Transcript PPT
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Late Antiquity: Jewish, Early
Christian & Byzantine Art
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The Art of Late Antiquity
Understand the influence of religion in the art of the
Roman Empire in Late Antiquity.
Understand how Roman art and architecture is
changed as a result of Christianity and the decisions
of Constantine.
Relate influences of specific images of Christ.
Understand the different media used to create early
Christian art, particularly frescoes.
Know and cite artistic and architectural terminology
from the period.
Jews, Christians and Muslims
All 3 are monotheistic (only one god exists)
JEWS—God made a covenant (pact) with their
ancestors (Hebrews) that they are the chosen
people. They await a savior (Messiah)
CHRISTIANS—believe Jesus is that Messiah
(Christ is from the Greek word meaning,
“messiah”. He took human form, preached, was
executed, rose from the dead and ascended to
heaven
MUSLIMS—accept Hebrew prophets and
acknowledge Jesus but see Muhammad to be last
and greatest prophet of God (6 centuries after
Jesus) we’ll talk about this later in the semester
Jews, Christians and Muslims
All 3 are “religions of the book”—
have written records of God’s will and
words
Torah (teachings); Nevi’im (prophets);
Ketuvim (writings)—Jewish
Bible—Christian (Old Testament are
the Hebrew scriptures with New
Testament)
Koran (Qur’an)--Muslim
Moses—prophet who led his people out of
slavery in Egypt to Canaan
He climbs a top Mount Sinai where he
receives the 10 Commandments (law
tablets)
Tablets are kept in a gold-covered wooden
box=The Ark of the Covenant
First Temple—destroyed in 586 BCE by
Babylonians. Rebuilt after 539 BCE and
called 2nd Temple
Interior of the synagogue, Dura-Europos, Syria,with wall paintings of Old Testament
themes, ca.245–256.Tempera on plaster. Reconstruction in National Museum, Damascus.
Wall with Torah Niche from the house-synagogue, Dura-Europos, Syria*. 244245 CE
Detail from the house-synagogue, Dura-Europos, Syria
Synagogues– Jewish “house of prayer”
usually has a large hall for prayer, smaller
rooms for study and sometimes a social hall
and offices. Sometimes called “temple” but not
a consecrated place or necessary for worship.
10 Jews=ability to worship
Besides house-synagogues, Jews built
some designed like Roman basilicas.
Synagogue Floor
From Ancient
Menois
c. 530 CE
--mosaic
--lions of Judah
--menorah
--shofar (ram’s horn)
--3 citrons (for
harvest festival,
Sukkot)
The New Covenant
The old law is not the way to
find God’s pleasure, loving
God and your neighbor is the
way instead
Christian belief that Jesus
Christ’s death was meant to be
a sacrifice for the sin of all
people
Early Christianity
Factors leading to the spread of
Christianity
Jesus Christ born at the height of the Roman Empire, during the
Pax Romana
The Advancement of civilization during the Roman Empire
Better roads, more universal language (Greek)
Paul’s letters to followers
Christians actually persecuted for about 300 years
Conversion of the Roman Emperor, Constantine
“The Spread of Christianity”
Early Christian Art
Coin of the Emperor Valens, 364-7.
Holding Labarum with Cross.
Joshua at the Battle of Jericho, mosaic
from the nave of Santa Maria Maggiore,
Rome, c. 432-440.
Basilicas
When Constantine became the patron of Christianity, he wanted to construct
churches. This motivation is like earlier Roman Emperors who also gave
physical testament to their power and piety by constructing temples.
The forms of the pre-Constantinian Christian buildings were inappropriate .
The traditional Roman
temple type was
inappropriate considering
its association with
Pagan cults. →
Basilicas
Reorientation of religious architecture from an
architecture of the exterior to an architecture of the
interior.
Constantine and his Church planners needed an
architecture that had meaning in the Roman world.
Totally new architectural forms would not be as
effective as architectural forms that carried
meaning. This led to use of category of Roman
building known as the basilica.
Saint Peter’s Basilica
Basilicas
Roman basilicas served places
for public gatherings: law
courts, financial centers, army
drill halls, reception rooms in
imperial palaces.
Roman cities would regularly
have a Basilica as a central
public building. It was, like our
City Hall, a center of public
power.
Basilicas
These basilicas regularly had
an architectural form we call an
apse. The apse was a semicircular projection usually off
the short wall of the
rectangular building.
The apse was the site of the law
court. It would be here that the
magistrate would dispense the
law.
Note how the artist suggested the apse
context of this scene by framing it within a
semicircle.
Basilicas
Basilicas were also adapted
to the function as audience
halls as part of palace
complexes.
Palace Basilica of Constantine in the
northern German town of Trier.