In this temple fragment, a vivid and splendid motion leaps forth the Capricorn, the goatfish whose presence is recognized in such number and variety of societies as to completely baffle the imagination. His sloped nose flexes its intricate musculature in tension and primitive stateliness. His majestic beard is shaped into the lean of his body against the wind- its strangled knots completely boisterous even in the delicacy and mastery of their execution. His brow is gentle and intelligent, and his eye has a benevolent curve rising into his cheek. Most interesting of all is the disparity of anatomy between his goat body and fish tail. Bulges and ripples across his neck and torso exude all of the firm strength and sturdy, explosive energy of the mammalian. But coiled beneath his scales is a completely different sort of motion, his muscle dispersed into thick coiling ropes that give him all of the dramatic grace and silent efficiency of a sea-beast. Offsetting the whimsical and feral nature of the beast, a regal and noble human presence stands to its left. The face, with its sweeping hair, its angular cheekbones, and strong wide chin, has an almost imperial delicacy atop the youthful chest that seems to want to burst out of the cuirass. Given the date of the temple’s commission, the depiction may very well be of an early member of the royal family. Tiberius, Nero, Caligula, and many other exceptionally famous and infamous characters of history might find themselves on the walls of a temple, perhaps as a gift for the dedication of its funds, or as a symbol of their predestination of Godly power.

Antiquities
Ancient Roman