ABSTRACT
Contrary to literary tradition, reactions to Nero’s Rome in the archaeological record of visual representation do not completely reject previous developments, but are multifaceted. In their self-representation the Flavians had different strategies to cope with their predecessor’s images: they used the official concept of the portrait head to make statements against his rule and also to support the consolidation of their family. For the other iconographic elements and dimensions of imperial images, which were chosen by the commissioner of the respective monument, a continuous and stepwise development can be observed, even for those elements newly introduced under Nero. Apparently, there was no impulse to move backwards to a more traditional level, not even after the death of a condemned emperor like Nero.
