tone is at odds with the celebratory mood throughout the rest of the tapestry. But comparison with Marcus Aurelius’s column presents another layer of symbolism. In the Roman version of a woman and child escaping, the lady has her breast exposed, with the suggestion of sexual violence as she shies away from the advances of a fully armed warrior.40 In the Bayeux image, the woman is dressed and veiled, while the two men are not heavily armed. The differences are subtle, but they disclose the Christian origins of the Bayeux Tapestry.
