Arbiter Bibendi

[antoniagracious-blog]

ASCSA/Parthenon Reflection

Barbara Tsakirgis gave an incredibly interesting lecture on Athenian mosaics and shared her thoughts on their content and meaning. Dr. Tsakirgis began her lecture with a discussion of the Horas of Agora. She discussed how the public life of ancient Athens blended with the private life because the residential houses began immediately at the edge of the civic square. In fact, Tsakirgis mentioned that there was practically no gap between the civic square and the house of Simon. Tsakirgis believed that residential districts could aid in the understanding of the life of the city-state of Athens, the management of its economy, the conduct of religious its matters, and the negotiations between its different social groups. Tsakirgis comments on the mosaics of rosettes, circular designs, that were found (often on floors, but occasionally decorating walls) in residential Athenian homes. A common thought was that these mosaics were purely aesthetic, but Tsakirgis asserts that these rosette mosaics had a deeper meaning. She notes the growth of rosettes that portrayed star-like images, particularly a six pointed star mosaic that was considered an apotropaic symbol placed near doorways or windows to ward off evil from entering the home.

(wheel = torture and so wheel = love)  As the lecture progressed, Tsakirgis began discussing wheel mosaics that suggested a secret lover for men or a lack of control for women. Tsakirgis relates the wheel to Greek mythology where Aphrodite made a lynx (spelling?), which became a symbol of love used to lure your lover to you. What I found most interesting about this lecture is how the wheel’s significance to love may be tied to the wheel’s association with torture and love’s torture of one’s soul.

(me when Dr. Tsakirgis used words I had to look up, i.e. rosette, apotropaic, lynx)

[antoniagracious-blog]

Me: no worries!

Narrator: she had several worries

[antoniagracious-blog]

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

The temple was built in the Roman Forum in 141 AD by then-emperor Antoninus Pius as a monument to his wife, Faustina. After Antoninus died in 161 AD, he and his wife were deified and emperor Marcus Aurelius dedicated the temple to both Antoninus and Faustina. Over the entrance to the temple, a dedication reads, “Divo Antonino et Divae Faustinae Ex S.C.” which means “To the divine Antoninus and to the divine Faustina by decree of the Senate.”

The temple sits on an elevated platform of peperino blocks. The white marble used in the structure came from Proconnesus, a Turkish island, and the 56 feet tall, monolithic, Corinthian columns came from Karystos, a town from the Greek island of Euboea. The temple’s pronaos, made up of ten Corinthian columns, demonstrates that it was a version of the Ionic order. The frieze contains relief carvings featuring griffons and candelabras in ornate designs, but does not necessarily tell a full story.

Unfortunately, this temple no longer has much of the remaining structure beyond the portico. There are no pediments or roof left, due to adaptations made during the rise of Christianity. The temple was converted into San Lorenzo in Miranda, a Roman Catholic church, between the seventh and eleventh centuries. In 1536, the church was partially destroyed to restore the temple to its ancient appearance. The temple’s cella and portico remain, but the marble covering of the cella has been pillaged. This temple is unique because it was simultaneously damaged and preserved because of Christendom, which altered the temple’s appearance, but also kept it standing as a church.

(reconstruction drawing)

(view of frieze)

Images:

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CJGczI9NzldLS1WEDhzTnkrX3oteVRyfyY%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CJGczI9NzldLS1WEDhzTnkrX3oteVRzfyA%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

Sear, Frank. Roman Architecture. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1983.

Ward-Perkins, J. B. Roman Architecture. New York: Electa/Rizzoli, 1988.

[antoniagracious-blog]

(I could not find an analysis of my above post)

The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is different from other Roman architecture in that the rise of Christianity did not destroy it, but rather adapted it for a new use. This temple represents a blend of not only architecture, but also purpose. The roof, which looks out of place in the Roman Forum, was changed when it was turned into a church. The roof follows the architectural style of early churches, not of Roman temples.

[nicoleboulris-blog]

The Arch of Septimius Severus was constructed in 203 C.E. at the northwest corner of the Roman Forum during the most important period in the career of Septimius Severus. Severus had pushed deep into the East, completing two campaign against the Parthians.  Built with white marble, the Arch commemorates and celebrates the triumph over the Parthians by Severus with the assistance of his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. The structure is an example of imperial propaganda, its aim being to boost Septimiu’s Parthian victories as well as to proclaim the legitimacy of the Severan dynasty. 

The designers and carvers of the Arch of Septius Severus were firmly rooted in the Classical and Antonine style, while the handling of the scenes in the various panels is seen as an adaptation of the winding friezes of the Columns of Traja and Marcus Aurelius.  The arch was built on a Travertine base and originally had to be approached by steps from the Forum’s ancient level.  The three archways rest on piers, in front of which are detached columns on pedestals.  The middle, largest archway was used for city traffic, but the outer arches were closed off by steps.  Access to the roof was provided by an inner staircase within the south pier.  Originally, the arch was topped with statues of the emperor and his two sons accompanied by soldiers in a four horse chariot.  

Four main panels are the Arch’s most original feature.  These four panels depict scenes from Severus’ campaigns.  Because of poor preservation, many of these scenes are barely discernible.  Above the main arch is the central keystone, portraying Mars, the Roman God of War.  The keystones of the smaller arches have representations of Bacchus, Hercules, and river gods. Additionally, above each small frieze, there are depictions of triumphant processions of acquired booty and Parthian prisoners.  

Bibliography: 

“Artstor.” Artstor. Accessed December 03, 2016. http://www.artstor.org/.

Toynbee, J. M. C. “Arch of Triumph.” The Classical Review 18, no. 2 (1968): 230-31. http://www.jstor.org/stable/709004.

Vermeule, Cornelius. American Journal of Archaeology 72, no. 3 (1968): 295-96. doi:10.2307/503569

[antoniagracious-blog]

This is a beautiful arch and I really appreciate the detailed information you provided about it’s origin and content. Did Septimius Severus dedicate any part of this arch to his sons, Caracalla and Geta, who fought with him? Were there any stories portrayed on the arch that reflect his children, or does it mostly focus on the might of Septimius himself? Also, do you know where the materials were sourced from? Can you explain how the outer arches would have been closed off and how this would have changed the arch’s appearance? Great job!

[antoniagracious-blog]

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

The temple was built in the Roman Forum in 141 AD by then-emperor Antoninus Pius as a monument to his wife, Faustina. After Antoninus died in 161 AD, he and his wife were deified and emperor Marcus Aurelius dedicated the temple to both Antoninus and Faustina. Over the entrance to the temple, a dedication reads, "Divo Antonino et Divae Faustinae Ex S.C.” which means “To the divine Antoninus and to the divine Faustina by decree of the Senate.”

The temple sits on an elevated platform of peperino blocks. The white marble used in the structure came from Proconnesus, a Turkish island, and the 56 feet tall, monolithic, Corinthian columns came from Karystos, a town from the Greek island of Euboea. The temple’s pronaos, made up of ten Corinthian columns, demonstrates that it was a version of the Ionic order. The frieze contains relief carvings featuring griffons and candelabras in ornate designs, but does not necessarily tell a full story.

Unfortunately, this temple no longer has much of the remaining structure beyond the portico. There are no pediments or roof left, due to adaptations made during the rise of Christianity. The temple was converted into San Lorenzo in Miranda, a Roman Catholic church, between the seventh and eleventh centuries. In 1536, the church was partially destroyed to restore the temple to its ancient appearance. The temple’s cella and portico remain, but the marble covering of the cella has been pillaged. This temple is unique because it was simultaneously damaged and preserved because of Christendom, which altered the temple’s appearance, but also kept it standing as a church.

(reconstruction drawing)

(view of frieze)

Images:

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CJGczI9NzldLS1WEDhzTnkrX3oteVRyfyY%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CJGczI9NzldLS1WEDhzTnkrX3oteVRzfyA%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

Sear, Frank. Roman Architecture. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1983.

Ward-Perkins, J. B. Roman Architecture. New York: Electa/Rizzoli, 1988.

[antoniagracious-blog]

Art 3.10

Question: How could the Romans afford to build and maintain such extravagant bath houses? I understand that they would use spoils from war and slave labor, but would they charge entry fees to help keep revenue flowing? I can’t imagine something of this magnitude being purely charitable, so what would the person that sponsored a structure like this get out of it?

Comment: Romans took the Greek theater, which was very dependent on nature to create an incline and acoustics, and created something genius that could be built by humans in any setting. This allowed theaters in busy cosmopolitan settings, and created an encompassing, circular structure. These Roman theaters seem less connected with nature than Greek theaters, so I imagine the experience of watching a play would vary between the two. Did the themes of plays change drastically to accommodate the new setting of the Roman theater?

[antoniagracious-blog]

Confessions book 3

Question: What made the Manichee faith so bad according to Augustine? It sounded a little off base, but hardly covered in sin. Why did Augustine perceive it as such a dark time in his life? Was it common at this time for varying versions of Christianity to be practiced like the Manichee? Comment: I find it so interesting how Augustine seemed almost more ashamed at his time with the Manichee faith than any of his other sins. He committed sexual sins, theft, and yet he wrote about how his spirit was being ruined by tragedies and the Manichee beliefs.

[sabrina8825]

Confessions Bk 2

Q: Is Augustine writing his prayers and confessions down for himself, or does he keep in mind an audience? He says that someone will eventually read his words, but is his intention to write this for himself or for an audience?

C: I think Augustine is way to hard on himself in this book! He is actually such a good sixteen-year-old guy! Sure, he falls into peer (or should I say pear) pressure and lust, but he knows it was wrong and confesses it to God. I wish I could have been as good as him when I was sixteen! 

[antoniagracious-blog]

Confessions Book 2

What Augustine wishes he could have told his younger self:

Question: Augustine fell victim to some pear pressure (hahaha) when he was younger, but, according to his beliefs, did he consider his theft of the pears or his sexual exploration more dangerous and sinful? When reading, I personally saw his sexually promiscuous and, in some cases, immoral deeds as worse, but he seems equally ashamed of stealing the pears.

Comment: I think it is interesting that Augustine is so forthcoming about this period of his life, which is is so ashamed of. Augustine does not just confess his sins, but he uses them as lessons against pride over God and a separation from God.

[antoniagracious-blog]

Livia’s Villa at Prima Porta

This villa belonged to Augustus’ wife, Livia Drusilla, and was located in Prima Porta, about 9 miles outside of Rome. It was one of the largest villas in the area at about 150,000 square feet. According to the historian Suetonius, the location was chosen for the villa after an eagle dropped a white hen with a laurel branch in its mouth in Livia’s lap.

Livia’s villa at Prima Porta is especially noteworthy for its subterranean triclinium, or dinning room, that portrays a garden expanding beyond the four walls. The art of the windowless, underground dinning room is comparable to the Pompeian Second Style where the confines of the room appear absent. The paintings can be dated to between 20 and 10 BCE, a period of transition between the Second and Third Styles.

The paintings lack any human figures and therefore give the viewer the sensation of being alone in a far-reaching garden. However, they are full of diverse plants and animals, including nightingales, laurel plants, oak trees, and many others. The painted garden scene illustrates not only a dream-like paradise, but also a collection of unique botanical specimens. Although the walls feature different types of plants, they all seem to be in bloom at the same time, which can be interpreted as symbolic for the prosperity of the Imperial age. The growth and nature imagery of the room reflect the time of imperial growth and hope for the future under Augustus’ rule.

Mazzoleni, Donatella and Pappalardo, Umberto. Domus: Wall Painting in the Roman House. Translated by J. Paul Getty Trust. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2007.

[classicsaremeanttobereadalo-blog]

What an excellent choice for a Material Culture Project! The inclusion of story about the reason for this villa’s location is brilliant. The emphasis on birds in this room, and the specificity with which they are portrayed, provides an interesting example of ornithology in the Roman world. Do the types of birds or fruits in these paintings hold any particular significance? What is the color palette? How does the artist use light and shadow to portray depth? This analysis gave excellent background detail and did not take the reader’s knowledge for granted, including the explanations of the concepts utilized in the evaluation of this painting.

[antoniagracious-blog]

I could not find any specific significance for why certain plants or animals were featured in this Roman wall painting, but the inclusion of various birds and plants from different areas and climates indicate a sense of paradise and unity that was a common sentiment in the idealistic imperial age. The color palette of this piece works mainly with blues and greens, but incorporates some yellow and brown. The unknown artist uses light to highlight and detail the front line of trees, and also plays with shadow to make the garden seem like it is expanding beyond the viewer’s range of sight.

[stay-hydra-ted]

Gardenscape from the Villa of Livia, Primaporta, ca. 30-20 BCE

Keep reading

[antoniagracious-blog]

This is an excellent post that provides an understanding of the stylistic design of the wall painting, but I do have some more questions.

What do you mean by the “breathing room” that this garden mural created in the room?

You mentioned that Greek paintings do not focus on nature like this gardenscape does. Are there any other significant similarities and differences between this piece and Greek paintings?

One thing that stood out to me was that the entire garden featured different types of plants, yet everything was in bloom. Do you think this had a significant symbolic meaning or was it more for aesthetic purposes?

Great job on your post!

[antoniagracious-blog]

Livia’s Villa at Prima Porta

This villa belonged to Augustus’ wife, Livia Drusilla, and was located in Prima Porta, about 9 miles outside of Rome. It was one of the largest villas in the area at about 150,000 square feet. According to the historian Suetonius, the location was chosen for the villa after an eagle dropped a white hen with a laurel branch in its mouth in Livia’s lap.

Livia’s villa at Prima Porta is especially noteworthy for its subterranean triclinium, or dinning room, that portrays a garden expanding beyond the four walls. The art of the windowless, underground dinning room is comparable to the Pompeian Second Style where the confines of the room appear absent. The paintings can be dated to between 20 and 10 BCE, a period of transition between the Second and Third Styles.

The paintings lack any human figures and therefore give the viewer the sensation of being alone in a far-reaching garden. However, they are full of diverse plants and animals, including nightingales, laurel plants, oak trees, and many others. The painted garden scene illustrates not only a dream-like paradise, but also a collection of unique botanical specimens. Although the walls feature different types of plants, they all seem to be in bloom at the same time, which can be interpreted as symbolic for the prosperity of the Imperial age. The growth and nature imagery of the room reflect the time of imperial growth and hope for the future under Augustus’ rule.

Mazzoleni, Donatella and Pappalardo, Umberto. Domus: Wall Painting in the Roman House. Translated by J. Paul Getty Trust. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2007.

[antoniagracious-blog]

Art 3.9

Question: How could the baths be so affordable if they were often beautifully designed and intricately decorated? How were they funded? Comment: I felt like the author was not giving the Romans their due credit for their architectural and design skill. Woodford even refers to the Greeks as having "superior culture," which seemed unfair and dismissive of the Roman style. The elevated temples especially provided an air of dominance that I believed surpassed the Greeks with their ground level structures.

[antoniagracious-blog]

Mother and Son (Electra and Orestes)

This sculpture group depicts a young man or boy attempting to embrace an older female figure. The two figures have been identified as Orestes and Electra, two of Agamemnon’s children and popular subjects of Greek mythology and tragedy. According to the mythology, Electra’s mother, Queen Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus, killed Agamemnon when he returned from the Trojan War. When Orestes was twenty years old, he returned home to avenge his father’s death and kill Clytemnestra.

However, the size difference between the two marble figures suggest a relationship between a mother and her son, rather than a brother and sister. In any case, the sculpture shows anagnorisis, a moment often in a Greek play when a character makes a discovery. In Greek anagnorisis means recognition, which is probably why it is associated with Orestes and Electra and their recognition of each other at Agamemnon’s tomb in Aeschylus’ trio of plays, The Oresteia.

Mother and Son (Electra and Orestes) was found in the grounds of the Villa Ludovisi in Rome and is now held in the Museo Nationale Romano. The work is signed “Menelaus, pupil of Stephanus, made this.” Stephanus’ teacher, Pasiteles, lived around the time of Caesar. According to this and other dating, the sculpture was made around 30 AD. The boy’s right arm and the woman’s left arm have been reconstructed.

Hafner, German. Art of Rome, Etruria, and Magna Graecia. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1969.

Strong, Donald. Roman Art. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995.

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CdEdFUgJjg1QEI8dzF8KBUrWHcleV9%2F&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CdEdFUgJjg1QEI8dzF8KBUrWHcleV99&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

[antoniagracious-blog]

Mother and Son (Electra and Orestes) by the sculptor Menelaus is incredibly notable for its drapery. The female figure is covered in a great deal of cloth, but the drapery exposes her breasts and other aspects of her figure beneath, which allow the viewer to immediately register the gender and age difference between the two figures of this sculpture group. Both figures stand with one knee bent in a contrapposto stance that adds the effect of a more natural appearance that assist the viewer in recognizing the familiarity between the two.

[antoniagracious-blog]

Mother and Son (Electra and Orestes)

This sculpture group depicts a young man or boy attempting to embrace an older female figure. The two figures have been identified as Orestes and Electra, two of Agamemnon’s children and popular subjects of Greek mythology and tragedy. According to the mythology, Electra’s mother, Queen Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus, killed Agamemnon when he returned from the Trojan War. When Orestes was twenty years old, he returned home to avenge his father’s death and kill Clytemnestra.

However, the size difference between the two marble figures suggest a relationship between a mother and her son, rather than a brother and sister. In any case, the sculpture shows anagnorisis, a moment often in a Greek play when a character makes a discovery. In Greek anagnorisis means recognition, which is probably why it is associated with Orestes and Electra and their recognition of each other at Agamemnon’s tomb in Aeschylus’ trio of plays, The Oresteia.

Mother and Son (Electra and Orestes) was found in the grounds of the Villa Ludovisi in Rome and is now held in the Museo Nationale Romano. The work is signed “Menelaus, pupil of Stephanus, made this.” Stephanus’ teacher, Pasiteles, lived around the time of Caesar. According to this and other dating, the sculpture was made around 30 AD. The boy’s right arm and the woman’s left arm have been reconstructed.

Hafner, German. Art of Rome, Etruria, and Magna Graecia. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1969.

Strong, Donald. Roman Art. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995.

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CdEdFUgJjg1QEI8dzF8KBUrWHcleV9%2F&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CdEdFUgJjg1QEI8dzF8KBUrWHcleV99&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

[antoniagracious-blog]

Meet the Romans and Pliny’s Letters

Question: If Pliny’s uncle was killed by the fumes and smoke of Mount Vesuvius,  what was the damage to the area he was in? Were those with him also killed, or did his death have more to do with his own health?

Comment: I thought it was so interesting that the population of Rome, even though it was a large city, was constantly trying to expand. The death rates were higher than the birth rates because of movement into the city. Mary Beard talked about how Rome was really a city where people came to die, which is dark, but makes sense with the dangers and diseases of city life. Another aspect of this I found interesting was how “Roman” was something you could become, even if you weren’t born Roman.

[antoniagracious-blog]

Rape of the Sabines

The “Rape of the Sabines” is a marble sculpture that is now displayed in the Piazza della Signoria under the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy. This sculpture was made by the Roman-trained sculptor Giambologna in 1582 from one piece of marble. Taking the size of this sculpture into account, it is amazing that he was able to craft the three dynamic and intertwined characters from one piece of marble. The piece depicts a famous story from Roman mythology and history. Shortly after the founding of Rome in 753 BCE, Rome was far from being a functional city. The population was comprised of asylum seekers and criminals, and the lack of women gave the settlement no hope for a future. Therefore, in an effort to gain wives, Romulus and his men asked the nearby Sabine tribe for their eligible daughters. The Sabines denied the unworthy men, and this spurred the Romans to create a plan to steal Sabine women. This event is known as the rape of the Sabine women, but rape in this sense is more closely related to abduction than sexual assault (although that was no doubt later involved). This sculpture has a distinctive winding, s-shaped movement around the central axis, with the three subjects each placed at different heights and body positions. The base of the sculpture has a man crouching beneath a man standing above him. This crouching figure represents the Sabine men who had their women taken out from under them. The man standing over the crouched figure is holding a frantic Sabine woman above his head as he abducts her. The twisted bodies and reaching arms demonstrate the viciousness of the rape.

Williams, Dyfri. Masterpieces of Classical Art. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2009.

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=4iFCeTg4NCciJy8laCt2KngqVXkhfll8fA%3D%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CJGczI9NzldLS1WEDhzTnkrX3kpdld2cyE%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=4iFCeTg4NCciJy8laCt2KngqVXkhfl1%2FfQ%3D%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=

[antoniagracious-blog]

My first experience with this piece was when I visited the Accademia Gallery in Florence this summer and saw the plaster cast of the sculpture in the middle of the Hall of the Colossus. I was in awe of the size and detail. Seeing the cast (and later the piece itself) in person was incredible because I was able to walk around it and really take in its detail. Something I found particularly interesting was how the figures’ faces resemble more classical Roman sculptures, yet the movement of the bodies was so advanced compared to older works.

http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CJGczI9NzldLS1WEDhzTnkrX3kpdlB8eyA%3D&userId=hz9NeDgq&zoomparams=