The Roman Empire Flashcards
Pont du Gard
Artist: Marcus Agrippa
Culture/period: Roman
Location: Nîmes, France
Medium: Stone, concrete
Technique: Round arch
Function: To carry water from a faraway mountain source to the city of Nîmes
Audience: N/A
Cultural context: As the Roman Empire continued to grow, governments needed fast and efficient ways to bring water to the people–thus, the aqueduct. The Pont du Gard is around 30 miles long and carried enough water for 100 gallons of water per person per day. It was used for bath complexes, underfloor heating, dying cloth, and tanning leather, among other things. Never before had water been so easily accessible. Moreover, this is an early example of the extensive use of round arches and concrete, both of which were relatively recent inventions greatly expounded upon and utilized by the Romans.
Significance: The architect of the Pont du Gard made an intentional effort to strike a balance between structural integrity and aesthetic sensibility. Although concrete is rather ugly and drab, it ensured the miles long aqueduct-bridge stood strong, and the 82-foot-long arches created a sort of aesthetic rhythm that was pleasing to the eye. The aqueduct was a massive technological innovation that would forever change the ancient world, and although they had certainly existed before the Romans, it was they who perfected and popularized it.
Dionysiac mystery frieze
Artist: Unknown
Culture/period: Roman
Location: Pompeii, Italy
Medium: Paint
Technique: Painting
Function: Conversation piece/ritualistic
Audience: Houseguests, initiates
Cultural context: This painting located in a private chamber of a Roman home depicts initiation rites into the the mystery cult of Dionysus, which was popular among women at the time. We see a new initiate being whipped by another member as she’s united in marriage with Dionysus while the other members are preoccupied with playing music, donning costumes, or disrobing, all of which have ritualistic significance. It’s unclear whether this room was used for the initiation rites depicted in the painting, or if it was merely a conversation starter for houseguests coming over for a banquet.
Significance: This painting is one of many that was preserved by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, which covered the city of Pompeii in layers of volcanic ash, trapping it in time. The paint is still very rich and highly saturated, and the artist used the corners of the walls to add dimension to the work, as we can see with the winged woman on the far right, whose whip reaches across the space of the room. The artist also created the illusion of a shallow ledge on which the actors in the work move around the room, adding even more depth. As of today, there are no rooms comparable to this from Hellenistic Greece that have been found.
Augustus of Primaporta
Artist: Unknown
Culture/period: Roman
Location: Primaporta, Italy
Medium: Marble
Technique: Freestanding sculpture
Function: Political propaganda
Audience: Roman citizens
Cultural context: Upon ascending to power as the first Roman emperor in the aftermath of his adopted father’s, Caesar, assassination, Octavian, later referred to as Augustus, made it his mission to portray himself as the ruler who would place Rome on par with, or greater than, Athens. As such, he had numerous statues of him commissioned depicting him in various roles, with this one in particular found at his wife’s villa displaying him as a confident and astute general speaking to his troops. These statues were strategically placed across the Roman Empire for all to see, creating an image of Augustus as a capable, powerful ruler worthy of his title.
Significance: In many ways, this statue is similar to other examples of political propaganda we’ve seen in the ancient world, such as the Stele of Hammurabi and the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, which were used to communicate a specific political message to the public. The statue also draws upon Classical Greek conventions, specifically those laid out via Polykleitos’s Doryphoros, to add an extra element of grandeur and sophistication. Moreover, the relief on his cuirass depicting an important diplomatic victory, as well as the use of Cupid to signify his divine descent from Venus, are also used as a means of establishing Augustus’s authority.
Ara Pacis Augustae
Artist: Unknown
Culture/period: Roman
Location: Unknown
Medium: Marble
Technique:
Function: Altar, propaganda
Audience: Roman citizens
Cultural context: This open-air altar was built during Augustus’s reign to celebrate his greatest achievement: the establishment of peace within the Empire. Augustus sought to present his new order as a Golden Age comparable to that of Athens under Pericles. He also sought to use the altar as a means of spreading his political ideology and pushing the social policies he wanted to see reflected amongst the Empire’s citizens. In one panel, we see Aeneas, the son of Venus and one of Augustus’s forefathers, making a sacrifice, again signaling Augustus’s divine ancestry. In another, we see a matronly figure with two babies surrounded by vegetation and wildlife, signaling the fruits of Augustus’s labor. The use of children in another panel evoking the Panathenaic Procession was a means of addressing Augustus’s concerns with the declining birthrate among Romans. Augustus also used the portrayal of men with their families within this panel as a sort of moral exemplar.
Significance: In many ways, the Ara Pacis is sort of the artistic crowning achievement of Augustus’s reign, employing much of the same Classical imagery used in the imperator statue to evoke a particular message while also more directly pushing many of the policies and ideas Augustus worked towards implementing during his rule.
Colosseum (Flavian Ampitheater)
Artist: Unknown
Culture/period: Roman
Location: Rome, Italy
Medium: Stone and concrete
Technique: Round arches, post-and-lintel(?)
Function: Public entertainment complex, PR exercise
Audience: Roman citizens
Cultural context: The Colosseum began construction under Vespasian, a military general from the Flavian family who rose to power after Nero, one of Augustus’s sons and then emperor, killed himself. Nero lived extravagantly and often spent exorbitant amounts of money on vanity projects, including a 120-ft statue of himself–from which the Colosseum takes its name today–and a massive estate complete with an artificial lake. This lake was paved over after his death and the Colosseum was built on top of it, serving as a literal and metaphorical reclamation of the land for the Roman public. The amphitheater was used as a public entertainment complex primarily known for its blood sports, where gladiators–typically prisoners and slaves–would fight to the death against each other or deadly animals, all of which are widely recorded.
Significance: The Colosseum was such a massive undertaking that Vespasian was not able to see it completed or used in his lifetime, with his son being the one to complete and dedicate it in 80 CE. Concrete was used heavily in the construction of the Colosseum thanks to rapid advancements in its applications, but, similar to the Pont du Gard, also employed numerous rounded arches to maintain a certain aesthetic sensibility. Another notable feature of the Colosseum is its use of multiple orders of columns, with the first level being Tuscan, the second Ionic, and the third Corinthian–the top band is a bunch of smaller arches.
aqueduct
a raised channel used to carry water from faraway mountains into cities
concrete
material made of gravel (crushed stone), water, lime, and a special volcanic sand to bind it all together
round arch
an arch formed in a continuous curve; characteristic of Roman architecture
keystone
the top center stone of an arch that holds it in place by evenly distributing its weight
voussoir
wedge-shaped stone used to construct an arch
Caesar Augustus
the great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar who emerged as the first Roman emperor at the end of an extended period of civil war; formerly named Octavian
Flavians
dynasty of the Roman emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian; Colosseum was built under them
barrel vault
an elongated or continuous, semicircular vault; shaped like a half cylinder
