Republican and Imperial Rome Flashcards
Define Corinthian order.
Callimachus saw a basket left on the streets of Corinth with a stone slab placed on top and acanthus leaves growing around it - was inspiration for the capital. Capitals carved from one block of stone. Taller than Ionic order. Elongated and more elaborate, single shafted columns. Layered base instead of columns directly touching stylobate.
Define stoicism.
Philosophical position of being indifferent to fortune, pleasure, or pain but believing nowledge leads to virtue and harmonious living. Opposed to Sophists = all about appearances.
Define forum.
Public square in a Roman town reserved for selling goods (ie, marketplace).
Define basilica.
Large, oblong hall/building with double colonnades and a semicircular apse used as a court of law/public assemblies.
Define amphitheater.
Like 2 theaters joined together. Round/oval building, typically unroofed, with a central space for sports or drama. Barrel vault ran underneath the seating area.
Define barrel vault.
Stretched out arch, sometimes curved
Define groin vault.
2 barrel vaults joined at central intersection (ie, four tunnels extending from central point). The edge between the intersecting vaults. Can sustain great downward force.
Define aqueduct.
Structure for conveyance of water, usually a bridge. Stable system of structure. Arches forms the aqueducts. Also allows them to make a road system.
Define arch construction: voussoirs, keystone, lateral thrust.
Voussoirs = wedge-shaped stone used to build an arch.
Keystone = central stone at the top of a round arch; holds the other stones together.
Lateral thrust = downward pressure from the top that causes the sides to blow out if there is nothing displacing the pressure.
Theater at Epidaurus, 4th c. BCE
Built into hillside by Polykleitos the Younger. Originally 34 rows of seating -> Romans added 21 more rows. Hellenistic Greek style. Acoustic marvel - placement of stone rows of seating amplify high frequency sounds of central orchestra to the top rows.
Temple of Portunus, Rome, Italy, 75 BCE, (Roman Republican)
Etruscan inspired - clearly designated entrance (ie, open porch and front steps); used to have statuary (Etruscan temple roofs were covered with terricotta statues of deities).
Greek inspired - engaged columns around temple walls and freestanding columns around porch (ie, similar to peristyle but engaged = conneced to wall, not free-standing); cella within temple.
Portrait of Roman Patrician, 80 BCE
Wrinkles show age/wisdom. Realistic/naturalistic representation. Blank expression portrays stoicism. Likely placed on ground at eye-level to be intimidating.
Portrait of Agustus Primaporta, 10 BCE
Agustus Primaporta was the only Roman civil war victor who didn’t kill his opponents. Grand nephew of Julius Caesar. Statue was found in his wife’s home of Primaporta. Idealized Greek style. Face is more idealistic = no wrinkles; portrayed younger than assumed 40 years old when statue was made. Military breast plate shows Agustus covering Roman standards = elevates status of military power/skill. Images of gods show support for Agustus = sun+moon deities on breasts and Venus+Apollo on bottom.
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, 175 CE, bronze
He is “holding the orb of rulership.” Has wrinkles and shows flesh. Christians originally thought statue to be Constantine.
Pantheon, Rome, 118-125 CE
Pantheon-> Pantheos -> Panam, means across Theos = Across Gods. Temple devoted to many gods. The massive columns are Corinthian order. It has a rounded cella (central room) as tall as it is wide (could fit sphere inside). Biggest space wthout columns in the Western world. Top dome divided into square coiffeurs (recessed panels that disperse the weight of the ceiling). Top of dome left open to the elements = oculus. The oculus means the eye to heaven (the oculus is the sun ray peeking through the window). Top of dome made out of volcanic stone (lightweight) -> increasingly thin ceiling.
