Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition

First Floor Rome and Aventicum
The Emperor, the Imperial Family and the Province
This is one of the rare dedications to the young Britannicus murdered at the age of 14
by his stepbrother Nero who became emperor in AD 54. This inscription was found on a
block, which probably served as the plinth for a statue.
Catalogue of inscriptions: no. 6.
Freestanding objects at the back and in the centre of the hall
Back, from left to right :
Capitoline She-Wolf Feeding the Twin Brothers Romulus and Remus (1)
The limestone low relief was discovered in the courtyard of the Derrière la Tour palace.
2nd century AD.
This relief depicts the symbol of the Roman Empire, the myth of the miraculous rescue of
the founder of Rome and his brother. This motif was very popular and was still used on
Late Antique coins (display case 25, no. 20).
Portrait of a Princess (2)
Marble bust, discovered in the Roman theatre of Aventicum in 1847. Copy; the original is
exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Neuchâtel.
The face, hair and clothes of the princess were painted. Remnants of red colour still
visible in her hair were undercoat for the original gold plating. The features of the
princess were enhanced by careful colour modelling. She was wearing a blue-green
dress.
The identification of this high quality portrait remains controversial. It could be Julia,
the daughter of Drusus the Younger and Livilla. In AD 21 at the age of 15, she married
Nero Julius Caesar, the son of Germanicus, designated crown prince in AD 23, but then
declared a public enemy and exiled by the Senate.
According to another interpretation this portrait represents the mother of emperor
Claudius, Antonia the Younger, who lived from 36 BC to AD 37.
The presence of this bust underlines the close relations that existed between Rome and
Aventicum at the time of the emperor Tiberius.
Agrippina the Elder
Marble statue, discovered in the northern part of the forum of Aventicum. Second quarter
of the 1st century AD.
Monumental statue, approximately 2.75 m high and probably showing the features of
Agrippina the Elder, the wife of Germanicus. She was the mother of the emperor Caligula
(AD 37 – 41) and of Agrippina the Younger, who would later have a son, the emperor
Nero (AD 54 – 68). Agrippina the Elder is represented here as the goddess Fortuna. She
is wearing a chiton (woman’s garment of Greek origin) and Roman shoes and is holding
a cornucopia. Despite the poor state of preservation of the statue, the high quality
craftsmanship of the sculptor is apparent.
This sculpture belongs to a group of statues representing three or four members of the
imperial family. The public display of images of the emperor and his family was part of
Rome’s political propaganda.
Male Statue
Marble foot discovered in the northern part of the forum of Aventicum. Second quarter of
the 1st century AD.
This foot comes from the same group of statues as the sculpture of Agrippina the
Elder. The type of shoe indicates that the person represented was a member of the
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First Floor
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