The Arch of Septimius Severus is one of the most triumphal and boldest arches in all of Ancient Rome. Paid for and dedicated to Septimius Severus, council of the time, the arch is built in brick and travertine and clad with marble slabs. This arch still stands tall to this day in the southern end of the Roman Forum. (a forum is a rectangular plaza surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the City of Rome). It was built to commemorate the Roman victories against the Parthians and as propaganda in support for the Roman military campaigns taking place in the early 2nd Century.
The Arch of Septimus measures 20.88 m (68.5 ft) in height, 23.27 m (76.3 ft) in width and 11.2 m (36.7 ft) in depth. The
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These decorations helped garner support for the campaigns and other military movements. The most impressive inscriptions used to be found on the the four back panels of the arch. Unfortunately, today the arch is in a poor state of preservation and many relief scenes are barely discernible. But, from what archaeologists have been able to figure out about the arch of Septimius Severus, its inscriptions contain a great deal of information about the Roman Gods. Also found in the Column of Marcus Aurelius, Mars the god of war seemed to be a particularly popular subject of decorative roman architecture. The smaller support columns on the outside of the Arch contained copious information about Mars, the God of war. The smaller arches also have keystones which are carved to represent Bacchus and Hercules, gods which Septimius Severus held in particular esteem. The higher panels are in better state of preservation than the rest of the arch due to flooding. The higher panels contain representations of many battles against the Parthians. They show many scenes showing Roman victories, battles, and feasts as well as other representations of the strength of the Roman Empire. Some other discernible panels show scenes such as the Liberation of Nibis, the battle of Edessa, one of the many surrenders of the
According to Aristotle, a tragic hero experiences a change in fortune from good to bad brought about by his or her own errors. By this definition, Brutus acts as the tragic hero of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar because, despite his good intentions, his actions ultimately lead to his death and the downfall of the Roman Republic.
Cyrus follows up on his self promotion to restore faith and culture in Babylon by highlighting, “the wall Imgur-Enlil, the great (city) wall of Babylon, I strove to strengthen its fortifications… which no King before me had done.” Cyrus is again emphasizing his importance as a different king, and in making this acknowledgement he is letting readers know, that while he is still a foreign conqueror, he is truly deserving of the divine favor Marduk, because he cares more than any King before to fully complete the fortifications, thus reaffirming his strategies to establish power by appeasing Babylonian hardships as well as striving to go above and beyond all previous kings in his efforts to protect and make Babylon a great city again. The wall is intended to keep Babylon safe and maintain the peace installed by Cyrus, thus the wall is Cyrus’s legacy, and stands as a positive representation of his over Babylon. Homogenously, in Res Gestae Divi Augusti Augustus his achievements include how he sought to bring “peace to the Gaelic and Spanish provinces as well as to Germany” , and while these lands are not a direct part of Rome, they are concessions of expansion, reflecting his desire to spread his idea of Roman peace. Hence reinforcing why “the Senate decreed that an altar of the Augustan Peace (Ara Pacis Augustae) should be consecrated in the Campus Martius in honor of [his] return” Augustus’s choice to use these achievements as examples to be remembered by fulfill his initial strategy for securing power, he paints himself not as tyrannical dictator and persecuting conqueror, but as a just and fair Emperor spreading peace on the behalf of all people. In his final achievement, Augustus reminds readers that “in my thirteenth consulship (2 BCE), the Senate, the equestrian order and
Julius was born from Aurelia and Gaius Julius Caesar. His family had nobility status, although they were neither rich nor influential in the time period. Caesar was made military tribune before 70 B.C. and was quaestor in Farther Spain in 69 B.C. he helped Pompey to obtain the supreme command for the war in the East. As a general, Caesar was the best Rome had ever seen. He returned to Rome in 68 B.C. and in Pompey's absence was becoming the recognized head of the popular party. His love of Marius and Cinna made him popular with the people, but earned him the hatred of the senate. In Dec. 63 B.C. Caesar advocated mercy for Catiline and the conspirators, thereby increasing the enmity of the senatorial party and its leaders, Cato the Younger and Quintus Lutatius Catulus.
To compare humans you are simply comparing ideas. Thoughts, experiences and philosophies that all combine together to create individuals. Two experiences and two people who see the same scenario with different perspectives. Such is the way with Brutus and Cassius. This pair of Roman senators shows us the difficulty of having a realist and an idealist work together, yet the pair manages to overcome their different views on the world to work together and assassinate “the foremost man of all this world.” Though, the pair of friends and lovers differences does not simply end at idealism versus realism. The pair seems to be naturally against each other in terms as ideas, it’s a wonder that with such different personalities, oeadership and philosophies that the pair ever managed to go through a single conversation without an outright stabbing.
LUCIUS DOMITIUS (NERO) PROJECT BY:ERIC MARTIN. Nero was born in Antium in Italy on December 15.a.d. Nero talked to his mother, Agrippina the Younger and his father, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. His father, a former Roman consul, died when he was about 3 years old, and his mother was banished by the Emperor Caligula, leaving him in the care of an aunt. His name at birth was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus.
...ntentional placement at the highest point of the Via Sacra. The Arch of Titus thus stands to this day, but instead of representing the glory and might of the Roman Empire, it serves as a remainder that no nation lasts forever.
Matyszak, Philip. "Septimius Severus." Chronicle of the Roman Republic: the rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2003. 130-137. Print.
As one of the greatest structures in Rome, the Pantheon was built between 118 and 128 CE. It is described as the most remarkable ancient building surviving in Rome. After being destroyed and rebuilt twice, it was renamed the “Temple of the Gods”. In 126 AD, the Pantheon was restored to its glory, by the architects who at that time has learned and mastered their craft in concrete construction in the Greek Classical order. They constructed a massive 25 foot thick walls which was to support the huge dome made of concrete to be placed at the top. The dome was the largest ever made of unreinforced concrete at 43.4 meters in diameter (Matthews, Roy and Platt pg. 5).
Discovered in 1889 during the demolition of an ancient tomb along a Roman road from Capranica to Vetralla, the marble garland sarcophagus depicts in “the best style of Roman art” (American Journal 220) a scene from the myth of Theseus and Ariadne. After acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art a year later, a general background concerning the artifact was established. Originating sometime in the middle second century C.E during the Hadrianic or early Antonine period of the Roman Empire, the sarcophagus medium exists in Luni and Pentellic marble and stands 31 by 85 by 28 inches (McCann 27). The adornments upon the marble are many: the lid features winged erotes on chariots led by four different animals to represent the four seasons-bear for spring, bull for fall, lion for summer, and boar for winter (Hanfmann 180)-the front displays more erotes with “seasonal garlands composed of flowers, wheat, grapes, pomegranates, and laurel (McCann 33),” and the various scenes from the myth of Theseus above the swags but below the garlands from left to right show Ariadne giving Theseus the thread to navigate through the labyrinth, Theseus in battle with the minotaur of Crete, and Theseus gazing back at Ariadne as he leaves Naxos. In addition, a comic mask and a young satyr call the right side of the sarcophagus their home.
The Column of Antoninus Pius was a Roman triumphal column dedicated to honor the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius and his wife Faustina the Elder by his successors, co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, in 161 A.D. The column alone was 14.75 meters high and 1.90 meters in diameter, which was composed, of red granite, with no reliefs on the column like other triumphal columns such as those of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius. The column itself has been lost to history, however the base expresses iconography that art historians are still studying and interpreting today. The main components of the base of the column contain two funerary decursio sides, and the depiction of the apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina the Elder, the decursio and apotheosis depict two separate but equally important styles and motifs.
The engineering discoveries of ancient Rome have played a key role in the history of architecture and engineering. Many of Rome’s roadways, bridges, and aqueducts have been in use from the first century until the twentieth century. Many American buildings have used the Roman dome. Several major structures from early Rome still stand, including the Collosseum. These remnants of feats of Roman engineering stand as a monument to the ability of ancient Roman builders.
Here, we will be looking at a rendition of the high marble statue of Augustus Caesar known as “Augustus of Prima Porta.” Originating from 1st Century A.D., it is said that there is a possibility that the original sculpture could have been of greek descent. Upon a general overview of the sculpture, one can see that Augustus fulfils a millitarial role of some kind. From his very stance to the garments portrayed on him, Augustus is draped in a decorative cuirass and a tunic, accompanied by a figure of Cupid clutching on to his right calf. After taking the general themes of the work into account, one can then began to start unraveling the many symbolic elements embedded into the sculpture that allude to godly themes. Starting from the crown of his head, the very chiselment and structure of his face gives the work a youthful element to it, even though some say that Augustus was around 40 years old. A recurring theme within Greek and Roman culture is the matter of godliness and immortality amongst idolized figures themselves. This idea is usually depicted by displaying powerful human being in a younger light. This
The Ara Pacis (“Altar of Augustan Peace” in Latin) is one of the most representative works of Augustan art. The monument was dedicated on 4 July 13 B.C to honor the return of Augustus after three years in Spain and Gaul, which were his last military operations, and commemorate military victories. The altar was an impressive example of the culture of Rome in general and illustration of prosperous Rome. The monument is a visual medium to represent that peace is the result of military victories and his proconsular power on the land and sea. Karl Galinsky, a Professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin says that the Ara Pacis is linked with the concept that pace is the result of military victories. According to him, Augustus mentioned the importance of the Ara Pacis in Res Gestae by saying, “On my return from Spain and Gaul in the consulship of Tiberius Nero and Publius Quintilius, after I had successfully arranged affairs in those provinces, the senate decreed that an altar of the Augustan Peace should be consecrated next to the Campus Martius in honor of my return, and ordered that the magistrates and priests and the Vestal Virgins perform an annual sacrifice there” (Karl Galinsky, 1996). He avoided building an altar in the senate chamber to honor his return. Instead, he ordered to build an altar to Pax Agusta in which one mile away from the sacred boundary of the city. It means that the altar was meant not only to be a monument of military achievement, but also a vision of the Roman religion. This research aims on function, structure of the altar, and reliefs on each side of the precinct wall.
The role of the Roman triumphal arches has never been an overtly practical one ; though some have been incorporated over time into various city walls and structures, from the construction of the early arches under the reign of Augustus, they have officially served a largely commemorative and ornamental role, granted to emperors by the Senate in honour of military triumphs . From the Arch of Tiberius in Orange, likely constructed between 27 and 10 BCE, to the Arch of Constantine in Rome, built in 315, the triumphal arches celebrate the achievements of the Roman emperors and act as a form of propaganda that legitimises their respective reigns and reinforces Roman beliefs and values, “commissioned
Boëthius, A., Ling, R., & Rasmussen, T. (1978). Etruscan and early Roman architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press.