Transcript 9 Brassard Early Empire

Rome:
Early Empire
The Early Empire (27 BCE. – 98 CE.)
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Antony and Cleopatra vanquished.
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In 31 BCE, Octavian (Augustus) defeated Mark Antony in the Battle of
Actium and became the undisputed master of the Roman world as the
emperor Augustus.
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The battle signaled the end of the absorption of the Hellenistic
kingdoms into the Roman empire.
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The old Roman Republic ended in 27 BCE. when the Senate conferred
on Octavian the title of Augustus.
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The Pax Romana:
 The peace and prosperity Augustus brought to the Mediterranean
world and which prevailed for two centuries is known as the Pax
Romana – “Roman Peace”.
 During this time a number of public works were commissioned
throughout the empire. Augustus and the Julio-Claudians
(27 BCE.–98 CE.)
43. Portrait of Augustus as
General, from Primaporta, Italy,
copy of a bronze original,
ca. 20 BCE. Marble, 6' 8" high
 The youthful portrait of
Augustus is idealized in the
Greek manner.
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The central group depicted
on the cuirass
(breastplate) shows a
Parthian giving back the
lost eagle from Carthage to
a Roman general.
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Taken as a whole, the
scene conveys the godgiven peace, order and
fertility accomplished by the
new ruler of the world.
Note the similarity to the Greek Polykleitos’
Doryphoros (Canon), 450 BCE.
**Khan Academy Video
Detail of Portrait of Augustus as General
Primaporta, Italy,
copy of a bronze original,
ca. 20 BCE. Marble, 6' 8" high
Augustus’ “ancester” cupid riding a
dolphin:
The presence of Cupid hints at the
emperor’s claim of divine ancestry
– tracing back to Venus (Cupid is
Venus’ son).
The dolphin itself refers to
Augustus’ naval victory at Actium.
Augustus of Primaporta – SmART History video
Ara Pacis Augustae
ca.13-9 BCE.
Augustus
boasted that
when he
found Rome it
was a city of
brick, but he
transformed
it into a city
of marble.
Narrative relief commemorated the emperor’s achievements.
•Augustus preferred to be depicted as a defender of peace rather than as a
military hero.
•Beautifully carved in high relief, this monumental frieze depicts allegorical
and legendary scenes, and is ornamented with elegant plant motifs.
Ara Pacis Augustae, (panel from the east facade) 13–9 BCE. Marble, approx. 5' 3" high
The relief depicts a seated matron with two animated babies on her lap. Her identity has
been much disputed, however the depiction of peace & prosperity is key.
Ara Pacis, (detail of the south frieze), Procession of the Imperial Family.
Notice how the children look like children. Portrayal of men with families
was politically motivated to increase the birthrate among the nobility.
•The frieze has a Hellenistic, classical style.
•The procession is a depiction of a real event – probably it represents the ceremony
for the inauguration of the construction of the altar in 13 BCE.
•The people depicted are portraits of individuals who participated in the event.
•There is a great concern for, and successful depiction of spatial depth.
Procession of the Imperial Family
Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy
ca. 13-9 BCE.
compare to:
Panathenic Festival Procession,
Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens,
Greece, ca. 447-438 BCE.
Ara Pacis –
SmART
History video
Maison Carrée
• “Square House” Nîmes, France, ca. 1–10 CE.
•It was much admired by Thomas Jefferson (US president & architect),
who used it as the model for the State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia.
•Similar to Fortuna Virilis - elevated entrance, pseudoperipteral columns
•Maison Caree is larger though, and has 6 columns in front, instead of 4.
Pont du Gard
•The great aqueduct-bridge at Nîmes, France:
•A three-story aqueduct-bridge known today as
the Pont-du-Gard demonstrates the skill of
Rome's engineers.
•It provided 100 gallons of water a day to the city
dwellers from 30 miles away.
•Each arch spans 82’ & is constructed of blocks
weighing 2 tons each.
•The upper portion carried the water itself.
Porta Maggiore
(A Roman City Gate) Constructed at a point where two of Rome's water
lines and two major roads converged, the Porta Maggiore is an
outstanding example of the Roman rusticated masonry style.
The attic (upper portion) concealed the aqueducts one above the other .
The Flavians (69–96 CE):
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The suicide of Nero in 68 CE. brought an end to
the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Following a period of
civil strife, Vespasian emerged as the new
emperor.
Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius,
was succeeded by his son Titus.
After Titus's death in 81 CE., Vespasian's
second son, Domitian, became emperor.
The huge amphitheater in Rome known as the
Colosseum was begun by Vespasian and
completed by Titus in 80 CE.
The Colosseum
A Triumph of Roman
Engineering:
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The Colosseum was built
using concrete.
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The Colosseum still represents
Rome more than any other building
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The exterior, made of
travertine, is divided into four
bands.
 The large arched openings
that pierce the lower three
are framed by engaged
columns with Tuscan Doric
capitals at the bottom, then
Ionic capitals, and
Corinthian capitals on the
third level.
The Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater) The oval seating area
is supported by a complex system of concrete barrel vaults.
Portrait Bust of a Flavian Woman
Rome, Italy, ca. 90 CE. Marble, approx. 2' 1" high
This bust is notable for its elegance
and delicacy and for the virtuoso
ways the sculptor rendered the
differing textures of hair and flesh.
Arch of Titus – SmART History video
Arch of Titus
Rome, Italy, after 81 CE.
•Erected by Dominitian in honor
of his brother Titus.
•It is typical of earlier triumphal
arches and consists of only one
passageway.
•It is framed by engaged
columns with composite
capitals.
•The spandrels* contain reliefs
of winged female Victory
figures.
*Spandrel: The ‘triangular’ space
between the outer curve of an arch
and the rectangle it is framed by.
Triumph of Titus
Arch of Titus, relief panel ca. 81 CE. Marble, approx. 7' 10" high.
Divine Gods interact with the Human emperor.
Spoils of Jerusalem
Two large, deeply carved relief panels on the inside of the passageway show
the triumphal parade of Titus down the Sacred Way after his return from the
conquest of Judea at the end of the Jewish Wars in 70 CE.
Spoils of Jerusalem
The principle of movement is successfully employed.
The diagonal angles of figures pressing forward, the
obliquely placed arch, and the high relief, all contribute to
the sense of movement. Only the Menorah is static.
High Empire (96 – 192 CE.)
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The Roman Empire at Its Peak: Under
Trajan, Hadrian, and the Antonines in the
second century CE, the Roman Empire
reached its greatest geographic extent and
the height of its power.
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Trajan (98–117 CE.)
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The Spanish Emperor: Under Trajan, the first
non-Italian to become emperor, Rome
expanded its rule even further abroad.
Trajan instituted a number of social programs to
secure the welfare of the Roman people.
Plan of Timgad
(Thamugadi), Algeria,
founded 100 CE.
A New Colony in
Africa:
A new colony for army
veterans, founded by
Trajan in 100 CE.
follows a plan that
resembles a Roman
military encampment.
All new cities & colonial
settlements were laid
out in the same manner
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45. The Forum of Trajan. Rome,
Italy.
Apollodorus of Damascus. Forum
and Markets: 106 – 112 CE; column
completed 113 CE. Brick and
concrete
(architecture); marble (column)
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Rome's Greatest Forum:
includes a triumphal arch,
a colonnaded open
square, a basilica, a
temple, two libraries, and a
giant commemorative
column with a tomb at its
base.
Architecht: Apollodorus of
Damascus, dedicated in
112 CE.
•Architect: Apollodorus of
Damascus
•Restored in the 1990’s, the
column is one hundred
twenty-eight feet high.
•Coins indicate that it was
once crowned by a
heroically nude statue of the
emperor. But now a statue
of St. Peter sits atop it.
Column of Trajan
•The square base is the
emperor’s mausoleum.
Inside it, golden urns
contain his & his wife’s
ashes.
•Free standing columns were
used as monuments since
Hellenic times
•Column was originally topped
with a statue that was destroyed
in the Middle Ages
•The scenes rarely show actual
combat. There is more attention
paid to geography and politics.
•The column of Trajan is similar to
Near East reliefs, though it is
unclear if there is a link between
them.
Column of Trajan – SmART History video
Column of Trajan, Rome, 106-13 CE.
Column of Trajan
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An epic narrative: The colossal
freestanding column is decorated
with a continuous, spiraling, narrative
frieze.
The frieze depicts Trajan's two
successful campaigns against the
Dacians (ancient Romanians).
The spiraling frieze is 625’ long. It
has been likened to an illustrated
scroll. It shows 150 episodes
containing 2500 figures.
It is sculpted in low relief at the
bottom, so as not to disturb the
shape of the column originally
enhanced by paint.
The frieze band increases in
height as it moves upwards to help
in the viewing of the story. The
depth of the relief also increases
with the height.
•Portrait has emotional
intensity, a combination of
Greek pathos and Roman
nobility – strong brow,
commanding gaze.
•Trajan conformed to the
Roman tradition of being
clean-shaven. After Trajan,
emperors wore beards to
depict Hellenic tradition.
Trajan, 100 CE.
Markets of Trajan
Built as a multilevel complex on the slope of the Quirinal hill
to house both shops and administrative offices. The basic unit
was the taberna, a single-room shop covered by a barrel
vault. Architect: Apollodorus of Damascus
Trajan’s Markets
•This is an example of the
indoor market hall that would
house the tabernas.
•the hall housed two floors
of shops, with the upper
shops set back on each side
and lit by skylights.
•Light also entered the
ground floor shops via the
groin vaults above
Arch of Trajan
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The Triumphal Arch
as Billboard:
Relief panels
illustrating Trajan's
achievements cover
both façades.
Every inch was used to
advertise the
emperor’s
achievements as “all
things to all people”
Benevento, Italy, ca.
114–118 CE.
Hadrian (117–138 CE.)
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This idealized portrait of
Hadrian was modeled on
statues of mature Greek men
(his facial hair tells us that).
Hadrian admired Greek culture
and in Grecian fashion, he
wore a beard.
Hadrian started a fad! For
more than a century after, all
other Roman emperors wore
beards.
Hadrian had more portraits
made than any other emperor
except Augustus.
Portrait bust of Hadrian as
General, Tel Shalem, Israel,
ca.130–138 CE.
Bronze, approx. 2' 11" high
Hadrian’s Pantheon
118-125 CE
“The temple of all gods,” the pantheon is one of the best
preserved buildings of antiquity.
©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Longitudinal and lateral sections of Pantheon Rome, Italy 118-125 CE.
•One of the most influential designs in architectural history.
•Only the columned entryway is a tribute to antiquity (Greece
and Etruria) all other aspects were revolutionary.
•The top of the dome is 142’ from the floor & diameter of dome
is also 142’
•The dome’s circular opening – the
occulus – is thirty feet in diameter
and is the only light source for the
interior.
•Coffers also lightened the load of
the dome’s ceiling, as did the
concrete.
•Each coffer had a gilded bronze
rosette in the center imitating the
stars of the heavens.
Pantheon
118-125 CE
•Roman architects were the
1st to conceive architecture
as units of space that could
be shaped by enclosures.
Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli – SmART History video
Hadrian's villa
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ca. 130–138 CE. Hadrian was the architect.
A Well-Traveled Emperor's Retreat: at Tivoli, it includes a
pool and an artificial grotto, called the Canopus (oval pool) and
Serapeum (artificial grotto).
Commemorated the emperor's trip to Egypt.
The Canopus, however, is lined with marble copies of Greek
statues and its most unique features are the arcuated
lintels atop the Corinthian colonnade.
Hadrian's villa – the artificial Grotto
ca. 130–138 CE