Augustus of Primatora, early 1st century CE

The Tetrarchs, c. 300 CE

What a difference 300 years can make in the Roman empire. That Augustus looks like he's got it all together. I feel bad for the tetrarchs though. At the time of the tetrarchy, control of the empire was divided into zones each ruled by a senior and a junior emperor. Here are all four leaders clinging to each other. Wikipedia says "The overall effect suggests unity and stability," but I think they look scared. They all have nasty, aggro-bird-head-handled swords. It looks like they are trying to psyche each other up to act like tough guys in the face of adversity. The ones with beards, the Augusti, are more senior, and the younger, clean shaven guys are the Cesars. The artistic conventions are way more stylized than in the time of Augustus. You'd never recognize these dudes as specific individuals. It's a time of strife and deeply charged symbolic imagery. Middle Ages, here we come!