Seite - 812 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Band 2

Chapter 15812 Epitome Thesauri Antiquitatum, hoc est, impp. Rom. Orientalium et Occidentalium Iconum, ex antiquis Numismatibus quam fidelissimè deliniatarum Abridgment of the Treasure house of Antiquities, That is, Images of the Roman Emperors of the East and the West most faithfully drawn after [their] ancient coins This makes clear that the book was not intended primarily as a manual for collectors of ancient coins. The medals merely served as the source for the images, the portraits or effigies of the Emperors, the lives and connections of whom are the true object of the book and of its intended readership. From that point of view the book makes sense: basically it is a relatively careful and precise compilation of historical facts taken from literary sources, aiming to make the history of the Roman Empire, including its Byzantine and German successors up to the present day, easily accessible to a well-educated, but not necessarily scholarly audience. The French edition Strada published simulta- neously shows that he aimed at a wide-ranging readership. Thus, the Epitome fits squarely into the tradition of Bildnisvitenbücher first investigated by Paul Ortwin Rave.22 22 Rave 1959; see also Haskell 1993, Chs. A and 2; Cunnally 1999, passim.; Heenes 2003, pp. 18–20; Heenes 2010. Figures 15.15–15.17 The three indices appended to Strada’s Epitome thesauri antiquitatum: a list of coin-inscriptions not published earlier, a chronological register of the individuals included, and an alphabetical index.