Carrucae, plaustra ou currus : le char a rome a l'epoque imperiale
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Abstract EN:
A reasoned catalogue of the figurative representations of the vehicles on wheels in the roman world during the imperial period allows to link the different patterns with the terms of the latin vocabulary. These vehicles were certainly smaller than their successors of the modern times but the fact is less due to improvements carried out later by the wheelwrights. On the contrary, the imperial period, which was characterized by new conditions of use of the carts (pax romana, building of a road network in all the empire, propagation of breeding of mules) is a time of technical improvements and consequently of spreading of the most various patterns of carts in all the roman world. From the very start of the principate. Augustus has made the cart the symbol of his power, by setting up a mail coach service, the cursus publicus. The cart became quickly also one of the emblems of the system of government and of its evolution, the ancient republican currus triumphalis receding progressively before vehicles of the posthumous deffication of the princeps as the plateform on wheels pulled by a team of elephants or the chariot of sol called to mind in daily life by the one of the agitator in circus.
Abstract FR:
Un catalogue raisonne des representations figurees des vehicules roulants du monde romain a l'epoque imperiale permet d'associer les differents types et les termes du vocabulaire latin. Certes ces vehicules etaient plus petits que leurs successeurs des temps modernes mais le fait est moins du aux pretendues deficiences de l'attelage antique qu'aux perfectionnements apportes ensuite. Au contraire l'epoque imperiale qui correspondait a de nouvelles conditions d'utilisation des voitures (pax romana, construction d'un reseau routier dans tout l'empire, propagation de l'elevage mulassier) est une periode de progres techniques en matiere de charronnage et donc de diffusion des vehicules roulants dans l'ensemble du monde romain. Des la mise en place du principat, auguste fit du char le symbole de son pouvoir, en organisant un service de messagerie officielle, le cursus publicus, qui avait recours a des voitures. Le char devint vite aussi un des emblemes du regime et de son evolution, le vieux currus triumphalis republicain etant peu a peu remplace par des vehicules evoquant la divinisation posthume du princeps comme l'estrade roulante tiree par un attelage d'elephants ou le char de sol metaphorise dans la vie quotidienne par celui de l'agitator au cirque.