Portrait head of a "barbarian" (probably a Dacian)
1st - 2nd century
Non-Roman foreigners, often called "barbarians," were those living in Rome's provinces or beyond its borders who did not take on Roman language, dress, and customs. Among those foreigners were the Dacians, a group living west of the Black Sea, who were incorporated into the Roman Empire after falling to the Emperor Trajan in the second century A.D. Initially viewed as wild, Roman artisans depicted Dacians with unruly hair and uncivilized, wild beards. The Dacian tribes eventually "Romanized," as evidenced in the territory's modern-day name: Romania.
Marble
15 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. (39.4 x 24.2 x 31.8 cm)
Gift of Mrs. John C. Atwood, Jr.
56.59