La rappresentazione dell'ariete d'assedio. Un blocco con fregio d'armi da Novalesa (TO)

The battering ram has scarcely ever been represented on Roman reliefs: it occurs on six monuments only, a block with a weapons frieze from Novalesa being among them. This paper aims to offer an accurate description of this relief and to demonstrate that such a realistic representation of the battering ram in its entirety cannot be recognised in any of the other occurrences (mostly located in Rome). Although the frieze can be dated between the mid first and the early second century A.D. thanks to technical and iconographic details, it is challenging to define the client and the nature of its original monument. Given the closeness of Susa, it can nevertheless be argued that the relief came from there, thus proving once more that provincial élites were eager to adhere to the Urban models, despite adjusting them to their own taste, cultural and artistic influences.