The Sources of the Horseman and Fallen Enemy Motif on the Tombstones of the Western Roman Empire

Abstract

One motif common on Roman military tombstones of the early Empire is the victorious horseman trampling his fallen enemy. The sources of this motif, although ultimately coming from archaic and classical Greece, are more immediately to be found in Hellenistic and late Etruscan art. Comparisons between the tombstone images of the fallen enemy in particular, and examples from these sources, show some very close correspondences. Furthermore, tombstones from both sides of the English Channel show nearly identical compositions even though they differ markedly in style. From this it can be concluded that artisans in different parts of the western Empire were drawing upon the same series of compositional models, although how far removed from the originals they were is not possible to ascertain.A catalogue of horseman and fallen enemy tombstones found in Britain and on the continent follows the main text.