Classic Civilizations

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The Forum and Markets of Trajan

(The first picture is just of the Markets of Trajan while the second picture is a diagram of both the Forum and Markets of Trajan)

The Forum and Markets of Trajan are a magnificent piece of Roman architecture built between 100 and 112 AD, during Trajan’s reign. While technically, the Forum and the Markets are different structures separated by a wall, they are typically thought of as one. Both pieces of architecture were designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, Trajans chief architect. The forums dimensions of 380 x 312 feet help give an idea of how monstrous the markets were.

The market was constructed as a semi-circle that wrapped around a large, open exedra. Originally there was a fairly sizable hill on the eastern side, but it was cut away to allow for the construction of the markets. The markets were multi – leveled and had a wide variety of different merchants that sold their goods there. The smaller shops were located on the curving part of the markets, and larger shops were located in the Aula, the two storied hall on the top of the complex. A more relatable way to think about the Markets of Trajan is to see them as the world’s first shopping mall. It truly is relatable to present day and to think that this was built almost 2000 years ago is unbelievable.

Ramage, Nancy, and Andrew Ramage. Roman Art. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2005.

[sabrina8825]

Great job giving background information and content, Logan! The content really helped me understand the pictures of the architecture you included in your post. Something I think you could improve on would be to include more significance. For instance, include some content, but then analyze why that content may be important, or what effect that may have on the viewer. I really liked how you compared this piece of architecture to a modern day shopping mall. That is definitely something a woman can understand!!!

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Thank you for your feedback! I completely agree, now that you mention it, that I should discuss the significance along with the content. The market was able to consolidate a lot of shops to take up less space as Rome kept growing and it also made shopping much more convenient. Instead of traveling all around the city, you were able to go to the forum and market and get everything there. With the market being right next to the forum, it was also in the center of the city making it a ideal place to be.

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Parthenon Lecture/Reflection

This gif accurately portrays how I felt standing next to the statue of Athena in the Nashville Parthenon.

I attended a lecture at the Nashville Parthenon on September 20, 2016. The lectures subject was about the Greek port town, Kenchreai. Kenchreai was located on the Saronic gulf and was the eastern harbor of Corinth. Being a port town, it became a crossroad for ideas and cultures. The speaker was part of an excavation team in Kenchreai and he touched on where ruins were found during the excavation and why it was so hard to find them. The ancient port town is now covered by a village, used for vacation just as the ancient Athenians did, but this created a difficult time for excavation. Some ruins were found on artificial breakwater, others were found by excavating the harbor, and even more were found on what is called the Koutsonglia ridge. The first harbor was buried until the first century until a new one formed and excavators somehow found a town house that became a busy warehouse for trade. On the Koutsonglia ridge, remnants of an opulent community, wall paintings, an expansive cemetery, and burial chambers were found.

           Being a crossroads for ideas and cultures, examples of religious activity have been found here. They have found paintings and statues of Dionysus, Aphrodite, Isis, and Poseidon which shows that pagans passed through and lived there. They also believed in magic, which was shown by findings of lead tablets near altars or graves. These tablets were not meant to apply to the dead, but instead for visitors to open a portal to the underworld. The Octagon, the most magnificent Christian building in Kencrheai, shows that residents of the town also believed in Christianity. The central monument of this building is thought to commemorate the Deacon Phoebe, who worked with St. Paul and became a celebrated figure for eastern Christianity.

           Overall, the lecture was very informative, but the speaker was extremely boring and spoke as if everyone knew what he knew. This created a lot of problems for me comprehending and progressing through his lecture.

^ Me during the lecture

[stevenmathens-blog]

Temple of Saturn, Roman Forum, 498 BCE

Located in the Roman Forum, Saturn quickly became one of the most important gods to the Romans, given his connection to agriculture, and Rome’s dependence on agriculture for income. Because of its importance, it was also used as the repository for the State Treasury.

The temple was restored in 42 BCE, and rebuilt between 360 - 380 CE after it was burned down. The rebuilding during this time explains the very Greek aspects of the temple’s architecture. The eight remaining columns are unmistakably Ionic in style.

The temple sat on a monumental podium, something that can be seen even today. This makes sense, given the god the temple was dedicated to and its location in the Roman Forum. The below image shows a reconstruction of what the temple might have looked like following its reconstruction. The engaged columns circling the temple can be seen, an adaptation of the Greek peristyle.

Additionally, the large staircase leading up to the temple porch is another very Roman aspect. Roman temples were meant to be approached from the front, with the staircase inviting people into the temple. This is better illustrated in the below image. 

While these images are only reconstructions, they can be backed up by other Roman temples around the ancient world, such as the Maison Carrée (below). The Maison shares those Greek adaptations characteristic of later imperial Rome, including the engaged columns, as well as the Roman aspects of the forward-facing staircase and attraction to the temple from a frontal view.

Bibliography:

Woodford, Susan. The Art of Greece and Rome. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004

All images found on Artstor

“Temple of Saturn,” University of Chicago, accessed December 1, 2016 http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/romanforum/saturn.html.

[centaur--of--attention-blog]

This was such a good analysis of this temple! You covered everything from time period to style to when it was reconstructed. Who was the ruler when this temple was built? Since it was burned down, was it originally made out of wood, or was it just the interior that was destroyed? Overall, you did a fantastic job on analyzing this beautiful temple.

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The Forum and Markets of Trajan

(The first picture is just of the Markets of Trajan while the second picture is a diagram of both the Forum and Markets of Trajan)

The Forum and Markets of Trajan are a magnificent piece of Roman architecture built between 100 and 112 AD, during Trajan’s reign. While technically, the Forum and the Markets are different structures separated by a wall, they are typically thought of as one. Both pieces of architecture were designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, Trajans chief architect. The forums dimensions of 380 x 312 feet help give an idea of how monstrous the markets were.

The market was constructed as a semi-circle that wrapped around a large, open exedra. Originally there was a fairly sizable hill on the eastern side, but it was cut away to allow for the construction of the markets. The markets were multi – leveled and had a wide variety of different merchants that sold their goods there. The smaller shops were located on the curving part of the markets, and larger shops were located in the Aula, the two storied hall on the top of the complex. A more relatable way to think about the Markets of Trajan is to see them as the world’s first shopping mall. It truly is relatable to present day and to think that this was built almost 2000 years ago is unbelievable.

Ramage, Nancy, and Andrew Ramage. Roman Art. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2005.

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Art 3.10

Question: Why did they build such grand buildings in the areas the conquered? It seems that they would have wanted to make Rome even better than it was, so why would they devote resources, architects, and time to a conquered area?

Comment: The size of the Imperial Baths of Trier amazes me. To think that a public bath building was more than 1.5 football fields wide and almost 3 football fields long is absurd. I would have loved to see this behemoth of a building at its prime. It’s disappointing, but understandable that it was never finished.

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Confessions Book 3

Question: What did other people think about Augustine? He seems to be really hard on himself so I'm not sure if everyone around him saw his flaws.

Comment: I’m still amazed about how analytical and insightful Augustine is about God and religion at his young age. He seems so mature for such a young man.

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Confessions book 2

Question: Why is Augustine so hard on himself? He's so young, yet he thinks he is a terrible human being for struggling with sin, which is something everyone struggles with. Comment: Augustine's struggle with sin is still so relevant in today's society. So many people realize that sin is bad and they shouldn't do it, but what sets Augustine apart from most people is that he realizes his sins and reflects on them. It's incredible that he was able to do this at such a young age.

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Confessions Book 1 & Rome 4

Question: Are there theories for why Constantine became a Christian? I found it very intriquing that know one knew why he did it.

Comment: I’m not a fan of the language used in the first part of Confessions. I find that style hard to understand, but later on it seemed to change and get easier. Maybe it was just me getting used to the language or maybe it actually did change.

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Sacred Landscape, from Pompeii

This Roman wall painting dates back to 63-79 AD. It was found in either Herculaneum or Pompeii, but most likely Pompeii. It is a perfect example of the third Pompeian style by adding amazing dimensions on a flat surface instead of it seeming like the person is looking into a distant space. This painting would have been on a flat wall in a house or other building. Despite the painting being on a flat wall, the painting itself is extremely realistic and the proportions of distance are very believable.

It depicts a tower, trees, statues, and human figures, which when combined forms something called a sacred landscape. Shepherds are shown around their sheep as they wander through the serene landscape, most likely of Pompeii (before Vesuvius erupted). The light brush strokes allow for it to seem airy and fresh. Overall, this painting is a perfect example of Roman paintings and also the third Pompeian style.

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Art 3.9

Question: How did the Romans create concrete? I don’t mean the actual process, but the idea of concrete as a whole entity. It doesn't seem like the creation of it would be very simple or logical.

comment: The Roman’s architecture is outstanding and it awes me every time I see anything about it. I can’t even begin to comprehend how they created such magnificent structures with so little technology.

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Letters and Meet the Romans

Question: Why did everyone decide to follow Pliny as he was leaving? Why didn't they leave before then? If i was really in that much danger, I would not wait for someone to leave before me, I would try to be the first to leave.

Comment: I wish the US did your tombstones like the Romans did. In the US we just have a name, date, and sometimes a few words, but the Romans had entire life stories so that you knew who had died and what they did.

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Aeneid Books 9-12

Question: Why did Jupiter bother voicing his position on no gods intervening if he wasn’t going to stand by it? Jupiter clearly states it and then Juno and Venus immediately want to intervene and Jupiter lets them.

Comment: At the beginning of book 9, I found the thought of a full on war vessel turning into a sea nymph hilarious. It’s not the idea of a ship turning into something else that I find amusing, but it is the part of how a huge boat turns into human sized creature. I don’t know if that was supposed to save the ships, but either way, the Trojans still don’t have a ship.

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Portrait of Augustus as Priest

This sculpture of Augustus of Rome as a priest was created in the first century AD and measures in at 6ft 10ins (2.08m). Roman sculptures are often very Greek like, but this one is slightly different than a typical Greek influenced Roman sculpture. It is Greek in the sense that it has the typical contrapposto and body shape that the Greeks invented. Augustus’s weight is on his left foot, which raises his left hip and drops his left shoulder. The contrapposto and body are the only things very Greek-like about this sculpture. The toga is a Roman thing, which makes it easily identifiable as a Roman sculpture. As seen in the sculpture, the toga falls very unrealistically and the folds are also very unrealistic. The toga is drawn over Augustus’s head, which is signifying that he is a priest. The body of this sculpture was carved as a generic body of a priest and then the head and neck were carved separately and placed on the body. This can be easily seen by the line separating the body and neck. The typical hairstyle of Augustus, the crab claw, can be seen by the 2 curls in the front. It is also a very Roman idea to have a specific sculpture of a person and not of some abstract person or thing. Overall this sculpture is a good representation of how Romans used Greek influences in their art, but still had some originality.

Ramage, Nancy, and Andrew Ramage. Roman Art. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2005.

[joncastor-blog]

This was a great analysis and you did a good job of focusing on the style of the piece. On the flip side of things, where was this statue kept? Did it have some special significance or was it just another statue of an emperor? Besides the hairstyle of the statue, I feel like you could have focused a little more on the head of the statue. For example. the strong facial features and cheekbone of the face. Also, with the look that the face has, how would you interpret this face? 

[centaur--of--attention-blog]

Thank you for your criticism and questions. The sculpture was found on the Via Labicana, which was a road leading to Rome. I am not sure why it was there, but it was most likely made because Augustus was the religious head of Rome during his time. I totally should have focused more one his face, as it depicts him as older than most other sculptures of him, but he is still calm and focused. His facial expression is that way because he is most likely performing a sacrificial ritual.

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Aeneid Book 6

Question: Why are there different fields in the underworld? Why not just have everyone in one place instead of separating them?

Comment: It was so sad when Aeneas saw Dido and went to talk to her. When she turned away from Aeneas to face her husband showed that maybe it wasn't so bad for her in the end. She was able to be reunited with her husband for eternity in the underworld.

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Aeneid Book 4

Question: Was there anything that could have been done so that Dido and Aeneas could have stayed together? It was so cruel to make them fall in love and then separate like that.

Comment: I felt like Dido was over-reacting when she killed herself. Yes, her heart was broken, but was suicide really the answer? 

[its--greek-to-me-deactivated201]

Marble Statue of a Member of the Imperial Family

This Roman statue of a member of the imperial family was crafted between 27 BCE and 68 CE, likely during the reign of Augustus, Julius, or Claudius. It is made of marble, and as seen in the first image, much of the statue is missing. In antiquity, this statue would have been seen in public spaces, such as a basilica or a forum.  It would have been grouped with other similar statues, all of other members of the imperial family, for the public eye to see.

This statue displays huge power.  Its muscular and toned upper body suggest youth and strength.  Its half-naked presentation is that of Greek war heroes. Its flowing cloak and bent legs show motion, as if the statue is walking towards those viewing it from the front.  However, in all this power, it is still elegant.  Its slight contrapposto in the torso heightens the realism of this statue as it seems to approach its viewer.  The second picture shows the fine detailing in the Roman cloak that flows from the statue.  Even without the head, the statue seems to give off a certain confidence, as if the statue has more poise than any human ever could.  

This statue is now on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York along with one other statue that it could have been on display with.

Sources

Artstor. Accessed November 2, 2016. http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=/DFMaiMuOztdLS04ezV0S3UrUQ==&userId=gDdBcTA=&zoomparams=.

The Met. Accessed November 2, 2016. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2003.407.9/.

[centaur--of--attention-blog]

This was a fantastic analysis overall, but i wish you had gone into more detail of the physical aspects of the statue. You touched on the cloak, but not on how it it looks and whether its realistic or not. I think you could have also touched on the details of the statue more; such as the muscle tone. Is there a specific person that this is thought to be or is simply just a member of the Imperial family? Overall, great analysis! 

[centaur--of--attention-blog]

Portrait of Augustus as Priest

This sculpture of Augustus of Rome as a priest was created in the first century AD and measures in at 6ft 10ins (2.08m). Roman sculptures are often very Greek like, but this one is slightly different than a typical Greek influenced Roman sculpture. It is Greek in the sense that it has the typical contrapposto and body shape that the Greeks invented. Augustus’s weight is on his left foot, which raises his left hip and drops his left shoulder. The contrapposto and body are the only things very Greek-like about this sculpture. The toga is a Roman thing, which makes it easily identifiable as a Roman sculpture. As seen in the sculpture, the toga falls very unrealistically and the folds are also very unrealistic. The toga is drawn over Augustus’s head, which is signifying that he is a priest. The body of this sculpture was carved as a generic body of a priest and then the head and neck were carved separately and placed on the body. This can be easily seen by the line separating the body and neck. The typical hairstyle of Augustus, the crab claw, can be seen by the 2 curls in the front. It is also a very Roman idea to have a specific sculpture of a person and not of some abstract person or thing. Overall this sculpture is a good representation of how Romans used Greek influences in their art, but still had some originality.

Ramage, Nancy, and Andrew Ramage. Roman Art. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2005.