Victorious achievements are not earned through mere rituals or offerings. Instead, they stem from relentless effort, boldness, enduring spirit, passionate dedication, and the formidable skill in combat. Absent these elements, even when a splendid embodiment of Victory stands in a magnificent temple, the ideals of triumph will elude the unprepared. True victory comes from the strength and resilience of a person’s own actions, rather than any external divine influence represented by fabled warriors.
Turning attention to history, Sparta’s solitary colony, Tarentum, thrived among the Greek settlements known as Magna Graecia along southern Italy’s coastline. In 280 BC, King Pyrrhus of Epirus valiantly defended Tarentum against Roman forces, utilizing his formidable war elephants and achieving a tactical victory. However, the cost was steep; he lost many elite troops and key advisors, giving rise to the term “Pyrrhic victory,” which denotes a win that incurs such significant losses that it resembles a defeat. Despite his grave losses, he erected a gilded bronze representation of Victory to mark his triumph.
The Romans reclaimed Tarentum in 272 BC, and again in 209 BC, likely transporting the statue to Rome after plundering its treasures. This came after they had already sacked Syracuse, where the spoils stirred admiration for Greek artistry, fueling ambitions for more such trophies from conquered cities. Tarentum’s extensive collection of paintings and sculptures fell victim to Roman plunder, leaving behind only the largest artworks.
In the year 29 BC, after Octavian’s victory over Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, he inaugurated the Roman Senate House with the altar and the Victory statue from Tarentum, bedecked with spoils from Egypt. This act signaled that his authority ascended from this triumph. Senators were instructed to offer incense and wine at the Altar before taking their seats, thereby raising the sanctity of their conduct. Herodian notes that the statue occupied a prominent position, with senators performing rituals upon entering the chamber, a practice that underscores the blend of governance and the divine favor associated with victory.
Roman coinage frequently featured Victoria, a personification of triumph, often depicted as a winged figure with a palm frond or laurel wreath, signifying divine grace upon the victors. Alongside her, Victoriola functioned as a small cult image of victory, readily symbolizing the substantial honor that triumph bestows. Although representations persisted long after pagan deities were sidelined, Victoria became an emblem of Rome’s glory, evolving into a non-divine symbol.
Through the lens of Christian poetry, Prudentius humorously critiques the depicted ideal of a female figure symbolizing victory, suggesting a shift in the cultural understanding of such images. By the fourth century, with Constantine, the winged figure of victory began to morph into an angelic representation, a divine messenger in God’s service, as the association with victory over worldly battles started to diminish, making room for spiritual connotations. The transition saw both angels and victorious figures coexist during an evolving period where aesthetics often blurred the lines between the two, with distinctive identifying features gradually becoming more pronounced.
An iconic life-sized bronze statue, discovered in Brescia in 1826, now resides in the Santa Giulia Museo della Città. This piece is rooted in the classic Aphrodite of Capua, a Roman reproduction of a fourth-century BC artwork. A smaller statuette in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples more vividly embodies Victoria’s original artistic essence. Formerly depicted as Venus Victrix, Aphrodite was portrayed admiring her reflection in Ares’ shield, but the addition of wings redirected the figure’s symbolism to that of Victory, commemorating military prowess and achievements.
Victoria parallels the Greek Nike, the goddess representing victory in warfare and peace. In the ancient texts, Nike was described as the sibling to Rivalry, Strength, and Force, all offspring of a Titan, who collectively joined the Olympian gods in their cosmic struggles. In return for their allegiance, they were honored by Zeus with a place among the divine.
