Trajanus belooft vrede c. 1625 - 1671

This etching, made around the mid-17th century by Matteo Piccioni, depicts Trajan promising peace to barbarian ambassadors in Rome. Note the recurring motif of the barbarian, a figure that embodies both fear and fascination in the Roman psyche. Here, the ambassadors appear with features that would have been seen as ‘barbaric’: beards and rough clothing, in supplication before Trajan. This image echoes the trophies displayed behind Trajan, symbolizing Roman military victories, with the barbarians as the vanquished. Think of the Laocoön, how its writhing figure, like the barbarian, evokes pity and terror. This contrast between Roman order and perceived barbarian chaos speaks to the complex, often contradictory ways in which societies define themselves against the ‘other.’ This is a recurring theme throughout history. The barbarian, then, is not merely an enemy but a mirror reflecting Rome’s own anxieties about power, control, and the fragility of civilization, surfacing time and again, evolving yet always echoing the primal struggle between order and chaos in the collective psyche.