Thorsten Opper is a curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. His published work delves into ancient sculpture and eighteenth-century antiquarianism. This focus suggests a deep engagement with the material culture of antiquity and the history of its reception. Opper's scholarship likely explores how ancient objects were understood, collected, and interpreted across different historical periods, bridging archaeological study with the history of collecting.
Takes a fresh look at the life of Nero (r. AD 54-68), providing insight into the inner conflicts of a Roman society in transition and challenging preconceptions of a figure dismissed by a hostile source-tradition as tyrannical, deluded and ineffectual.
Made from Bronze with eyes inlaid with glass pupils set in metal rings, the Meroe Head is a magnificent portrait of Julius Caesar's great nephew and adopted heir Augustus. This book reveals the significance of the head in light of Augustus' rise to power and the role of portraits in the Roman world.
Empire and Conflict
Hadrian, exclusive exhibition catalogueHadrian (r. AD 117-138) is known for his restless and ambitious nature, his interest in architecture and his passion for Greece and Greek culture. This book and exhibition move beyond this image to give a new appraisal of this Emperor,Individual chapters of the book look at Hadrian the man as an individual; Hadrian the military leader and strategist; Hadrian the amateur architect who created magnificent buildings such as his villa at Tivoli; Hadrian the lover who deified his male favourite Antinous after his mysterious death in the Nile; and Hadrian the traveller who tirelessly roamed his empire and its boundaries. The book concludes with the legacy of Hadrian, including a discussion of the genesis of MargueriteYourcenar's famous Memoirs of Hadrian, about to be turned into a major Hollywood film.This important book is richly illustrated throughout with key works of art -both celebrated and less well-known sculptures, bronzes, coins and medals, drawings and watercolours