Well now, if we’re talkin’ ‘bout them ol’ times with Emperor Antoninus Pius and his missus Faustina, there’s somethin’ mighty special that folks back then did to honor ‘em. They went and carved this big ol’ stone, called the Column of Antoninus Pius. Now this column wasn’t just any ol’ pillar. Nope, this one had their grand send-off to heaven carved right into it, all fancy-like.
They called it the Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina. Fancy word, I reckon, but it just means folks believed they went right up to heaven, turnin’ ‘em into somethin’ like gods. They was flyin’ high up there, thanks to this winged fella named Aion, or some call him Eternity. He scooped ‘em right up with his mighty wings and took ‘em to the sky.
Now, don’t be thinkin’ they went alone! No, sir, they had two mighty eagles on either side of ‘em, flyin’ alongside. And Antoninus, well, he even held himself a big ol’ scepter with another eagle on top. That was to show his power, see, ‘cause eagles was symbols of strength and Rome itself.
Antoninus and Faustina—they weren’t just ordinary folk, no. Antoninus was what folks call a good emperor. Now he didn’t go around causin’ wars and such, no sir, he was more on the peace-lovin’ side. Kept things simple, savin’ money and all, and folks respected him for it. He did right by Rome, I reckon, keepin’ it all calm and steady-like, not spendin’ more than he had to.
- Peaceful Ruler: Antoninus was known for keepin’ Rome outta wars, savin’ that gold for somethin’ more important than fightin’.
- Conservative with Coins: Now, he weren’t out there throwin’ money ‘round like water. He saved up and took care of what Rome had.
- Heavenly Scene: The column shows Antoninus and Faustina headin’ up to the skies, with that winged Eternity fella takin’ ‘em to where the gods be.
Now, don’t go thinkin’ they was lifted up to heaven right when they both passed. See, Faustina, she died some 20 years ‘fore Antoninus. But on that column, they’s together as if they’re headin’ off at the same time. Just goes to show folks back then believed their love and spirit was still strong, keepin’ ‘em together even after all that time.
After he passed on in AD 161, Antoninus was given this mighty honor by his adopted sons, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. They put up that column in his memory, a big ol’ reminder to folks of the good he’d done for Rome and how folks ought to remember him and Faustina.
So there they are, Antoninus and his wife, flyin’ high on that column, held up by the might of that winged figure. They’re in the clouds, among them gods, not just a man and woman but somethin’ more to them Romans. This was their way of honorin’ rulers who did right by their people, treatin’ ‘em as gods in the end. Ain’t that somethin’?
In the end, the Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina shows us that the Romans had their own way of givin’ respect, showin’ folks like Antoninus and Faustina belonged in the heavens. They’s remembered with this grand image of flyin’ up into the sky. Ain’t every day you see folks honored that way, now is it?
Tags：[Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius, Column of Antoninus Pius, Roman Emperors, Ancient Rome, Emperor Antoninus Pius, Faustina, Ancient Roman History]