Posted by Roberto D'Autilia on 25 Apr 2022

Statue of Marsyas

Roman period, Roman Forum

Sculpture

In ancient Rome, the figure of Marsyas held a significant symbolic role in representing civic freedom. A statue of Marsyas was strategically placed in the Roman Forum, near the 'Comitium,' an important public and political space of the city. The placement of this statue was not arbitrary; it was deeply rooted in the cultural and political fabric of Roman society. Mauro Servio Onorato, a scholar at the end of the fourth century, provides insight into the symbolism of Marsyas in relation to the concept of freedom within cities. He stated that cities in ancient Rome could be categorized as either subject to tribute, allied, or free. It was customary for free cities to host a statue of Marsyas, which was believed to be under the patronage of Father Libero, also known as Bacchus or Dionysus, the god associated with liberation and the protector of freedoms. Marsyas, as an acolyte of Father Libero, stood as a symbol of autonomy, and his statue in the forum, with an upraised hand, was seen as an affirmation of the city's self-sufficiency and independence. This iconography served as a visual declaration that the city in question lacked nothing and was free from external dominion.