Terminus, Part 02: This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land
Since everything in the world, especially when dealing with artistic creations, is being experienced by human minds (i.e. ourselves) there is some amount to which they get interpreted through that lens which may not always be as intended by the original thing or the creator of that thing. In analyzing these emblems I often include, what I would hope, is well thought out and reasoned personal interpretations. Adding these sorts of personal insights and analyses is what helps to provoke discussion and advance the ideas into potentially new and deeper areas. I could be completely off the mark with some of my thoughts, but that's why I always encourage comments, questions, and even challenges. It's my intention to stir up conversation and provoke the mind to explore these things further, not just to dictate my own opinions. For the current emblem of Terminus, there is a clear meaning the author intended to convey, which is what we'll be looking at in this part, and in the following part three, things will go much deeper, and maybe a little crazier, with some of my own interpretations.
“A squared stone is set in the ground, an unshakable cube, and on it stands a curly-headed image, fashioned down to the chest. This declares that it yields to none. Such is Terminus, the one and only goal that governs men. There is an immovable day, times predetermined by fate, and the last times pronounce judgment on the first.”
Image and English translation provided by permission of University of Glasgow Library, Archives & Special Collections. http://www.emblems.arts.gla.ac.uk/alciato/emblem.php?id=A21a158
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Knowing a little of the history and explanation of Terminus from the previous part, it becomes clear the central ideas expressed in this emblem are boundaries and property. With the introduction of the text it seems Alciato also wants equally to focus attention on the aspect of permanence. This figures well with the subject of property boundaries, giving the message that set boundaries are to be considered permanent or, to a lesser but still severe degree, respected as if they were unmovable. Now Ovid's story of Terminus standing his ground in the temple of Jupiter becomes even more important seeing as how this quality of unyieldingness is essential for maintaining property limits. To reinforce this further, some images of Terminus bore the inscription, Cedo Nulli, meaning, "I yield to no one".
Terminus, Emblematum libellus (1546), Venice . Reproduced by permission of University of Glasgow Library, Archives & Special Collections.
Contention around the subject of boundaries and property is one of its hallmarks and precisely why the Romans and subsequently Alciato felt it important enough to enshrine as a god, and in the latter’s case an emblem. Can and should individuals own land? Where does one man's land end and another's begin? Where should a state, empire, or city mark its boundaries? As anyone can see, if these questions go unanswered and no higher authority takes charge of them, a society quickly breaks down into constant fighting over what one feels is their rightful area to live and conduct themselves freely in. Terminus would put an end to the squabbling. No less than a god should answer these questions by his mere standing still and silent. He need do nothing else and be questioned by no one, as his presence tells all. This is the boundary--one side of it is not like the other--and lest you desire enmity with a god mightier than Jupiter, you shall abide. An implicit curse of death was upon anyone who dared tamper or remove a boundary stone, and should you be caught doing so the Roman state required execution.
Terminus's strength in steadfastness also provides the much needed, but often overlooked check on topographical expansion. Contrary to what may seem the case and a pitfall to many overly aggressive conquerors, it's important to have a delineated stopping point. Numa, Rome's second leader after its founder, Romulus, was wise enough to realize this. He would be the man to define the limits of Rome's territory under the guardianship of Terminus, declaring Rome should expand no further...at least for the time being. This definition allowed Rome to consolidate its power, tame some of its youthful recklessness, and create a stable strong foothold which proved critical to ensuring future greatness.
The power of property boundaries weaves its way through history, from Archaic Rome to the present as well as through societal hierarchy from the state to the individual. There could be volumes written on property rights and delineating land boundaries throughout the ages, but even beyond the spatial aspect, Alciato sees Terminus venturing into the temporal. In the last lines of the epigram, he interprets Terminus in this sense to be an end point or boundary of time. The sentiment he paints becomes bleaker suggesting death in which man finds his end and a judgment upon creation when all the days come to a close. The word “terminate” obviously derives from Terminus and denotes an end, spatial or temporal, but keep in mind a boundary, though signaling the end of one thing, implies the beginning of another on the other side.
Where do we go from here? There are two ways my personal musings branch off from this topic; one is to elaborate on the sense of stillness and permanence, for which Terminus stands for, as opposed to action (Terminus vs. Jupiter) and the other to explore the idea of difference and what the extraordinarily deep fundamental idea of boundaries entails. It could go either way, so stay tuned for part three of this analysis of the Terminus emblem from Alciato.