A Roman Parallel

This leaf of a diptych likely, although not definitively, depicts the Byzantine Emperor Justinian who ruled from 527-565 CE. The object is dated to the first half of the 6th century and is considered to be early medieval. Carved from ivory, this diptych features five seperate sections, the central and most prominent being the relatively large emperor riding in triumph towards the viewer. Since the emperor is unidentified, it is unknown whether this image commemorates a specific triumph and, if so, what that victory might be. However, it has been suggested that if Justinian is the emperor depicted, the object might represent his negotations with the Persians in 532.[1]

The missing plaque on the right included an allegorical representation of Victory as she delivers Justinian a crown, in line with the goddess Victoria on the Roman relief. Other elements on this panel assert the emperor's power: a soldier on his left offering him a statue of Victory, defeated subjects paying tribute to him from below, and even his spear that holds one of his enemies back.[2]

While this maintains the elements of both the relief of Marcus Aurelius and Vespasian's coin, a significant difference must be noted; that is, the addition of Christ offering his blessing from the top of the diptych. The acceptance and spread of Christianity gradually led to Christian components in triumph ceremonies. Michael McCormick writes that a later Justinian triumph proved "that emperors had begun to include Christian shrines into their triumphal itineraries" by the year 559.[3] Thus this object demonstrates both the continuity with Roman triumphs and the influence of history on the practice.