Evidence: Greek and Egyptian Influence

Question 1

Art

Greek Influence

Answer 1

Statues

• Lots of copying Greek originals (because Italians totally didn’t know how to make their own art)

Mosaics

Murals

• Depictions of Greek heroes and myths

Question 2

Architecture

Greek Influence

Answer 2

Theatre

• Reflected Hellenistic designs with horseshoe-shaped terraces, colonnaded quadriporticus (what…?) and doric columns

Palaestrae

• Large, open, colonnaded spaces reflect Greek design

Other Buildings

• Featured Greek elements include Doric, Ionic (compounds!) and Corinthian columns, peristyle and colonnades

Question 3

Religion

Greek Influence

Answer 3

Heracles turned Hercules

• Herculaneum is likely named after Hercules, or Greek God Herakles
• Pompeii is said to have been found by Hercules after returning from one of his twelve labours
• Images of Hercules found at Pompeii (Temple of Isis) and Herculaneum (public fountain, house, wineshop etc.)

Worship of Greek Gods

• Evidence of worship for Demeter and Apollo
• Sanctuary to Dionysus found near amphitheatre
• Villa of the Mysteries has murals for the cult of Dionysus
• Romans attempted to suppress the cult of Dionysus but it evidently continued to practice in Pompeii

Question 4

Architecture

Egyptian Influence

Answer 4

Garden Art

• Water feature in the praedia of Julia Felix represents Delta branch of the Nile River

Question 5

Art

Egyptian Influence

Answer 5

Mosaics

• Nile scenes (House of the Faun depicts crocodiles, hippopotamus and ibis)

Wall Paintings

• Egyptian motifs (Temple of Isis has Egyptian-style landscapes and scenes from myth)

Question 6

Religion

Egyptian Influence

Answer 6

Cult of Isis

• Represented in statues, paintings and shrines
• Temple of Isis was centre of cult

Other Cults

• Cult of Sarapis was also popular for possibility of afterlife
• Shrines to other gods (House of the Golden Cupids features Anubis, Harpocrates, Isis and Sarapis)

Question 7

Wall Mosaic in the House of Neptune and Amphitrite

Archaeological Evidence (Herculaneum)

Answer 7

Greek Religion

Wall mosaic depicts Neptune (Roman Poseidon) and his sea-goddess wife, Amphitrite.

Question 8

Wall Mosaic in the House of the Capitals

Archaeological Evidence (Pompeii)

Answer 8

Greek Religion

Wall mosaic depicts Dionysus and his wife, Ariadne, a Greek myth.

Question 9

Mosaic in the House of the Faun

Archaeological Evidence (Pompeii)

Answer 9

Greek Art

Wall mosaic depicts Alexander the Great, revealing the influence of Greek art in the painting technique of colour and 3D nature, which originated from Greek painters

Question 10

Fresco in the House of the Dioscuri

Archaeological Evidence (Pompeii)

Answer 10

Greek Art

Fresco of the mythological hero, Perseus, rescuing his eventual wife, Andromeda, from a sea monster. This shows the integration of Greek stories and Hellenistic art techniques into Roman art.

Question 11

Fresco in House of the Mosaic Atrium

Archaeolgical Evidence (Herculaneum)

Answer 11

Greek Religion + Art

Fresco of Hercules and Omphale, showcasing themers of heroism and identity in the classic Greek myth, as well as Hellenistic art styles.

Question 12

Marble Bust of Hercules

Archaeological Evidence (Herculaneum)

Answer 12

Greek Religion

Villa dei Papiri

General worship of Greek religious figures, particularly Hercules, who was seen as the patron god of Herculaneum.

Question 13

Basilica

Archaeological Evidence (Pompeii)

Answer 13

Greek Architecture

Used Greek Corinthian and Ionic columns instead of Roman arches.

Question 14

House of the Relief of Telephus

Archaeological Evidence (Herculaneum)

Answer 14

Greek Architecture

Used Doric columns

Question 15

Painting in House of the Faun

Archaeological Evidence (Pompeii)

Answer 15

Egyptian Art

Nile scene with Egyptian motifs (crocodiles, hippopotamuses and ibises)

Question 16

Cult Ceremony Fresco

Archaeological Evidence (Herculaneum)

Answer 16

Egyptian Religion

Fresco depicting a cult ceremony to Isis

Lotssss of stuff going on but main points:

• High priests with jars of Nile water and wearing traditional Egyptian fringed tunics
• Sphinx statues
• Crowds of worshippers (mainly women)
• Sacred ibis birds (bin chickens ew)

Question 17

Water Feature in the Praeda of Julia Felix

Archaeological Evidence (Pompeii)

Answer 17

Egyptian Architecture

Due to the high heat of the Egyptian deserts, lots of flowing water was used in buildings to cool down the area.

Julia Felix’s praeda included a water feature that allowed the trees to stay hydrated and the people cool. It likely runs beneath the house as a method of cooling in the building.