Questions

1) Using your textbook, describe the Gemma Augustea. How large is it? What is it made of and how was it sculpted? What is represented on the gem?

A large gem Declares transfer of power from Augustus to Tiberius in ad 14 7 ½ by 9 inches It was cut from a piece that had two veins: a dark bluish color below and a white on top The artist cut the figures out of the white vein and removed the stone down to the blue layer to make the background Two separate but related scenes are depicted, both became conventional in roman art One is a scene of the real world The other is shows the divine and symbolic realm Augustus with roma and gods Victory over barbarians, soldiers and mars,

3) How is Augustus represented on the Gemma Augustea? What personifications is he associated with? Why is Jupiter relevant to a discussion of Augustus' depictions on the gem?

Appears like Jupiter and has a staff, crown as ruler on earth while Jupiter is ruler in heaven,

5) What types of Roman artworks did the Ara Pacis influence? Who commissioned these objects and what were their functions?

Ara Pietatis Augustae is based off the Ara Pacis vowed by Tiberius in honor of his mother livia and completed by Claudius Three reliefs of augustan date with full length representaitons of a father, mother, and child ; middle class commissioned, the patrons were probably freedmen or their freeborn descendants and the reliefs emulate the Ara Pacis freize. family portraits

3) What elements of the north and south friezes of the Ara Pacis have led scholars to conclude that they were influenced by the Parthenon frieze in Athens? What are the similarities and differences between the works of art?

Athenian frieze - great panathenaic festival procession that happened every four years Roman frieze - procession in honor of the consecration of the Altar of Peace in 13 BC after Augustus' return from Spain and Gaul Both move in parallel lines along north and south sides of a religious building, both friezes of religious procession, stylistic similarities: low relief against neutral background, mood is classicizing with ideal personages following one another in a solemn manner Differences: handling of spatial depth, motifs of the Parthenon frieze (sooo grand and covers too much space to compart to the altar of peace) don't appear in precinct wall processions of the altar of peace, groups in the panetheanic are separated by sex and not in family groups like the Ara Pacis familiar style, artists studied greek are roman- family, interaction, depth greek - horses, chariots, military procession

5) How does the portraiture of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, differ from that of his Republican predecessors? How does this new style in portraiture reflect the changes in Roman society?Sheldon Nodelman

Augustus from Prima Porta displays a body-type from Polykleitos' Doryphoros. He gives a gesture of address and wears military costume to invoke charism of his martial successes as justification of his authority. Augustus is also showing his bare feet to reference ideal nudity of heroic statues. The dolphin and cupid also express that he is of divine descent. Augustus' portrait is used for his political agenda. Compared to veristic portraits, Augustus appears to now offer freshness, rejuvenation and youthfulness. His successors followed his format.

7) What are the roles of Capricorn and Sol on the gem?

Between Augustus and Rome is a sign from the zodiac, capricon referring to either the month of the emperors conception or the date - January 16,27 when he was given the title of Augustus Capricorn and Sol are of great importance in Augustus's Bildprogramm. Already in 19-18 B.C., Capricorn and Sol (in anthropomorphic forn1) are found together on denari. Over a period of time, the Capricorn had accumulated a variety of meanings: It served to symbolize Augustus's defeat ofCaesar's assassins, his conquest ofAntony and Cleopatra, and his victory over the Parthians. These successes, which gave Augustus mastery over the world, were thought to have helped bring about the return ofthe prophesied Golden Age under the god Apollo. Capricorn and Sol are also closely connected with Augustus's birth and predestined apotheosis which is the making of Augustus into a God. Sol is associated with the sun god

9) How does the gem reflect its main themes: victory over barbarism, dynastic concordia, and res gestae?

Dynastic Concordia - use pas achievements to establish present and future

2) What is dynastic narrative? How is the Latin language relevant to an interpretation of Roman narrative?

Dynastic narrative is where the representation or allusion of two or more diachronically or synronically linked events or sistuations involves a dynasty of people is made for educated and powerful people Latin is able to be manipulated and most romans new latin, aimed at upper class audience

4) According to Bergmann, what organizational schema was used to create the wall decoration of the House of the Tragic Poet? What connects the different painted panels to each other? What themes appear in the paintings? How would a Roman spectator have viewed and interacted with these images? Bergman

Elevated to metaphor and internalized as private memory loci, the Roman house offers insight into a formative mental model. As recent studies have suggested, viewing schemata not only were adopted metaphorically by Latin rhetoricians, but rhetorical theory influenced Roman perception.5 In learning the correct ways for "reading" the decorated house, educated Romans acquired certain attitudes toward the images it contained. The habit of disciplined recall and, most importantly, of association between the recalled parts was, above all, a creative activity. 226

4) How is Tiberius represented on the gem?

Everyone gazes at augustus, augustus looks at Tiberius to show he is second in charge Riding with victory in a chariot

8) For whom does Pollini believe the gem was created?

For augustus or tiberius

2) How does Pliny's uncle (Pliny the Elder) die? Is he a hero? Pliny the Younger

He returned to save people but the dense fumes chocked his breathing by blocking his windpipe. He is a hero because he could've saved only himself. He died peacefully Hero because he used navy ships to get people out.

4) How is Roman portraiture different from Greek portraiture?Sheldon Nodelman

Ideal tendencies are found in Greek portraiture such as masculine bodies and youthfulness even if a person has aged. In a time of chaos, want a man of wisdom, man suffering with you showing he is doing a public service

6) What role did women play in the paintings of the House of the Tragic Poet? What were the themes and messages in their stories? Are there multiple ways to interpret these stories? Bergman

If we analyze the arrangement on a "purely formal" level, it is immediately evident that the panels were composed in relation to each other and for this space. Color, postures, and costumes linked the scenes (Fig. 28). Throughout the series, dark-skinned, heroic men draped in purple or red sit near pale, upright women clothed in. 241 On one level, these are all women in transition, joining or leaving the men they love. 245 But for those who know their stories, the formal resemblances invite consideration of the very different situa tions of the three women-Hera, the goddess bride and model for wives; Briseis, torn prize of war; and Helen, the abducted and adulterous queen. The compositional formula serves as a prod to remember, compare, and reason, just as in the ancient memory system, "punning images are used to make orderly association." 245 Look at 246 Add her to the chain of women who throughout the house appear as the cause and cost of war: as booty, victims of abduction, and sacrifice, often in the of love or honor 249. Tension between the sexes, as that between gods and mortals, drives the plot, and it is a pervasive theme in this house as well. 251

1) What is the "ancient art of memory"? Why was it important in the Roman world? What was the role of the domus (house) in the art of memory? Bergman

If you were to train yourself in the ancient art of memory, you would begin by forming mentally a clear series of places. Once inside, you can start from any point in the series and move either backward or forward from that point, for it is the spatial order of the storage that allows for retrieval. The identification of the house with an individual is manifest in the recorded instances of damnatio memoriae, which included the destruction of the home as part of the programmatic eradication of a person's memory. In particular, the old form of the Italic domus-the very form adopted for artificial memory-was tinged with the past. Page 1 Memory was the most necessary tool for life, especially for a society that was illiterate but gave speeches order the ideas, words or images you wish to remember by placing things first in the vestibule, atrium, impluvium, side rooms and even onto statues or paintings. the built frame was essential to organize objects, thoughts and expereince hierarchy of family, family is remembered through you your house can function to remember your family and personal history oral emphasized society requires memory memory house - walk through house, could be in mind, and associate memory with physical objects

3) How does the Res Gestae fit into the larger propagandistic program of Augustus? How does his characterization in the text compare to his depiction in art?

It his achievements and tells that the whole world is under the sovereignty of the romans As victor, I conquer, I raised an army, I captured connects self to ceasar, doesnt say its a civil war but says he reunites and frames it intenionally cesear - a god so as adopted son, emphisizes being his son, he too can be seen as perhaps a god raises cesear to raise himself

1) Read the description of the Ara Pacis Augustae in your textbook. What is the Ara Pacis? Where was it located? What was its function? What type of relief sculpture decorated the building?

It is the Altar of Augustan Peace brought by augustus It is a grand enclosure wall encasing a smaller altar raised on steps Sculpture relief is on the inside and outside Interior: looks like wooden fence posts on which hang bulls' skulls, sacrificial bowls, garlands, the fruits in the garlands represent all four seasons remind the viewer that Augustus peace spanned the entire year Outside: the programmatic message of peace and prosperity is enhanced by mythological and allegorical imagery Tellus, mother earth, is sometimes identified instead as Pax (peace) which is one of the main themes of the monument

1) In your textbook, where was the text of the Res Gestae originally placed? Why was this spot chosen?

It was inscribed on two bronze tablets outside the door to his familys tomb but copies were recorded all over the empire eternal resting place connects to his accomplishments

6) Who were Gaius and Lucius and why are they relevant to a discussion of the Ara Pacis?

Julia is the daughter of Augustus and the widow of Agrippa. Gaius Ceasar and Lucius Caesar are her sons. There were Augustus young adopted heirs and he was rarely separated from them - sat beside him at dinners and accompanied him on journeys and was involved in their education Their images have been found in art usually with the boys together

6) How would a Roman viewer have "read" the gem's narrative? What role does time play in the gem's narrative?

Legitimacy that the emperor is divinely choosen and predestiny that Tiberius will take over Emperoros choosen by gods to lead Military might Mix of old and new to give new legitamcy

8) How does the selection from Polybius relate to the article by Nodelman? Sheldon Nodelman

Living men see dignity in men who were shown in face masks because it was a sign of worth and a successful life. responsiblity to dead anscestors virtues of family members - justifies why they are in power now loss of patrician is the loss of Rome

4) Does Kleiner believe that the Parthenon frieze served as a model for the Parthenon? Why or why not? What other works of art does she argue influenced the Ara Pacis?

Multiple sources influenced the Ara Pacis The Altar of the 12 Gods was the architectural model The acanthus ornament of the roman altar is based on pergamene reliefs with Attic intermediary So no reason to believe there weren't multiple sources to influence the friezes Parthenon is a clear model but other models were used for the important family groups bc this is a normal the Parthenon lacks so influences may be found from Greek funerary stelai

2) How is the text of the Res Gestae organized? Which deeds does Augustus include in this list? Why were these types of accomplishments chosen, and why does Augustus describe them in such detail?

Official autobiography - how he wanted to be remembered There assessments of his own accomplishments beginning of his life to end accomplishments become greater and greater

6) According to Polybius, what were the rites associated with the burial of a well-known Roman man? Were funerals private or public affairs? Sheldon Nodelman

Public speeches were made about the man's successful exploits. The mask of the deceased were placed in the most conspicuous spot in the house surmounted by a canopy or shrine. The masks would be worn at funerals by people who were of similar height. The people wearing the mask would wear clothing symbolic of characteristics of the persons face the mask portrayed. a way to keep anscestors alive

7) What social laws regarding families and marriage were introduced by Augustus? How are these laws reflected in the Ara Pacis friezes?

The Ara Pacis is consistent with the social policies of Augustus Children were important in his social legislation and children were prominent in the pictorial propaganda Marriage and childbirth were pushed for to keep the roman population

3) How does Roman portraiture reflect the society and culture that produced it?Sheldon Nodelman

The face expresses physical strains of society in the wrinkles and in the twisted and pained expressions. The face of terrible emotional strains connects to the society torn apart in the chaos of the civil war. shows experience, wisdom, intelligence, respect, prestige

7) Why were funerals important in Roman society? What does Polybius' text tell us about how the Romans viewed death and their ancestors? Sheldon Nodelman

The funeral masks were used to venerate ancestors. The masks expressed honorable qualities of the deceased and bolstered the representation and credibility of the family. The masks were also worn during funeral processions to give a link to worthy ancestors immortality through memorializing

2) What is represented on the north and south friezes of the Ara Pacis? How are the figures organized? Are certain figures identifiable as historical personages?

The north and south precinct walls have two parallel parts of a single procession which move towards the west side of the monument and the steps lead to sacrificial altar South: imperial family headed by Augustus , followed by three family groups with children present, The first group is of Marcus Agrippa and the empress Livia with the child being Gaius or Lucius Caesar North: family groups, begins with lictors and togati but at the end of the panel a child is introduced identified as a young prince Roman frieze -procession in honor of the consecration of the Altar of Peace in 13 BC after Augustus' return from Spain and Gaul

3) Described the painted panels of the House of the Tragic Poet. Consider size, color, composition, and subject matter. Where were each of these panels originally located in the house? Bergman

The small atrium seems altogether too modest for the monumental figural panels simulated in fresco on its walls. To the nineteenth-century eye, the individual panels resembled the oil paintings one might see in a museum gallery, and in order to preserve them, a few years after their discovery they were cut out of their surrounding design and transported to an actual museum in Naples. 226 20 paintings of themes related to Mythology and theatre. the paintings connect to one another The simple color coding in the house worked to both unify and separate spaces, a principle that operated in the placement of narrative panels as well. Thus the three privileged spaces also received the monumental, epic scenes, while small idyllic moments decorated the more intimate rooms All the panels are large, roughly four feet wide by four feet high, with figures that are three-quarters lifesize. The first panel that would have been seen on the right upon entering the atrium depicts the Olympian couple Zeus and Hera on Mount Ida (Fig. 14). Their arms entwined, Zeus persuades his modest bride to lift her veil and reveal her face, which she turns suggestively to the viewer. This canonical scheme, seen in a metope from Hera's fifth-century B.c. Temple at Selinus (Fig. 15), celebrates that liminal passage in a woman's life from invisibility to exposure, virginity to marriage.23

1) What natural disaster is described in the letters of Pliny? When did this event take place and what were its effects? How does Pliny describe the eruption? (This is also in textbook in Chapter 2 and on pages 189-190.) Pliny the Younger

There was a major earthquake leading to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Outside of pompeii on the 24th of august in 79 AD. Pliny lost his uncle who was commander of the fleet. People had never experienced this before cloud was rising like an eumbrella pine, rose and split off into branches looked blotchy and dirty according to amount of soul and ashes it carried. The ash buried the town.

5) According to Pollini, what historical event is represented on the gem? What evidence does he use to support his conclusions?

Tiberius returning

5) According to Bergmann, what role does memory play in the House of the Tragic Poet? How are memory and tragic mythology connected? Bergman

Tragic myth . .. was a people's vision of its own past, with all that such a vision implies for social and moral problems and attitudes in its present. It was a vision of the past shaped by the selective adaptation of the oral tradition to forms symbolic of the permanencies in human nature and the human condition. It was rich in religious significance, for its interweaving of human action and divine purpose explored the relation of man to his gods. And the political, moral, and religious questions it raised were given a passionate intensity and a powerful grip on the emotions by their grounding in the loves and hates of family life.51 In the Roman world, tragic myth pervaded the very heart of family life, the domus. The pictures in the atrium of the House of the Tragic Poet could prompt the recall of epic verses, of classical panels, of performances, and, not least, of the memory "imprint or drawing within us. 249 Eclectic and episodic, the decor constitutes a kind of "memory theater," a collection of pictures with temporal dimension-pictures of the past. Memory, too, collects and reconnects moving fragments from the past, and the ancient writers were explicit about the relation between memory, theater, and painting. It is a relation that is manifest in the shared root of the terms mimus and mimesis, as well as in the imagines agentes, the "active images" that were employed in the memory system to trigger important thoughts or learned texts. Achilles, a general symbol of courage, was used as such a device as early as 400 Idea of looking at physical movement of the house to build memory and remember family history

2) What messages were communicated in Republican portraiture? How did the typical Roman senator choose to represent himself in portraiture?Sheldon Nodelman

Verism was used to show wisdom by the physical appearance of aging as well as displayed pride of identity. The face however expresses physical strains of society. Senators were recognizable however their busts were represented in a godlike manner and are idealized. "gravitas", dignity, piety, and loyalty

1) What is verism? What Latin word is the term derived from? How does verism differ from realism? Sheldon Nodelman

Verism, Latin word for "true" Baldness, lack of teeth, creases, wrinkles and blemishes Realism provides the appearance of what something looks like in actual, physical reality. Verism is presumed to be realistic, but the portraits reflect a Roman reaction against the ideal tendencies found in Greek portraiture. Departs from greek idealism, emphasizes flaws in exaggerated realism

2) Describe the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii. Consider its plan, decoration, and modern history and reception. What are "axes of differentiation"? How can they be seen in the House of the Tragic Poet? Bergman

veritable paradigm of the Roman domus and has enjoyed a rich afterlife, furnishing a kind of stage set for the projection of our own retrospective notions about Roman life and manners. A close look at the remains shows that this "model house" is actually quite distinctive. The small atrium seems altogether too modest for the monumental figural panels simulated in fresco on its walls. To the nineteenth-century eye, the individual panels resembled the oil paintings one might see in a museum gallery, and in order to preserve them, a few years after their discovery they were cut out of their surrounding design and transported to an actual museum in Naples. The layout of the House of the Tragic Poet seems to agree with Andrew Wallace-Hadrill's social "axes of differentiation" within the Roman house; on the one hand, the back, "private" suite is set off from the front, more public side, while the "grand" rooms are linked to distinguish them from the "humble" ones. The rapport among rooms, evident in their disposition and decor, is also an indicator of rhythms of movement and perception throughout the house. I focus here on the experience of the grand axis of the house, namely the atrium, the tablinum, and the peristyle, with a few sidelong glances into the smaller adjoining rooms. This is the axis of the architectural mnemonic. 231 people kept doors open, can see inside 2 stories, middle class to upper home