The statuette’s head presents an expressive portrait of dignified, relatively young man, whose profile bears a strong resemblance to minted portraits of Emperor Julian. On 1 January 363, Emperor Julian began his fourth consulate in Antioch on the Orontes in Syria (now Antakya, Turkey). That same year he set off on one of his Persian campaigns from here.
Antioch on the Orontes was one of the largest cities in the Roman empire and was already Christianised at a very early date. (AVS)
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