Midterm 1-Roman Flashcards
Who was the Roman cosmogenic source?
Ovid
Ovid’s works
Metamorphoses
Heroides
Fasti
Tristia
Ars Amortia
What does the Metamorphoses describe?
Changes and transformations performed by gods
Key themes from Metamorphoses
Conflict between generations due to succession
Chaos vs order
Role of divine inspiration
Legitimacy of power
How does Ovid describe the cosmos?
Elements controlled by an unnamed god/artificer
Earth, Fire, Water, Air
What zones is the Earth divided into?
North Pole (too cold)
Temperate
Equator (too hot)
Temperate
South Pole (too cold)
Ages of mankind in Metamorphoses
Golden Age
Silver Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
How does Ovid describe Prometheus?
Audience expected to know who he is
He created humans
Who are Amulius and Numitor?
Brothers (Numitor is the older brother) in Alba Longa
Amulius overthrows his brother Numitor, kills his sons and becomes king
Forces Numitor’s daughter to become a vestal virgin
Who is Numitor’s daughter?
Rhea Silvia
She’s a vestal virgin but gets pregnant with Mars’ sons (twins-Remus and Romuls)
What happens with Remus and Romulus?
Amulius exposes the twins
They get rescued by a herdsman
They grow up and find out they’re royalty
Numitor and his grandsons set a trap for Amulius and Romulus kills him
How did Remus and Romulus establish a city?
They stand on hills and read omens (read birds-Augury) to figure out who should lead
Remus receives the first omen (6 vultures)
Romulus receives more omens (12 vultures)
The brothers get angry at each other and fight
Romulus kills Remus and Rome was established
How did Romulus die?
He was Apotheosized and becomes the fully Roman for Quirinus (economic protector)