The Statue of Theoderic in Aachen. Power, Art and Memory between Antiquity and the Middle Ages
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6093/1593-2214/9383Keywords:
Charlemagne, Theoderic, equestrian statue, Aachen, Ravenna, Middle Ages, 6th-9th CenturiesAbstract
On his way back to Austrasia after the imperial coronation in Rome (800), Charlemagne ordered to transfer to Aachen the bronze equestrian statue depicting the Arian king Theodoric that was placed in front of the palatium in Ravenna. Scholarship argued that this choice does not seem coherent with Charles' role as a Catholic ruler and defender of the Church of Rome, and that it should be solely explained with the emperor’s appreciation for the monument's aesthetic qualities. By pursuing a different approach, this essay argues that the transfer of the statue from Ravenna to Aachen should be considered as an essentially political decision, which in turn is to be interconnected with the various meanings of Theodoric's equestrian monument.
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