This finely preserved Roman sports mask of a youthful African prince may depict Lusius Quietus (98- 117AD), one of Rome’s great cavalry commanders.
Described as a “man of Moorish race and considered the ablest soldier in the Roman army”, Quietus was Emperor Trajan’s military deputy and, according to some sources, his named successor. In a story reminiscent of the 2000 film Gladiator, Quietus was murdered after the death of Trajan, possibly on the orders of Emperor Hadrian, Trajan’s successor.
This late 1st-early 2nd century AD mask shares similarities with a presumptive image of the general on Trajan’s Column. Such masks would have been used in the hippika gymnasia – ritual tournaments performed by the cavalry of the Roman Empire.