Speaker
Description
I will address the question of whether and to what extent the depiction of Apollo Didymeus could refer to the emperor and his family. This will be discussed on the basis of two examples:
An imperial cult of Caligula was established in Miletus during his reign. We find a coin type with the bust of Apollo on the reverse dating from this period. I will stress the idea of understanding this as a reference to the joint worship of Caligula and Apollo in Didyma.
The second example is from the reign of Trajan and shows Apollo Didymeus accompanied by a tripod and snake on the reverse. I examine whether this unique motif can be linked to the personal relationship between the emperor and the oracle. Finally I will present some conclusions about the meaning of local motifs and how they integrate Roman authority into the civic identity of Miletus.
