Medusa, ancient gems, and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV

0508024 - FLÚ 2020 RIV SK eng C - Conference Paper (international conference)
Bažant, Jan
Medusa, ancient gems, and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.
Anodos: Studies of the Ancient World, 13/2013. Trnava: Trnavská univerzita v Trnave, Filozofická fakulta, 2019, s. 35-50. Anodos. ISSN 1338-5410.
[Ancient Communities and their Elites from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity (Central Europe - Mediterranean - Black Sea). Trnava (SK), 06.10.2017-08.10.2017]
Institutional support: RVO:67985955
Keywords : Medusa * gem * crown * Holy Roman Empire * Charles IV * Prague
OECD category: History (history of science and technology to be 6.3, history of specific sciences to be under the respective headings)

In ancient Greece and Rome, Medusa’s head was a universal protective device of the first class. In Italy in the second half of the 15th century, this image and its meaning were revived. However, the first steps were taken 100 years earlier, in Prague in the time of Charles IV, Bohemian King (1346) and Holy Roman Emperor (1355). There is an ancient Roman gem which was on guard on the ceiling of his private oratory at Karlštejn Castle in 1365. Another ancient Roman gem was protecting Charles IV’s reliquary with the Chip of Wood from Christ’s Crib (1368 or soon afterwards). More importantly, ancient Roman gems with Medusa protected Charles IV’s crown of the Roman King (1349), which he gave to Aachen Cathedral after his coronation. The gems on this crown stressed the continuity between the Holy Roman Empire and its ancient predecessor. The message was crucial for Charles IV, who by his Aachen coronation proclaimed his strong will to become the Emperor and hence the successor of the ancient Roman rulers.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0301294