of the portraiture of Roman client kings in the Greek East is only in its infancy. This article examines some overlooked coin images of two Herodian kings, Agrippa I and Herod of Chalkis, and of the Nabataean king Aretas IV. These are full-length images of these dynasts and thus unique views of dress, poses, gesture, body types, etc., all of which complemented the portrait head to form a coherent self-image of royalty. The aim is to place the portraits more firmly in the stylistic landscape of early Roman imperial portraiture; and secondly to explore these full-length images of local dynasts, their costumes and body types.