Double Herm of Socrates and Seneca, Marble sculpture in Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany.
The Double Herm of Socrates and Seneca is a marble work featuring two heads joined back-to-back, each showing the distinctive features of both figures. The piece is displayed in the Pergamon Museum as part of its Classical collection.
The work was created in the early centuries after Christ, when Romans were deeply engaged with Greek thinkers and their ideas. It was later discovered in Rome and arrived in Berlin in the early 1800s.
The sculpture shows two different thinkers side by side, each representing distinct philosophical paths. Visitors can see how Romans brought together Greek and their own intellectual traditions on the same piece.
The work is relatively small and requires close viewing to see all its details. Take time to observe the inscriptions and compare the differences between the two portrait faces.
The surface carries both Greek and Latin inscriptions, pointing to a blend of cultural traditions. This is one of the few known portraits of the Roman Stoic from ancient times that survives today.
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