The Porphyry Head of Emperor Galerius

The Porphyry head of Galerius, can be dated from 303 onwards, as it was in November of that year that Galerius was crowned in Rome with a laurel wreath for his great victory over the Persians in 298, which unofficially made him the leading figure in the Empire. If we perceive Galerius’s head and the left hand holding the globe as a part of one sculpture, the iconography of this representation is completely clear: Galerius is presented as Pantocrator, the ruler of the entire universe. The porphyry head of Galerius is part of a unique imperial portrait with a display of a triumphant crown and the busts of all four rulers. Its significance is emphasised by the number of exhibitions in the world in which this extraordinary work of Late Roman art was displayed (Trier, Venice, Rome, etc.). The portrait head is exhibited in the National Museum Zaječar.