On décrypte la tenue de l'Empereur Romain Septime Sévère

Analysis of a Roman emperor's outfit at the Lugdunum festival, focusing on how power is represented and staged through official attire.

• The emperor presents himself as the continuation of the Roman Republic and its most ardent defender • He combines many previously distinct roles: imperator, consul, censor, tribune of the plebs, primus inter pares in the Senate, pontifex maximus • He directly appoints part of the official administrative positions

The ceremonial military attire of Emperor Septimius Severus, who ruled in the late 2nd century, reconstructed and worn by Valerio Bello.

• Symbols on the outfit assert values and mythological references easily understood by Roman society • Color choices serve specific objectives in communicating power

• Reddish-purple color obtained by grinding Murex, mollusks collected from Mediterranean shores • Color of the emperor alone, costly and prestigious • Echoes Jupiter, king of the gods, and the blood of immortals in mythology

Color of Mars, god of war and peasants, found on Roman military uniforms as a passive prayer to invoke protection in battle.

Purple and red dominate Septimius Severus's outfit, each carrying precise and complementary meanings.

Purple, due to its rarity, is passed as much as possible from one emperor to the next to establish the wearer's legitimacy.

• Ancient Greek model, open at the front, archaic and worn at religious ceremonies or parades • Adorned with a lion's head representing Hercules, positioning the emperor as supported by the hero's mythological strength • Symbolize the emperor as the continuator of history and guardian of Rome's traditions

• A fabric tunic covered by the subarmalis, a reinforced jerkin in purple and gold • The subarmalis features pterygium, weighted straps forming a fringed "skirt" around the hips • It supports the breastplate, protects clothes from rubbing, and provides protection

Composed of multiple tiles forming a rampart, each with precise meaning: institutions led by the emperor, tributes to gods, character traits. Awarded at ceremonies marking institutional approval.

The choice of belt symbols foreshadows what would become medieval heraldry, the science of coats of arms, whose aim is to identify individuals with precise symbolism.

The breastplate is decorated with several gold-covered elements riveted together, each carrying precise meaning.

• Jupiterian eagle: supreme symbol of Roman power • Winged Victory bearing two torches: Greek influence and desire to highlight recovered stability • Head of Medusa or Gorgon: common protection to ward off the evil eye in Roman superstition

Charged with symbols, a nod to the mythological tale of Venus's belt recovered by Hercules.

Nothing is left to chance in the breastplate's decoration; each element contributes to communicating the emperor's power and legitimacy.

• Large rectangle 5 to 7 meters long, blended silk and wool thread, purple in color • Silk is extremely rare and must be imported from the Orient, making it an exceptionally prestigious garment • Draped over the shoulder and called the paludamentum

Due to its rarity, the purple of the paludamentum is passed from one emperor to the next, helping to establish the wearer's legitimacy.

• The most well-known version of the Roman crown, linked to imperial power • Adopted from the crown worn by generals during their triumphs • Adorned with rock crystal carved in relief, an extremely rare stone traversed by small lightning bolts

The crown is bronze covered with silver to highlight tradition overlaid with life's purity. Only after death is the body clothed with a gold crown, while the one worn in life is symbolically destroyed.

The ceremonial attire constitutes a coherent whole, and other objects systematically accompany the emperor with symbolic functions, notably scepters, rings, and seals.

• Thanks to Valerio Bello for the portrayal and assistance provided • Thanks to Lugdunum-Museum and Roman theaters and its 1st Roman festival during which footage was filmed

The exhibition "In Quest of Power" at Lugdunum-Museum and Roman theaters in Lyon, presented through February 27, 2022, addresses the stakes and fragile balance of power across two key periods: the establishment of the first imperial regime by Augustus in 27 BC and the political crisis of the 2nd century AD.

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