ART OF IMPERIAL ROME

Augustus63 BC-14 ADFirst Roman Emperor

As the first Roman emperor (though he never claimed the title for himself)

Augustus led Rome’s transformation from republic to empire during the tumultuous years following the assassination of his great-uncle and adoptive father Julius Caesar

During his 40-years reign, Augustus nearly doubled the size of the empire, adding territories in Europe and Asia Minor and securing alliances that gave him effective rule from Britain to India.

• These routes ensured that the Roman

military could out-pace and out-

maneuver its enemies, but they also

aided in the everyday maintenance of

the Empire.

• Reduced travel time and marching

fatigue allowed the fleet-footed

legions to move as quickly as 20 miles

a day.

• Along with road signs and mile

markers, Roman roads were also

lined with state-run hotels and way

stations.

• The most common of these ancient

rest stops were the horse changing

stations, or “mutationes,” which were

located every ten miles along most

routes

• couriers could move as far as 60 miles

Augustus & The Calendar

■ In 8 B.C. Augustus had the Roman month of Sextilius renamed after himself—as his great-uncle and predecessor Julius Caesar had done with July.

■ August was the month of several of the emperor's greatest victories, including the defeat and suicide of Antony and Cleopatra.

■ He did not increase the month's length, which had been 31 days since the establishment of the Julian calendar in 45 B.C.

Freestanding sculpture, Augustus stands in a contrapposto poseThe emperor wears military regalia and his right arm is outstretched, demonstrating that the emperor is addressing his troops. We immediately sense the emperor’s power as the leader of the army and a military conqueror.

both Augustus and the Spear-Bearer are portrayed as youthful and flawless individuals: they are perfect

This is significant because Augustus is essentially depicting himself with the perfect body of a Greek athlete: he is youthful and virile, despite the fact that he was middle-aged at the time of the sculpture’s commissioning. Furthermore, by modeling the Primaporta statue on such an iconic Greek sculpture created during the height of Athens’ influence and power, Augustus connects himself to the Golden Age of that previous civilization.

The dolphin became a symbol of Augustus’ great naval victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, a conquest that made Augustus the sole ruler of the Empire.

The cupid astride the dolphin sends another message too: that Augustus is descended from the gods. Cupid is the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.

Julius Caesar, the adoptive father of Augustus, claimed to be descended from Venus and therefore Augustus also shared this connection to the gods.

Finally, Augustus is wearing a breastplate, that is covered with figures that communicate additional propagandistic messages.

Scholars debate over the identification over each of these figures, but the basic meaning is clear:

Augustus has the gods on his side, he is an international military victor, and he is the bringer of the Pax Romana, a peace that encompasses all the lands of the Roman Empire.

The altar reflects the Augustan vision of Roman civil religion.

The lower register of its frieze depicts vegetal work meant to communicate the abundance and prosperity of the Roman Peace

while the monument as a whole serves a civic ritual function whilst simultaneous operating as propaganda for Augustus and his regime

easing notions of autocracy and dynastic succession that might otherwise be unpalatable to traditional Roman culture.

NORTH & SOUTH WALLS

• The long friezes of the Ara Pacis (the North and South

Walls) contain figures advancing towards the West, who

participate in a state of thanksgiving to celebrate the

Peace created by Augustus.

• These figures fall into four categories: lictors (men

carrying fasces, bodyguards of magistrates); priests,

women and children (generally from the imperial family,

represented in portraiture); and attendants

NERO & THE GOLDEN HOUSE OF NERO

• was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-

Claudian dynasty.

• Nero's rule is usually associated with tyranny and

extravagance; his more infamous executions include that of

his mother.

• Most Roman sources offer overwhelmingly negative

assessments of his personality and reign; Tacitus claims that

the Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt.

• Many Romans believed that the great Roman fire of 64 was

instigated by Nero to clear the way for his planned palatial

complex, the Domus Aurea

DOMUS AUREA (GOLDEN HOUSE OF NERO)

• It was devastated by the Great Fire of Rome

in AD 64, following which Nero seized much

of the area to add to his personal domain.

• He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the

site, in front of which he created an artificial

lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and

porticoes.

• The existing Aqua Claudia aqueduct was

extended to supply water to the area and

the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero was

set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus

Aurea

GOLDEN HOUSE OF NERO

• designed as a place of

entertainment, as shown by the

presence of 300 rooms without

any sleeping quarters

• Nero's own palace remained on

the Quirinal Hill. No kitchens or

latrines have been discovered

AFTER NERO’S DEATH/SUICIDE

• The Golden House was a severe embarrassment to his successors.

• It was stripped of its marble, its jewels and its ivory within a decade.

• Soon after, the palace and grounds, were filled with earth and built over:

• On the site of the lake, in the middle of the palace grounds, Vespasian built the

Flavian Amphitheatre

• . Within 40 years, the Golden House was completely obliterated, buried beneath

the new constructions, but paradoxically this ensured the wall paintings' survival

by protecting them from dampness.

VESPASIAN & THE FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATER

• was Roman emperor from AD 69 to

AD 79.

• Vespasian founded the Flavian

dynasty that ruled the Empire for

twenty-seven years.

• Vespasian's renown came from his

military success: part of the Roman

invasion of Britain in 43 & subjugated

Judaea during the Jewish rebellion of

66

FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATER (COLOSSEUM)

• oval amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome

• Built of concrete and sand, it is the largest amphitheater

ever built.

• Begun by Vespasian finished by his heir Titus

• The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived

from a colossal statue of Nero nearby (the statue of Nero

was named after the Colossus of Rhodes

• The Colosseum replaced the Domus Aurea

• Land that was previously taken from the people was given

back in the form of entertainment.

COLOSSEUM

• It could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators,

• it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.

RECONSTRUCTION

ARCHITECTURAL ORDERS

TITUS 39AD-81AD

• was Roman emperor from 79 to 81.

• Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death,

thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the

throne after his own biological father.

• As emperor, he is best known for completing the

Colosseum and for his generosity in relieving the

suffering caused by two disasters, the eruption of Mount

Vesuvius in AD 79 and a fire in Rome in 80.

• After barely two years in office, Titus died of a fever on

13 September 81

ARCH OF TITUS, ROME. 81 AD

• After Titus died his younger brother Domitian, took over.

• Domitian made this arch in Titus’s honor on the Sacred

Way leading into the Republican Forum Romanum

• This type of arch, the so-called triumphal arch, has a

long history in Roman art & architecture

• Beginning in the 2nd century BC and continuing even

into the era of Christian Roman emperors

ARCH OF TITUS

• The Roman arches celebrated more than just military

victories, as they often commemorated events such as

building roads & bridges

• This arch commemorates Titus’s sack of Jersusalem

around 70 AD

• This is the oldest arch of its kind.

SPOILS OF THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM RELIEF

• The Spoils of the Temple Relief depicts

the triumphal parade down the Sacred

Way

after his return from the conquest of

Judaea at the end of the Jewish Wars in

70 AD.

This panel contains a depiction of the

sacred seven-branched menorah, from

the Temple of Jerusalem

THE TRIUMPH OF TITUS RELIEF

• Depicts the actual triumphal procession with the toga

clad Titus in the chariot

• the addition of allegorical figures (the winged Victory

riding in the chariot with Titus who places a wreath on

his head, the goddess Roma leading the horses).

• Because the reliefs were deeply carved, some of the

forward heads have broken off.

TRAJAN53AD-117AD

• was Roman emperor from 98 to 117 AD.

• Officially declared by the Senate optimus princeps("the best ruler")

• Presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history.

• He is also known for his philanthropic rule, overseeing extensive public building programs and implementing social welfare policies

• His conquest of Dacia enriched the empire greatly, as the new province possessed many valuable gold mines.

• Forum of Trajan, The Markets of Trajan, Basilica Ulpia & Column of Trajan

Forum of Trajan

TRAJAN’S MARKET100-110AD

• Thought to be the world's

oldest shopping mall +

administration offices

• The shops and apartments

were built in a multi-level

structure and it is still

possible to visit several of

the levels

• 100-110 AD by Apollodorus

of Damascus

TRAJAN’S MARKET

• The buildings are largely

constructed using concrete and

faced with brick, and it is one of

the finest examples of Imperial

Roman architecture using these

materials.

BASILICA ULPIA

• With its construction, much of the political life moved

from the Roman Forum to the Forum of Trajan.

• it was dedicated to the administration of justice,

commerce and the presence of the emperor.

• It was the largest in Rome measuring 385 x 182 ft.

• composed of a great central nave with four side aisles

• clerestory windows to let light into the space divided by rows of columns

• two semicircular apse, one at each of the ends with the entry to the basilica

COLUMN OF TRAJAN ROME 113AD

• commemorates Roman emperor Trajan's

victory in the Dacian Wars in bas relief

• Located in Trajan’s forum

• It was probably constructed under the

supervision of the architect Apollodorus

of Damascus

• The structure is about 98 feet in height,

115 feet including its large pedestal

BAS RELIEF

COLORED REENACTMENT

AQUEDUCTS

• The Romans typically built aqueducts to serve any large

city in their empire

• The city of Rome itself, being the largest city, had the

largest concentration of aqueducts, with water being

supplied by eleven aqueducts constructed over a period

of 500 years.

Pont-du-Gard, Nîmes, France; 19 BC

THE IMPERIAL AGE- AQUEDUCTS

• The aqueducts provided about

44,000,000 gallons of water a day for

the inhabitants of Nimes from a

source some 30 miles away

• The aqueducts fed the fountains,

baths and homes of the citizens of

Nîmes

THE HIGH IMPERIAL AGE

THE HIGH IMPERIAL AGE

• Successor of Trajan

• Hadrian was a connoisseur and lover of

all the arts, as well as an author and

architect.

• There are more existing portraits of

Hadrian than of any other emperor,

except Augustus.

• Though he ruled Rome for more than

20 years, he is depicted in portraits as a

mature adult who never ages.

Portrait Bust of Hadrian as General,Tel Shalem, Israel; c. 130-138 AD

MARBLE BUST OF HADRIAN WEARING MILITARY DRESS. TIVOLI, ITALY 117-119AD

• Hadrian’s portraits more closely

resemble Greek portraits of Pericles than

those of any Roman emperor before

him, undoubtedly his likenesses were

inspired by Classical Greek statuary.

• Hadrian wore a beard, a habit that, in its

Roman context, must be viewed as a

Greek affectation (an appearance or

manner assumed or put on as a show or

pretense, often to impress others).

• Beards then became the norm for all

subsequent Roman emperors

PANTHEONROME 125-128AD

• With the new Emperor Hadrian in power, work on a new temple dedicated to all the gods began.

• This temple became known as the Pantheon.

• Excluding the use of an eight Corinthian column facade, the temple’s

• design was completely revolutionary for its time.

• The name of no architect survives, and it may be that, as legend insists, Hadrian conceived and designed the structure

PANTHEON

• The dome of the Pantheon steadily

decreases in thickness from the drum

to the apex, and is constructed from

pumice & Roman concrete.

• In the very middle there is an

opening called an oculus that acts as

a skylight.

• The oculus is the only source of

natural lighting for the building’s

interior.

OCULUS

• The oculus measures 30 feet in diameter.

• This is the oldest domed building in the world that still

has its original roof.

• From this indoor photo of the Pantheon you can see the

carved panels as well as the intense light that the oculus

provides for the room.

• These decorative panels are called coffers, and serve two

purposes:

• Represent the heavens & lights the load of the ceiling

Originally, the interior’s niches and altars contained images of the Roman gods and goddesses. However, when the Pantheon was consecrated as a Catholic church in 609 AD they were replaced by images of saints and those buried within the structure.

HADRIAN’S WALL122-130AD

• During Hadrian’s reign, he ordered

construction of a monumental stone wall

to keep the ‘barbaric’ Scots and Picts

from invading from the North.

• This 74-mile stretch across Northern

England is known as Hadrian’s Wall.

• It was 8-10 feet wide and 20 feet tall,

with a tower located at every mile mark.

Acta Est Fabula!