The Image of Antinous in Imperial Ideology

Abstract

The statues of Antinous, Hadrian’s favourite, are often believed to be primarily products of Hadrian’s philhellenism. The easiest explanation for Antinous’ unusual historical profile is that Hadrian loved Greek culture, Antinous was Greek, and the statues, mimicking Greek art, are an extravagant commemorative effort. Closer examination reveals that this is too simplistic an explanation. By quantifying extant statues of Antinous based on provenance and iconography, summarizing Hadrian’s ideology, examining Hadrian’s own image, and considering the cult of Antinous, we can see that Antinous played an important role in Hadrian’s ideology. His cult was a social and religious unifier and helped bridge the gaps between communities and foster shared pride and community amongst adherents; the statues, often cultic objects, visually conveyed this purpose through various iconographic connections to other cults. All this complemented Hadrian’s agenda of imperial unity and consolidation. Philhellenism cannot be denied entirely, but the primary purpose of Antinous’ statues was ideological.