Transcript good emperors

EMPEROR OF THE DAY:
CONSTANTINE
Reign: 305 - 337AD
Achievements:
- Reunified the Roman empire
- Styled himself after the “five good emperors” of
the 100s
- Changed the course of history by adopting
Christianity as the religion of the Rome
THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE
THE ARCH OF
CONSTANTINE
c.315AD
Made of Marble
Rome, West of the
Colosseum
Height: 21m
Built to commemorate
Constantine’s victory at
the battle of Milvian
Bridge over his rival
Maxentius
Main Features of the Arch
Inscription: SPQR to Constantine –
who saved Rome from ‘tyrant’
Maxentius
The
Colosseum is
next door
Corinthian
Columns
surround arch
Main arch and two secondary
arches
The Inscription
Photo: http://sights.seindal.dk/
“To the emperor Caesar Flavius Constantine Maximus,
Pius Felix Augustus, since through divine inspiration and great wisdom
he has delivered the state from the tyrant and all his factions,
by his army and noble arms, the Senate and the Roman People,
dedicate this arch decorated with triumphal insignia.”
Constantine’s ‘Recycled’ Sculpture
Why?
• Lack of skilled artisans in Rome at the time
• Lack of time to complete the required reliefs
• Constantine’s desire to be identified with ‘good emperors’
• To make the best arch ever!
The ‘Good Emperors’
MARCUS
AURELIUS
r.161-180
Scenes from Marcus
Aurelius’ campaigns
against Germanic tribes
(eg making a speech to
his men and speaking to
captives). The man
standing on the right is a
Dacian prisoner from
Trajan’s Forum.
The ‘Good Emperors’
TRAJAN
r.98-117
This is part of a frieze
from Trajan’s
campaigns against
the Dacians, showing
the emperor in battle
on horseback. The
Trajanic works all
came from Trajan’s
Forum.
Photo: http://sights.seindal.dk/
The ‘Good Emperors’
HADRIAN
r.117-138
This roundel
shows Hadrian on
a boar hunt. The
head of the
Emperor has
been remodelled
to look like
Constantine.
The ‘Good Emperors’
HADRIAN
r.117-138
The Emperor also
hunts a lion. On the
alternate roundels,
the Emperor Hadrian
/ Constantine makes
a sacrifice to a god
(Silvanus, Diana or
Apollo).
The Constantianian Reliefs
Winged Victories in the spandrels of the
arch represent the triumph of Constantine /
the strength of Rome
The Constantianian Reliefs
The roundels on outsides of the arch have
representations of the Sun (Sol) and Moon
(Luna) gods.
The Constantinian Frieze
Content of frieze: Scenes from Constantine’s campaign against
Maxentius (for more details, see Campbell, pages 35-39)
The Constantinian Frieze
CONSTANTINE
r. 305-337
Constantine’s troops march into battle, laying siege to Verona.
Shows the organisation and discipline of Constantine’s army.
The Constantinian Frieze
CONSTANTINE
r. 305-337
Constantine’s troops slaughter Maxientius’s troops.
Shows strength and superiority of Constantine’s army.
The Constantinian Frieze
CONSTANTINE
r. 305-337
The donatio relief shows Constantine giving out money to Romans – he
is a generous Emperor. Note the people turned towards him.
The Constantinian Frieze
CONSTANTINE
r. 305-337
The oratio relief shows Constantine making a speech to Romans – he is
an engaging speaker/orator. Note that he is on a higher level.
CONSTANTINE
MARCUS
AURELIUS
HADRIAN
TRAJAN
Match the
reliefs with the
correct emperor
by drawing lines
between the
names and the
reliefs
1
2
3
4
See if you can complete the diagram by writing the number for
each Emperor on the correct reliefs.
A Clash of Styles
A Clash of Styles
Oratio – Style / Composition
Making Comparisons –
Constantine vs. Titus
A brilliant website:
http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/299_Arch_of_Constantine.html