25. A Digital Artist’s Interpretation of the Roman Emperor Macrinus
Macrinus was Emperor of the Roman Empire from the year 217 to 218. Most modern depictions of Macrinus show him as being white. However, history tells us that Macrinus was North African, and records show that he was “moorish by race”. The term “moor” is often used to describe Europeans of African descent. A digital artist named Dan Voshart has earned a reputation for creating strikingly realistic depictions of Roman emperors, based on their statues. After doing research into Macrinus, he decided to make him black, even though no one has ever depicted him as such before. On his Twitter account, Voshart admits that this is his artistic interpretation, but also points to the fact that his images on coins and busts also show him having African characteristics such as a wide nose and thick hair.