Unit 2 Flashcards
LATE CLASSICAL PERIOD
Aristotle
Empirical Method
Philip II of Macedon
Alexander the Great
HELLENISTIC PERIOD
Hellenistic Kingdoms Ptolemaic Egypt Cleopatra Alexandria Hellenistic Art Laocoon Hellenistic Schools of thought
Aristotle
Student of Plato Liked to wear outrageous clothing Eccentric "Father of Science" Tutored Alexander the Great
Unlike Plato and Socrates, Aristotle was…
was interested in everything from biology to drama
“On Friendship”
Written by Aristotle
Highlights the significance of having friends, a part of being a human
Can’t love things, love must be reciprocated
How does the Aeneid Connect to Augustus?
Aeneis is the son of Venus, Agustus is the successor of Aeneis, Cupid, related to Venus
2 Myths
Aeneid
Romulus and Remus
What did Romans adopt from the Etruscans?
Gladiatorial Competitions Use of the toga The senate was formed The arch "Clothed Kouros"
What advancements are made in art during the Hellenistic Period?
New interest in emotion
More realistic
Unheroic sculptures
Old people
How did Romans perceive Jesus?
He was a threat - he preached against the perspective Agustus had.
Monotheism, not polytheism
He helped the poor
Aristotle’s Opinion of Government
Believed Monarchy was the best form of government.
Monarchy Decays into tyranny
Aristocracy decays into Tyranny
Aristocracy decays into Oligarchy
Democracy decays into Mob Rule
Monarchy decays into the worst thing, but when done correctly, it is the best.
Phillip II of Macedonia
Beginning of a shift from a polis to an empire being how people identify.
Macedonia is less civilized than the other Greeks.
Becomes a king, inspired to begin thinking more broadly.
He wants to expand his kingdom, so he builds his army.
He was held captive in the polis of Thebes, where he learned military tactics.
He created a cohesive army, brought new artists and writers into his court.
He married 7 times.
Supposedly Alexander was involved in his assassination, upset that he had so many wives.
Alexander the Great
Creates a huge, unprecedented empire.
Becomes fascinated with Homer and the Illiad, so he decides to become the new Achilles.
Tries to assimilate his people within his empire, which he created by age 32. he was declared a god, statues that looked like the Buddha were modeled after him. He died young with no successors and generals divided up his empire.
Ptolemy I
General that worked with Alexander and created a powerful dynasty
Cleopatra
Last of the Ptolemaic dynasty
Alexandria
Rich cosmopolitan city
Famous library
Texts collected from all over the Ancient Greek World
Julius Caesar burns Alexandria and the Library
“Pergamene Paper”
Pergamene Paper
Animal skin
Hellenistic schools of thought
Heliocentrism: Not common at the time Greater interest in the individual Asked, "How do I improve myself>?"- Opposed to Presocratics and Greek Philosophers, who asked how can you help the community Eudaimona Skeptics, Cynics, Stoics, Epicureanism
Eudaimona
“The Good Life”/ well being
End of the Hellenistic Kingdoms
Cleopatra kills herself after she and Marc Antony lose the battle against Octavian
Myths: Foundation of Rome
Romulus and Remus
Aeneid
Romulus and Remus
Rome was founded in 753 BC
They are the results of Ares/Mars abducting a virgin priestess
She runs away and abandons them
They are nursed by a she-wolf, later found by a farmer
Decide to create a city, but they get into a fight and Romulus kills Remus, so it is named Rome
Aeneid
Aeneis’s father had relations with Venus, gave birth to Aeneis
Leaves battle of Troy, lands at Rome, founds city
Predecessors of Romans
Greeks in Magna Graecia Continues for 500 years before the Roman Empire begins Etruscans adopted architecture from the Greeks Clothed Kouros Developed the arch The senate was formed Gladiatorial competitions The use of the toga
Romans Reject
The idea of a monarch
Think the Etruscans are too pleasure loving
Strict moral code of honor and virtue
Rape of Lucretia
Rome is ruled by an Etruscan king
His son thought he could do whatever he wanted, so he lusted after a virtuous married woman aristocrat
He decided to rape her
To uphold her family honor she commits suicide
The Romans are so upset they depose the etruscan ruler
Patriotic myth, statement of Roman attitudes toward women and family honor
Basic Roman unit is family, larger system is based off of this
Res Publica
“The Public Thing”
Roman Citizens were either
Patricians (2%), the well off upper class Plebians (98%), the normal people who lived in apartment buildings
Paterfamilias
Complete authority, own all the property
Anyone that lives within the household, including slaves followed him
Women
If born in Roman families, they were citizens
Weren’t property, but had a restricted social life
Needed a legal guardian to conduct business
Women had the responsibility to maintain the house’s honor
Women could be priestesses
Aistocratic women were well educated
Had a better life than Greek women
Roman Name
§ Devotion to ancestors reflected in names
§ Gaius Julius Caesar
□ Gaius = Joe, or John, not used in public
□ Julius = family of the Julii, ancestor of Iulus, public name
□ Caesar = nickname acquired in career
Romans wanted to make it clear which family they belonged in
Census
§ The Census we use today dates back to the Roman Rebublic
§ Responsible for maintaining moral values
§ Magistrate called the Censor who gathered data about the people and the citizens of Rome, responsible for maintaining moral values
□ If discovered family member wasn’t being moral, could cause whole family member to fall from grace
Art
§ Roman Aristocrat Holding Busts of His Ancestors late 1st C.
□ Made death masks
§ BCE, marble
§ verism
□ Realism, an appreciation of age
§ Pietas
§ They made Republican portraiture
□ No Republican art before 1st c. BC remains, which is really weird
§ Pliny:
□ “It was different in the atria of the ancestors where portraits offered a spectacle to behold…faces rendered in wax were arranged in separate cupboards…imagines to accompany funerals in the extended gamily.”
§ They worshiped ancestors and gods
Socio-Political Struggles
§ Internal distribution of power
§ Republic: Government or representatives chosen to act for people at large (no kings)
§ Instead of 1 King
□ Consuls: 2 elected officials, patricians
□ Senate: life-term, patrician men, advised consuls, created laws
□ Century Assembly: (soldiers divided into blocs) based on wealth and ownership of land - 1 vote per century
□ Tribal Assembly: (patricians divided into blocs) voted for consuls - 1 vote per tribe
Dictator for special circumstances
Roman Army
Consists of Plebians
Struggle of the Orders
§ Rebellion, early 5th century
§ 98% of the population were angry because they didn’t get a say in the government
§ 494 BC: Plebians Secession
Law of the Twelve Tables
® They were rectangular
® Put on display in the city of Rome
◊ To put into view the laws that were affecting Rome
} What the 98% of the population’s rights were
Plebian Council
had complete force of law - now political equals with the patricians
§ Senatus Populus Que Romanum (SPQR)
□ “The Senate and the People of Rome”
□ The government now represents everyone as a result of compromise
How does SPQR compare to Greece?
imilarity
® Hated monarchy/kings (the power of one)
® Progressive change
® split into groups
□ Differences
® Adaptation of government to the people
® Change their government according to the representation of the people
® System of representatives
◊ Not everyone gets to voice their opinions directly
® The minoritis (Plebians) were determined more by social class
◊ Determined by where you lived In Athens
How American Gov. is like the Roman Republic
□ Monarchy - Commander in chief/the consul
□ Aristocracy - Senate
□ Polity/people’s Assembly - House of Representatives
Judiciary Separate - Supreme Court
Punic Wars (264-146 BCE)
○ Rome vs. Carthage ○ First Punic War ○ Second Punic War § Hannibal: sneak attack on Rome by going through the "backway" with elephants (sneak attack fails) ○ Third Punic Wars § Rome wins by burning Carthage to the ground § Rome feels very triumphant □ Much like Athens ○ Significance of the Punic wars § Impetus for Rome's shift from a small city to empire § Amass great amount of wealth § Greek influence of Roman culture
The Greek Craze
§ Romans became obsessed with Greek culture
§ Brought Greek writings and sculptures back to Rome
○ What Evidence do we have for the impact of the Hellenic period on the Romans?
§ Roman Religion
§ Roman Philosophy: Stoicism
§ Material Remains of Art and Architecture
□ Temple Fortuna Virilis (Portunus) in Rome, late 2nd century BCE
® Adaptations of Greek architecture
□ Livy (the greek craze for sculpture)
○ The Collapse of the Republic, 90-31 BC
§ There is lots of friction between the two types of power
§ We begin to see the full scale collapse
□ The government isn’t working properly
□ There are lots of power hungry people
§ Civil war leads to
□ Many deaths
□ Lots of destruction
§ First Triumvirate, 59 BCE
Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey
® He wanted to be in charge
® Becomes dictator of what is now France
® Sides with Cleopatra
® Becomes dominate person within culture
® Creates Julian calendar
® Purple Toga= Those In control
Doesn’t like critics, put people to death who spoke out against him
Is the Law of the 12 Tables more important than establishment of the Republic and overthrow of Monarch?
□ Polybius: Yes, because a mixed constitution of monarchy (consuls), aristocracy (Senate), and democracy (Assemblies and Councils)
§ Function like a human body.
○ End of the Punic Wars (146 BC)
§ Rome moved from a small entity to a large one
§ Aspects of the Hellenistic kingdoms have been absorbed into the Roman Republic
The Silk Road
§ Brought the Roman world into contact with other cultures
§ Romans were particularly fond of silk
□ Aristocratic Families
○ Expansion and roads
Who was directly responsible for the end of the Republic?
Power hungry leaders
Caesar
§ Crossed the Pompei
§ Successful general
§ Named his kid Caesarian - “Little Caesar”
§ “July” is named after “Julius”
§ Caesar Partners with Cleopatra
□ Cleopatra liked to wear purple
□ Caesar decided to use purple as a sign of power/emperor
Marcus Tullius Cicero
§ Outspoken critic of Caesar
§ He was OK with Tyrannicides
○ Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus/ Octavian
§ Unhappy with Caesar's assassination § Second Triumvirate □ Octavian □ Antony □ Lepidus
Octavian and Revenge
□ Battle of Actium, 31 BC, on the west coast of Greece
Faces off against Marc Antony
Augustus’s Name
§ Agustus Caesar (“first in honor”)
§ Imperator -“victorious general”
§ Princepts -“First citizen among equals”
§ Pater Patriae -“Father of the country”
What did Augustus do?
○ Reinvented the Roman Political System
○ Never Calls himself “king”
○ Turns Julius Caesar into a god - Clearly gives himself divine right
○ Problems faced him
§ Had to repair all the places that were destroyed
§ Full control of army, they have to remain outside city of Rome
§ Creates Pretorian guards
□ Body guards that keep him safe
§ Tries not to spend money
□ does not want people to think that he is living lavish and living like a god
§ Goals:
□ Secure northern borders
□ Make the army more manageable
□ Help the population and restore confidence
® Promotes peace and prosperity very effectively
○ Pax Romana - Roman Peace
○ Pax Romana - Roman Peace
§ a way to maintain stability within the Roman empire
§ Not everyone enjoyed Roman Peace
□ Sending the army to protect the Roman borders meant that rebellions and protests were quickly shut down
○ Strategies of Agustus
§ Moral Reforms
□ Civic duty, honor, virtue
□ lex Julia de adulteriis coercendis -
□ Lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus
□ women are killed if they commit adultery
§ Religious Reforms
□ Building temples and infrastructure
□ Needed to be reminded of their honor and duties to the gods
§ Art and literature
□ Most famous works relate to the reforms
□ “Golden age of Roman Literature”
Virgil - Eclogues and Aeneid
◊ First Roman/Latin Epic
◊ Heroic Quest, 12 books
◊ Never completed
} Aeneas = Trojan warrior
} Anchises = Aeneas’ father, who dies after sack of Troy
} Ascanius = Aeneas’ son
} Dido = Queen of Carthage (refugee from Phoenician city of Tyre), who commits suicide
} Latium = religion of Italy where he eventually settles
◊ It is designed to celebrate the birth and growth of the Roman Empire
} Individual vs. Empire
} Primarily a Roman Text
– Emerges from within that context
– Circles around formation of Rome (Romulus and Remus)
◊ 3 Important Themes
} Relationship to Homer and the Greek Epic
– Connected to Greeks but also added to it
– Expanded on Homer’s characters, made them more virtuous
} Reflection of Roman Hero and relationship to stoic Philosophy
– Cicero’s on duty: “That moral goodness which we look for in a lofty, high minded spirit is secured, of course, but moral, not physical strength.”
} Reflection on Roman history and Augustan Rule
◊ Underlying Subject:
} Women’s ability to lead
} Camilla - Amazon Warrior
} Dido
Juvenal
against women, satirizing the state of Rome under emperors at this time. Focuses on corruption, hypocrisy
◊ Self indulgence, depravity
Augustus of Primaporta
◊ Victory over Parthians
◊ Shows the emperor Augustus
◊ Brightly painted like the Greeks
◊ Would have likely been placed around the empire
◊ Victory over Parthians
} Illustrated on his breastplate
◊ Celebrates Augustus as the emperor, his divine heritage, and his establishment of Roman peace
◊ Contrapposto position, youthful, idealizing of Augustus
◊ Inspired by the Doryphoros
◊ he was 60 when this sculpture was made
Second Triumvirate
○ Octavian
○ Marc Antony
○ Lepidus
Virgil falls ill on trip to Rome
wants to burn the Aeneid because he’s a perfectionist, but doesn’t since it was commissioned by augustus
Horace (65- 8 BCE) Odes
□ Wrote satire about horrors of the collapse of the Roman Republic
□ Meant to promote Augustus while being vigorous and uplifting
® propaganda
® Does everyone enjoy Roman Peace (Pax Romana)?
◊ Subjugating people by force (against their will)
◊ Judea: was not part of Pax Romana
} Is a Roman tributary (pays taxes)
} Disliked by the Romans because were “problematic”
} Jews had conflicting beliefs (polytheism vs. monotheism)
} Romans see this area as politically turbulent
} Was seen as a threat to the Pax Romana
Jesus Christ
◊ Preaches a radically different message from the Roman social order
◊ Ultimately seen as problematic; conflict
◊ Crucified under the authority of Pontius Pilate (Roman governor of Judea)
◊ Died on a cross (only for the worst criminals)
The Beatitudes
◊ Matthew 5
} Represented a very different message from things previously written about Augustus
® Paul of Tarsus (10-c.67)
◊ Never met Jesus
◊ Very important for the spread of Christianity
◊ Is a Roman citizen which gave him access to areas that Jesus could not reach
} A Greek-speaking Roman citizen who is Jewish
– Perfect mix of qualities
◊ Initially very opposed to Christianity
} Experiences a blinding light that causes him fall off of a horse and learns that God has chosen Jesus as a Messiah
– Saul → Apostle Paul
◊ Travels about 10,000 miles in his lifetime
} Brings ideas of Christianity all around, especially the eastern Mediterranean before he heads west, never makes it to Spain
} Largely preaching to non-Jews (preaches to Roman citizen)
– Opens the faith up to people everywhere
Paul’s Epistles
} Letters to early Xian communities
– Uses these letters to talk about Christianity and what it is about
– Also talks about what Paul plans to do for Christianity
– Gives a sense of the fragmentation and not yet unified Christianity
– Reaches out to Christian he has not yet met that may have very different ideas than he does
} Incarnation (birth of God in human form, Jesus)
} Redemption (X suffers and dies for sins, which redeem)
Emperor Nero, AD 54-68
} Nero is one of Augustus’ successors
} Was insane
– Spent a lot of money on things that were grandiose
w Extravagant architecture
w Built a huge colosseum of himself
} Huge fire that destroys much of Rome
– Blamed on the Christians by Nero
w Christians brought to trial
w Plead guilty for being an “illegal” sect
w Not guilty for the fire
w Publicly executed in extremely violent ways
w Shows how Christians were viewed suspiciously
} Nero is forced to drink poison
§ Vespasian (AD 9-79)
□ Successful military general that was rising to power the same time Paul was making his way through the Mediterranean
□ A balanced, sane person compared to Nero
□ Time of War= 50,000 people die (short civil war)
□ Elected to be an emperor to restore order to Rome
® Needs to raise money → raises taxes to bring money into rebuilding Rome
® Reclaims land to Rome
® Starts a massive building campaign
◊ Biggest legacy is the creation of the Colosseum (72-80 CE)
Colosseum
® Built on top of an artificial lake built by Nero
◊ Trying to erase the memory of Nero
® Not unique to the city of Rome
® Other Amphitheaters
◊ Built throughout the empire (similar to the colosseum)
} Some in Spain
® Gladiatorial games
◊ People and exotic animals fighting
◊ Fights to the death
◊ Restaging of important battles were very common within the arena
} Punic wars were restaged popularly - like in movie Gladiator
◊ Very Violent
® Holds more than 50,000 people
◊ Same as today’s sports arenas
® Not just for nobles. People of all social classes could attend
◊ Sense of Roman identity
◊ Keeps people busy (“bread and circuses”)
} Distract them from the economy and problems in the empire
® Games held for 100 days- included arena flooded for naval battle with more than 3000 participants
□ How it was built:
® Concrete!!! Barrel vaults hold up seating areas
◊ Easy to make and cheap
◊ Reinforced Concrete:
} Building material composed of an aggregate of sand, lime, brick-and-stone, rubble, and water
® Marble, travertine shell
3 important elements of successful Roman architecture
Arch, Barrel Vault, Concrete
Arch
} Rounded arches means
– Higher buildings
– Strong architecture
w Build on top of one another
Barrel Vault
– Multiple arches together to create a tunnel
– Very stable
Allows bigger buildings
® Silver Ages of literature- self-conscious artifice
◊ Petronius (fl. 1st century)
◊ Apuleius(fl. 2nd century C.E.)- the Golden Ass
◊ Juvenal (c. 55-140 C.E.)- Satires
◊ Tacitus (c. 55-120 C.E.)- Germania and Historiae
Juvenal
} “Against the City of Rome” c. AD 110-127
– A satire that criticizes Rome
– Critiques women; talks of sleeping around
– Talks of indulgence
– Assassins, Yes Men, bribes, liars
} “Against Women,” c. AD 110-127
– In past times women were better
– “Women are terrors worst than the wars”
“The Five Good Emperors”
○ Relatively stable part of the Roman EMpire
○ Relative peace and prosperity
○ The empire grows to its greatest extent before things go south
○ Trajan (r. 98-117)
Trajan (r. 98-117)
§ Building campaign by Emperor Trajan
§ Roman empire reaches its greatest extent under his reign
§ ~60 million people within the Roman Empire
□ Huge population of Rome, Trajan will extend the borders through many military campaigns
□ His forum:
Basilica Ulpia
Forum of Trajan, Rome, 113 CE
◊ hall of justice
◊ Trubunal for justices
◊ Altars in the apses
® Decided to build it bigger than any Forum prior
® Like a marketplace/multi-functional space
◊ Socio-political space
® Basilica = rectangular public hall, usu. with a flat ceiling
® Function: civic space for legal and political affairs + temple
® At either end of the basilica there were different courts
® Basilica serves as the model for Christian Churches.
Hadrian’s Wall, Britain
® On the borders between England and Scotland
® Wasn’t a simple security installation
® Was a very efficient structure
◊ Allowed efficient military control
◊ Prevent raids
◊ Help people who are against the expansion of the Roman Empire
® Huge engineering Achievement
® 80 miles long (went all around the empire)
◊ Empire ran from the northernmost wall to Egypt
® It controlled the movement
® Very aggressive Symbol
® Who is Roman and who is not
□ The Pantheon (temple of all gods)
® Another example of imperial grandeur
® Example of what they are able to create with concrete
® Serves as an inspiration for many architectural spaces
◊ Current US buildings modeled after
® Meaning, “To all the gods”
® Can accommodate a perfect sphere
® Columns symbolic of Rome’s power because they were imported from Egypt
® Gives the illusion that it can rotate
® People were afraid it would fall on them
® Light moves around the oculus
® Different than the usual basilica structure, stood out as a major form of architecture
Mystery Religions
§ Dionysian □ Women went crazy, very sexualized cult § Isis □ Associated with birth, marriage, and health □ Also many women joined § Mithraism □ Came from the Persian empire □ Walked on water □ Connected to sign of the cross
People associate Christianity with these mystery religions
Martyrs
§ Early Christian martyrs (like Sainte Foy/Saint Faith)
§ They all profess the divinity of Jesus Christ, focus on sacraments such as baptism
atacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus, early 4th c. Painted Ceiling.
§ Good Shephard § Orans § Jonah § Typology § Ceiling frescoes § Catacombs are tombs § Pagan imagery? § Medallion □ Young man carrying sheep § Orans □ Praying figures § Lunettes □ Jesus isn't shown with a beard, not wearing imperial clothing □ Story of Jonah □ Typology: foreshadowing persons and events of NT with OT events
○ 3rd. c House Church at Dura-Europos, Syria
§ The oldest standing church
§ Shows how Christians gathered together
§ Insight into what early Christian communities looked like
§ Site had Roman temples to gods like Jupiter and Isis, a Jewish synagogue, and the Christian church house
□ Shows diversity
□ Located on an important east-west trade route
§ Baptisms occurred here
§ Walls were painted
□ The murals show Jesus as a good shepherd
§ No focus on the passion of Christ (crucifixion)
Other Christian Stuff
§ People were practicing Christianity, despite it not being legalized
□ Still a minority, but growing
§ Many Christians were born into Christian families
□ Conversions do occur, but many were wary of conversion
□ No single identifiable way to practice Christianity
§ Women were especially attracted to Christianity
□ Jesus gave women a sense of value/meaning
□ Mary Magdalene
□ Women held important positions early on
§ Slaves were Also attracted to Christianity
□ Wanted rights
□ Weren’t Roman citizens
4th Century Rome
§ Stretched to the breaking point
§ 265 and 284 - 26 different emperors
§ Every emperor is assassinated but 1
§ Black plague strikes much of the empire
○ Diocletian
§ divides empire into 4 quarters
§ Creates co-rulership by 4
§ Increase interest in worship of the Roman emperor to unify Empire
○ “The Great Persecution” of Christians (303) under Diocletian
§ Many christians did not fight back, they accepted their fate
§ Sainte Foy/Faith was beheaded because she refused to worship him
□ Fighting back backfired on Diocletian, because their refusal to fight back intrigued them
Constantine (“The Great”)
○ AD 312: Battle of the Milvian Bridge
§ Constantine fights to become Emperor
□ sees vision of Cross with “In this sign you will conquer.”
□ Realized he got divine help
○ AD 313: Edict of Milan
§ Passed edict that makes Christianity legal
§ Ends persecution
§ “No one whatsoever should be denied the opportunity to give his heart to the observance of the Christian religion.”
§ Returns personal property that had been taken from them
○ AD 325: Council of Nicaea
§ Arian Controversy
§ Nicene Creed
○ Constantinople
§ Old St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, c. 320-327
□ Latin Cross Plan
□ Dedicated 3333
□ built over grave of St. Peter
□ Begun 320
□ Basilica: civic duties, libraries, Religion, Law
○ Why the Basilica
§ Pagan temples are unacceptable
§ Civic Architecture had associations with mass assemblies, imperial, and state functions
§ Easy to modify for Xian benefits
Challenges after Edict of Milan
§ Arius (Arians) in Alexandria vs. Bishop Athanasius
§ Arius believed Jesus was Not divine/Not “One with God”
§ Athanasius believed in the trinity
§ Constantine decided that it was time to discuss ideas and settle on one set of beliefs -> council of Nicaea
§ Constantine agreed with Athanasius
Nicene Creed (early version)
