Peasants and Monsters in Third-Century Gaul. Rethinking the Jupiter Columns

In his panegyric for Emperor Maximian, delivered on April 21, 289, the Gallic rhetor Mamertinus draws a significant parallel between the Giants defeated by Jupiter and Hercules, and the Bagaudae, rebellious peasants of Gaul subdued by the imperial armies led by Maximian Herculius. Although Mamertinus belonged to the wealthy and educated urban elite, who typically regarded peasants with disinterest or contempt, it is plausible that his imagery was inspired not only by classical myth but also by monuments distinctive to Gaul – namely, the Jupiter columns. These columns, depicting a horseman trampling an anguiped, likely derived from local religious motifs prevalent among the less Romanized inhabitants of the countryside. Despite Mamertinus’ strongly negative depiction of the Bagaudae, his description hints at an interaction between rural traditions and the literary practices of the Romanized urban elite, suggesting a deeper cultural exchange than sources usually reveal.