Week 10 - Imperial Rome Flashcards
The Roman Imperial Period
about 500 years
Augustus = rome’s first emperor
- most powerful person
- princeps (his title) which means first citizen
- avoids being called king so people don’t hate him like Julius Caesar
The Principate
one of the things imperial rome was called
- called this because emperors were referred to as princeps
- wealthiest at this period
- ## largest at this period
The Dominate
- under emperor Diocletation and he created Tetrarchy (four terriorities)
- two emperors in the west and two emperors in the east (always existed)
- referred to Dominus now (lord or master)
- rise of Christianity due to reign of Constantine
After the fall
- the east continued as the Byzantine Empire
Imperial Portraits
- emphasis on age
- Augustus (never aging ruler, greek style portrait, found in his house)
-nero: extreme idealized look - vespasian: shows his age, serious
- Hadrian (presence of the beard)
- Marcus Aurelius: stoic philisopher
Imperial coins
obverse: portrait of a member in the imperial family
reverse: a personifcation, deity or topical reference
- heirs are coins, often mothers too
- Piata piety, celebrating conquest of Armenia
Ludi
big festival
- chariot racing and theatre
- origins in Greece
- state sponsored, part of a religious fesitval
Munera
gladitorial events
- gladiators and beast hunts
- italian inventions
- traditionally privately organized and funded
History of Theatres
- temporary entertainment venues
- freestanding
- cavea: seating area
- orchestra: ground area
- scaenae frons: backdrop
- vomitorium: exit
The Theatre of Pompey
- Rome’s first permanent theatre
- made by Pompey magnus
- disguised as a sacred precint for Venus Victrix (had a small temple of Venus)
- says its a sanctuary
The Theatre of Marcellus
- begun by Caesar, finished by Augustus
- named for Augustus’ nephw
Amphitheatres
- two theatres stuck together
- cavea: seating
- vomitorium: exit
- arena: floor
- some dude made 2 theatres that could be pushed together and removed
A day in the Amphitheatre
morning: venationes (animal hunts)
midday: executions (guilty, poor people)
afternoon: gladiators
The Colosseum
- began by Vespasian, finished by Titus
- ancient name: the flavian amphitheatre
- collosus = giant statue
The Colosseum Construction
- 50, 000 people
- 80 exits
- velarium: awning
- subterranean passages and trap doors (people and animals coming from underneath the floor)
- flooded once
