art 111- art of imperial rome
TRANSCRIPT
Augustus63 BC-14 ADFirst Roman Emperor
As the first Roman emperor (though he never claimed the title for himself)
Augustus led Rome’s transformation from republic to empire during the tumultuous years following the assassination of his great-uncle and adoptive father Julius Caesar
During his 40-years reign, Augustus nearly doubled the size of the empire, adding territories in Europe and Asia Minor and securing alliances that gave him effective rule from Britain to India.
• These routes ensured that the Roman
military could out-pace and out-
maneuver its enemies, but they also
aided in the everyday maintenance of
the Empire.
• Reduced travel time and marching
fatigue allowed the fleet-footed
legions to move as quickly as 20 miles
a day.
• Along with road signs and mile
markers, Roman roads were also
lined with state-run hotels and way
stations.
• The most common of these ancient
rest stops were the horse changing
stations, or “mutationes,” which were
located every ten miles along most
routes
• couriers could move as far as 60 miles
Augustus & The Calendar
■ In 8 B.C. Augustus had the Roman month of Sextilius renamed after himself—as his great-uncle and predecessor Julius Caesar had done with July.
■ August was the month of several of the emperor's greatest victories, including the defeat and suicide of Antony and Cleopatra.
■ He did not increase the month's length, which had been 31 days since the establishment of the Julian calendar in 45 B.C.
Freestanding sculpture, Augustus stands in a contrapposto poseThe emperor wears military regalia and his right arm is outstretched, demonstrating that the emperor is addressing his troops. We immediately sense the emperor’s power as the leader of the army and a military conqueror.
both Augustus and the Spear-Bearer are portrayed as youthful and flawless individuals: they are perfect
This is significant because Augustus is essentially depicting himself with the perfect body of a Greek athlete: he is youthful and virile, despite the fact that he was middle-aged at the time of the sculpture’s commissioning. Furthermore, by modeling the Primaporta statue on such an iconic Greek sculpture created during the height of Athens’ influence and power, Augustus connects himself to the Golden Age of that previous civilization.
The dolphin became a symbol of Augustus’ great naval victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, a conquest that made Augustus the sole ruler of the Empire.
The cupid astride the dolphin sends another message too: that Augustus is descended from the gods. Cupid is the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
Julius Caesar, the adoptive father of Augustus, claimed to be descended from Venus and therefore Augustus also shared this connection to the gods.
Finally, Augustus is wearing a breastplate, that is covered with figures that communicate additional propagandistic messages.
Scholars debate over the identification over each of these figures, but the basic meaning is clear:
Augustus has the gods on his side, he is an international military victor, and he is the bringer of the Pax Romana, a peace that encompasses all the lands of the Roman Empire.
The altar reflects the Augustan vision of Roman civil religion.
The lower register of its frieze depicts vegetal work meant to communicate the abundance and prosperity of the Roman Peace
while the monument as a whole serves a civic ritual function whilst simultaneous operating as propaganda for Augustus and his regime
easing notions of autocracy and dynastic succession that might otherwise be unpalatable to traditional Roman culture.
NORTH & SOUTH WALLS
• The long friezes of the Ara Pacis (the North and South
Walls) contain figures advancing towards the West, who
participate in a state of thanksgiving to celebrate the
Peace created by Augustus.
• These figures fall into four categories: lictors (men
carrying fasces, bodyguards of magistrates); priests,
women and children (generally from the imperial family,
represented in portraiture); and attendants
NERO & THE GOLDEN HOUSE OF NERO
• was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-
Claudian dynasty.
• Nero's rule is usually associated with tyranny and
extravagance; his more infamous executions include that of
his mother.
• Most Roman sources offer overwhelmingly negative
assessments of his personality and reign; Tacitus claims that
the Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt.
• Many Romans believed that the great Roman fire of 64 was
instigated by Nero to clear the way for his planned palatial
complex, the Domus Aurea
DOMUS AUREA (GOLDEN HOUSE OF NERO)
• It was devastated by the Great Fire of Rome
in AD 64, following which Nero seized much
of the area to add to his personal domain.
• He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the
site, in front of which he created an artificial
lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and
porticoes.
• The existing Aqua Claudia aqueduct was
extended to supply water to the area and
the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero was
set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus
Aurea
GOLDEN HOUSE OF NERO
• designed as a place of
entertainment, as shown by the
presence of 300 rooms without
any sleeping quarters
• Nero's own palace remained on
the Quirinal Hill. No kitchens or
latrines have been discovered
AFTER NERO’S DEATH/SUICIDE
• The Golden House was a severe embarrassment to his successors.
• It was stripped of its marble, its jewels and its ivory within a decade.
• Soon after, the palace and grounds, were filled with earth and built over:
• On the site of the lake, in the middle of the palace grounds, Vespasian built the
Flavian Amphitheatre
• . Within 40 years, the Golden House was completely obliterated, buried beneath
the new constructions, but paradoxically this ensured the wall paintings' survival
by protecting them from dampness.
VESPASIAN & THE FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATER
• was Roman emperor from AD 69 to
AD 79.
• Vespasian founded the Flavian
dynasty that ruled the Empire for
twenty-seven years.
• Vespasian's renown came from his
military success: part of the Roman
invasion of Britain in 43 & subjugated
Judaea during the Jewish rebellion of
66
FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATER (COLOSSEUM)
• oval amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome
• Built of concrete and sand, it is the largest amphitheater
ever built.
• Begun by Vespasian finished by his heir Titus
• The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived
from a colossal statue of Nero nearby (the statue of Nero
was named after the Colossus of Rhodes
• The Colosseum replaced the Domus Aurea
• Land that was previously taken from the people was given
back in the form of entertainment.
COLOSSEUM
• It could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators,
• it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.
TITUS 39AD-81AD
• was Roman emperor from 79 to 81.
• Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death,
thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the
throne after his own biological father.
• As emperor, he is best known for completing the
Colosseum and for his generosity in relieving the
suffering caused by two disasters, the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius in AD 79 and a fire in Rome in 80.
• After barely two years in office, Titus died of a fever on
13 September 81
ARCH OF TITUS, ROME. 81 AD
• After Titus died his younger brother Domitian, took over.
• Domitian made this arch in Titus’s honor on the Sacred
Way leading into the Republican Forum Romanum
• This type of arch, the so-called triumphal arch, has a
long history in Roman art & architecture
• Beginning in the 2nd century BC and continuing even
into the era of Christian Roman emperors
ARCH OF TITUS
• The Roman arches celebrated more than just military
victories, as they often commemorated events such as
building roads & bridges
• This arch commemorates Titus’s sack of Jersusalem
around 70 AD
• This is the oldest arch of its kind.
SPOILS OF THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM RELIEF
• The Spoils of the Temple Relief depicts
the triumphal parade down the Sacred
Way
after his return from the conquest of
Judaea at the end of the Jewish Wars in
70 AD.
This panel contains a depiction of the
sacred seven-branched menorah, from
the Temple of Jerusalem
THE TRIUMPH OF TITUS RELIEF
• Depicts the actual triumphal procession with the toga
clad Titus in the chariot
• the addition of allegorical figures (the winged Victory
riding in the chariot with Titus who places a wreath on
his head, the goddess Roma leading the horses).
• Because the reliefs were deeply carved, some of the
forward heads have broken off.
TRAJAN53AD-117AD
• was Roman emperor from 98 to 117 AD.
• Officially declared by the Senate optimus princeps("the best ruler")
• Presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history.
• He is also known for his philanthropic rule, overseeing extensive public building programs and implementing social welfare policies
• His conquest of Dacia enriched the empire greatly, as the new province possessed many valuable gold mines.
• Forum of Trajan, The Markets of Trajan, Basilica Ulpia & Column of Trajan
TRAJAN’S MARKET100-110AD
• Thought to be the world's
oldest shopping mall +
administration offices
• The shops and apartments
were built in a multi-level
structure and it is still
possible to visit several of
the levels
• 100-110 AD by Apollodorus
of Damascus
TRAJAN’S MARKET
• The buildings are largely
constructed using concrete and
faced with brick, and it is one of
the finest examples of Imperial
Roman architecture using these
materials.
BASILICA ULPIA
• With its construction, much of the political life moved
from the Roman Forum to the Forum of Trajan.
• it was dedicated to the administration of justice,
commerce and the presence of the emperor.
• It was the largest in Rome measuring 385 x 182 ft.
• composed of a great central nave with four side aisles
• clerestory windows to let light into the space divided by rows of columns
• two semicircular apse, one at each of the ends with the entry to the basilica
COLUMN OF TRAJAN ROME 113AD
• commemorates Roman emperor Trajan's
victory in the Dacian Wars in bas relief
• Located in Trajan’s forum
• It was probably constructed under the
supervision of the architect Apollodorus
of Damascus
• The structure is about 98 feet in height,
115 feet including its large pedestal
AQUEDUCTS
• The Romans typically built aqueducts to serve any large
city in their empire
• The city of Rome itself, being the largest city, had the
largest concentration of aqueducts, with water being
supplied by eleven aqueducts constructed over a period
of 500 years.
THE IMPERIAL AGE- AQUEDUCTS
• The aqueducts provided about
44,000,000 gallons of water a day for
the inhabitants of Nimes from a
source some 30 miles away
• The aqueducts fed the fountains,
baths and homes of the citizens of
Nîmes
THE HIGH IMPERIAL AGE
• Successor of Trajan
• Hadrian was a connoisseur and lover of
all the arts, as well as an author and
architect.
• There are more existing portraits of
Hadrian than of any other emperor,
except Augustus.
• Though he ruled Rome for more than
20 years, he is depicted in portraits as a
mature adult who never ages.
Portrait Bust of Hadrian as General,Tel Shalem, Israel; c. 130-138 AD
MARBLE BUST OF HADRIAN WEARING MILITARY DRESS. TIVOLI, ITALY 117-119AD
• Hadrian’s portraits more closely
resemble Greek portraits of Pericles than
those of any Roman emperor before
him, undoubtedly his likenesses were
inspired by Classical Greek statuary.
• Hadrian wore a beard, a habit that, in its
Roman context, must be viewed as a
Greek affectation (an appearance or
manner assumed or put on as a show or
pretense, often to impress others).
• Beards then became the norm for all
subsequent Roman emperors
PANTHEONROME 125-128AD
• With the new Emperor Hadrian in power, work on a new temple dedicated to all the gods began.
• This temple became known as the Pantheon.
• Excluding the use of an eight Corinthian column facade, the temple’s
• design was completely revolutionary for its time.
• The name of no architect survives, and it may be that, as legend insists, Hadrian conceived and designed the structure
PANTHEON
• The dome of the Pantheon steadily
decreases in thickness from the drum
to the apex, and is constructed from
pumice & Roman concrete.
• In the very middle there is an
opening called an oculus that acts as
a skylight.
• The oculus is the only source of
natural lighting for the building’s
interior.
OCULUS
• The oculus measures 30 feet in diameter.
• This is the oldest domed building in the world that still
has its original roof.
• From this indoor photo of the Pantheon you can see the
carved panels as well as the intense light that the oculus
provides for the room.
• These decorative panels are called coffers, and serve two
purposes:
• Represent the heavens & lights the load of the ceiling
Originally, the interior’s niches and altars contained images of the Roman gods and goddesses. However, when the Pantheon was consecrated as a Catholic church in 609 AD they were replaced by images of saints and those buried within the structure.
HADRIAN’S WALL122-130AD
• During Hadrian’s reign, he ordered
construction of a monumental stone wall
to keep the ‘barbaric’ Scots and Picts
from invading from the North.
• This 74-mile stretch across Northern
England is known as Hadrian’s Wall.
• It was 8-10 feet wide and 20 feet tall,
with a tower located at every mile mark.