Transcript Early Empire - HCC Learning Web

Etruscans
c. 1000 BCE (around the end of the Bronze Age in Europe) a group called the
Villanovans occupied the North West peninsula of modern Italy
c. 750 BCE the Greeks establish colonies on the peninsula and island of Sicily
c. 600 – 500 BCE; Etruscans (probably descended from Villanovans) gain control of the
Northern and Central areas of the Italian Peninsula; establish Etruria
Round arch
Porta Augusta; 100 – 200 BCE
Anavysos Kouros;
c. 530 BCE
Title: Apollo
Medium: Painted terra cotta
Size: height 5'10" (1.8 m)
Date: c. 510–500 BCE
Bell edison telephone building constructed out of terra cotta brick
Birmingham, England
“homes for the dead”
Low reliefs carved out of stucco (slow drying type of plaster)
Sarcophagus, c. 520 BCE
Origin Myth of Rome:
-legend says Rome was founded by twins Romulus and Remus, sons of the god of war,
Mars (Ares)
-they were left to die on the banks of the Tiber river (on the Italian peninsula)
-a she-wolf rescued and nursed them, and they were later raised by a shepherd
-when they reached adulthood, they returned to the place where they were rescued and
founded a city; c. 753 BCE
-for a time, Romans were ruled by Etruscan kings, but they over-threw them in 509 BCE
and formed a republic centered in Rome
-Etruscans were absorbed by the Romans by 200 BCE
-Alternate Roman origin myth was described in the Aeneid by the poet Virgil
Timeline:
-c. 753 BCE; legendary establishment of settlement that becomes Rome
-c. 700 – 509 BCE; Etruscan supremacy on peninsula
-c. 509 BCE; Romans overthrow Etruscans and form a republic
-c. 275 BCE; Romans rule entire Italian peninsula
-by 200 BCE; Etruscans absorbed by Romans
-by 100 CE; Roman empire reaches from the Euphrates River in SW Asia to Scotland in the North,
and all around the Mediterranean
-c. 395 CE; Roman empire finally divides
Roman Religion:
-adopted Greek religious beliefs and practices, but changed the names
-combined worship of Classical gods with homage to past Roman rulers and allegiance to
living rulers; state religion
-as an official religion, it became increasingly unconnected with the lives of everyday people,
therefore many conquered people continued to practice local religions like the emerging
Christianity, and other traditional Egyptian and Near Eastern religions
-these religions flourished alongside the state religion, despite occasional efforts to subdue
them
The Republic: 509-27 BCE
-early Rome was governed by kings and an
advisory board of leading citizens called the
Senate
-society divided into 2 classes:
patricians; wealthy/powerful
plebeians; lower class
-509 BCE; Romans overthrow last Etruscan
king and establish oligarchy: government of
aristocrats; lasts ~450 years
Aulus Metellus; Bronze; height 5'11“; c. 80 BCE
verism: meticulous realism
Portrait of Pompey the Great; Marble; height 9 ¼“;
30 CE. copy of sculpture of c. 50 BCE
Propaganda:
-early Roman leaders recognized
the value of putting their image with
symbols of the Republic or
important achievements
-art used to reinforce the ruler’s
power is common in all Roman
periods
Denarius with Portrait of Julius Caesar;
Silver; diameter ~ ¾“; 44 BCE
Roman Architecture and Engineering:
-adapted Greek Architectural orders
-added a base (pedestal) to the columns
-often un-fluted shaft on Doric style
(Tuscan order)
-combined Ionic scrolls with Corinthian
acanthus leaves (Composite order)
Greek orders
Roman orders
-Roman architects innovated heavily with the round arch (seen on Etruscan gate)
-invented concrete in 1st century BCE
Roman aqueduct; Pont Du Gard
Late 1st century BCE
Illustration showing how an aqueduct works
Roman temples:
-influenced by Greek and Etruscan
temples
-columns all the way around (Greek
influence) but engaged after the front
porch (Etruscan style)
Temple, perhaps dedicated to Portunus; Late 2nd
century BCE; Rome
Maison Carrée; c. 20 BCE; Nîmes, France
Early Empire: c 27 BCE – 96 CE
-by 1st century BCE, nearly 1 million people lived in Rome
-46 BCE, Julius Caesar gains autocratic power over Rome; assassinated 2 years later
-Caesar’s 19 year old adopted heir, Octavian assumes control; over next 17 years,
Octavian establishes order in Roman provinces; beginning of Pax Romana; era of peace and
stability in Rome that lasted over 200 years
-27 BCE; Octavian named Augustus (“exalted one”) by Roman senate
-12 CE; Augustus named Pontifex Maximus (“high priest”)
-Augustus becomes Rome’s highest religious official and political leader and rules for nearly 60
years
-Augustus established the Western ideal of Empires and imperial rule
View of the Roman Forum
Forums and basilicas: central administrative and legal centers
Early Imperial (Augustan) Art:
-new style; idealized but grounded in the
appearance of the real world
Augustus of Primaporta; 1st cent CE;
6’ 8” high
Ara Pacis Augustae (altar of Augustan Peace), view of
west side; Marble; approx. 34'5" X 38‘; 13–9 BCE
Imperial Procession; height 5'2“; Detail of a
relief on the south side of the Ara Pacis
-altar shows combination of the specific
and the idealized; characteristic of Roman
art
Allegory of Peace; height 5'2“; Relief on the
east side of the Ara Pacis
Roman cities and homes:
-cities divided into quarters (like Etruscans)
-insulae: brick apartment blocks for housing
-women enjoyed a public life outside the home (unlike
Greeks)
-know much about the city structures and homes from
ruins at Pompeii
Aerial View of The City of Pompeii; Street in
Pompeii; 79 CE
Peristyle Garden, House of The Vettii; Pompeii
Wall Niche; Mosaic; 43¾ X 31½“; Mid-1st century CE; From a
garden in Pompeii.
Wall painting:
-interiors of Roman houses had plain, smooth plaster surface and were painted
-painting originally imitated marble, later portrayed shallow stage sets or natural scenes
Initiation Rites of the
Cult of Bacchus (?)
Wall painting
c. 60–50 BCE;
In the Villa of the
Mysteries, Pompeii
Garden Scene
Detail of a wall painting From the dining room of the Villa of Livia at Primaporta, near Rome
Late 1st century BCE
intuitive perspective: uses diagonal
lines (that the mind perceives as parallel)
to show an object receding in space
Cityscape
Detail of a wall painting From a bedroom in
the House of Publius Fannius Synistor
Late 1st century CE
Roman dynasties and rulers:
Early Empire:
27 BCE – 14 CE
-Augustus
Julio-Claudians: (named for Augustus’ lineage from Julius Caesar and Tiberius’ father, Tiberius Claudius Nero)
Flavians:
-Tiberus
14 – 37 CE
-Caligula
37 – 41 CE
-Claudius
41 – 54 CE
-Nero
54 – 68 CE
69 -96 CE
good leaders until Nero
Military rulers who restored confidence after rule of Nero
High Empire: establish tradition of selecting successors until Marcus Aurelius’ son Commodus rules (likely insane)
-Nerva
96 – 98 CE
-Trajan
98 – 117 CE
-Hadrian
117 – 138 CE
-Antoninus Pius
138 – 192 CE
-Marcus Aurelius
161 – 180 CE
-Commodus
180 – 192 CE
-Septimius Severus
193 – 211 CE
-Caracalla
211 – 217 CE
-Alexander Severus
222 – 235 CE
-Diocletian
284 – 305 CE; began Tetrachy (rule of 4): 293 – 305 CE
-Constantine I
312 – 337 CE; 1st Christian leader
-Death of last emperor in the West
476 CE
led period of flourishing art
and expansion
Late Empire:
-Early Empire lasts from 27 BCE to 96 CE
-suicide of Nero in 68 CE ends Julio-Claudian dynasty (Augustus’ dynasty)
-brief period of civil war follows; ends when Vespasian of Flavian dynasty gains control
-Flavians rule from 69 – 96 CE (end of Early Empire)
-Flavians are military men who restore confidence in Roman government after Nero and built the Coliseum
and Triumphal Arches
-triumphal arch is distinctive Roman structure;
-commemorates a specific triumph or formal victory
celebration
-essentially a free standing gateway with a passage
covered by a barrel vault
-originally served as a base for a statue of a 4-horse
chariot and driver sculpture; typical triumphal symbol
The Arch of Titus
Concrete and white marble
height 50'
c. 81 CE (Restored 1822–24)
Rome
Reliefs from the Arch of Titus; c. 81 CE
Flavian Amphitheater
(Colosseum) from the air; outer
wall; 70–80 CE; Rome
High Empire: 96 – 192 CE
-last Flavian, Domitian was assassinated in 96 CE
-succeeded by Nerva (96 – 98 CE), who designated Trajan as his successor
-next 3 emperors select their successors, with great success and the empire is ruled by
brilliant, capable administrators
-under Trajan (98 – 117 CE), empire reaches its greatest extent
-next, Hadrian (117 – 138) consolidates borders and imposes far-reaching social,
governmental and military reforms
-second-to-last emperor, Marcus Aurelius, leaves son Commodus to rule and in 12 years he
destroys the government his predecessors had built
-building programs designed to exert the
importance of Rome as center of the
empire, begun under Julius Caesar and
Augustus, are continued by Trajan and
Hadrian
-this image reflects Rome’s dense
building plan
-last and largest imperial Forum built by
Trajan and finished by Hadrian (red circle)
c. 117 CE
Model of the Forum Romanum and Imperial Forums,
Rome
c. 325 CE
basilica = general purpose administrative
building
-designed by Greek architect with rounded
apse at each end; where judges held court
when in session.
-design later appears in Christian churches
apse
Plan of Trajan's Forum
c. 110–113 CE
Column of Trajan; Marble; overall height with base 125'
column alone 97'8“; relief 625‘ long
c. 117 CE; Rome
ancient street
level
Pantheon
-maybe most impressive surviving example of
ancient Rome
-name means “all the gods”—temple dedicated
to Olympian gods
-originally stood on a podium approached by
stairs, but street building has covered them
-built by Hadrian, but inscription dedicates it to
Marcus Agrippa, an advisor to Augustus who
originally built on this site—Hadrian’s nod to
history
-holes on pediment indicate there used to be
sculpture there, but we don’t know exactly what
Pantheon
c. 118–128 CE; Rome
coffers; sunken
panels
oculus: central
opening
-behind colonnaded front porch is a giant rotunda with 20’ thick walls, 75’ high, which support a dome
143’ in diameter and 143’ high at the top of the dome
-spherical building
143’ high
x 143’ in
diameter
-view inside the pantheon
-shows light from the oculus
-rain comes in and drains off as planned by original
engineers
Hadrian’s Wall; 2nd century CE; Great Britain.
The Unswept Floor; Mosaic
variant of a 2nd-century
BCE painting by Sosos of
Pergamon; 2nd century CE
-mosaic work shows great artistry during the High
Empire
-most floor mosaics designed to fit the purpose of the
room
emblemata
Commodus as Hercules; Marble;
height 46 ½" c. 191–92 CE
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius; Bronze, originally
gilded; height 11'6“; c. 176 CE
Late Empire: 200 – 400 CE
-reign of Commodus (180 – 192 CE) left Rome in political and economic decline
-barbarian groups put pressure on Roman borders and imperial rule became increasingly
authoritarian
-Severan emperors succeeded Commodus (192 – 235 CE)
-arts continue to flourish under the Severans, despite political turmoil
-after Severans, more than 2 dozen so-called “soldier emperors” try to rule Rome for the next
70 years
-Diocletian follows soldier-rulers in 284 CE; establishes tetrachy (rule by 4)
-empire divides in 395 CE
Septimius Severus, Julia Domna, and Their
Children, Geta and Caracalla; Painted wood;
diameter 14“; c. 200 CE
Caracalla; Marble; height 14 ½“; Early 3rd century CE
-baths were recreational and educational
centers
-entire complex covered 50 acres, and
included gardens, a stadium, libraries, a
painting gallery, auditoriums, and huge water
reservoirs
Baths of Caracalla; Plan of The Baths of Caracalla,
Rome; c. 211–17 CE
Battle Between The Romans and The Barbarians, detail of the
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
Marble; height approx. 5“; c. 250 CE
Tetrarchy:
-soldier-emperor rule ended with the rise of Diocletian
(brilliant politician and general) in 284 CE
-Diocletian divided the empire in 2; he adopted the
name of Augustus and ruled the eastern part
-appointed a second Augustus, Maximian, to rule the
west
-each Augustus named a Caesar; subordinate and heir
-these 4 rulers were the tetrarchy, “rule of four”
The Tetrarchs; Porphyry; height of figures 51“; c. 300 CE
Brought from Constantinople in 1204, installed at the
corner of the façade of the Cathedral of Saint Mark, Venice
-in 305 CE, Diocletian gave up his rule and forced the other
Augustus to do the same; the succession of Caesars failed and
a power struggle ensued
-Constantine I eventually prevailed as ruler
-won a battle against rival Maxentius (Maximian’s son) to gain
control
-attributed his win to a vision he had the night before that
showed a Christian cross
-showed his gratitude by ending persecution of Christians and
establishing a law of religious tolerance in Rome; Edict of
Milan
-Edict of Milan becomes a model of religious tolerance
-c. 330 CE, Constantine renames port-city of Byzantium
Constantinople and makes it the capitol of the empire
-following this, Rome further declines in importance
Constantine The Great; Marble; height of head 8'6“;
325–26 CE
Visual Comparison