Late Roman Empire
Lecture
R O M E D AY 3
ID and explain how these two
images represent power?
How are these two buildings indicative
of Roman culture? ID
I N W H AT WAY S A R E T H E S E T W O I M A G E S
DIFFERENT? WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
ID. From which of these two images is borrowing occurring? What specific
architectural elements appear in each these buildings and how and why do
they differ.
Summary of Republican/Empire artistic
ideals/trends
Republican
Empire
• Trajan
• 98 CE –117 CE
-Commemorates Trajan's
victory over the Dacians
-A continuous narrative spirals
around the entire column up
125 feet.
-The band of narrative gets
wider at the top.
-It was a law at that time that
no one could be buried within
the walls of Rome, so Trajan
had his ashes placed under the
column.
-The figures in the narrative
are not in proportion to the
architecture around them, so
you see a major break from
Greek tradition.
-The column is topped with a
statue that was once a statue of
Trajan, but has since been
replaced with Saint Peter.
Column of Trajan
Roman High Empire
100 CE
• Story told in 150 episodes
• 2500 figures included
• Low-relief used to not
distort the overall shape of
the column
• Originally painted.
• Not an accurate
chronology of the war, but
it tells the over all story
Plaster Casts of the column so in
the Museum of Roman
Civilization
Originally market had 150
shops
Made of concrete
Multilevel mall
Semicircular building held
several layers of shops
Main space groin vaulted
A way for the average
Roman to participate in
Empire
Market of Trajan
Roman High Empire
100 CE
Key piece
Name this type of vault
Hadrian
-Complex created for the
Emperor Hadrian as a
retreat
-Hadrian helped design it
himself.
-Lavish mosaics mural and
architectural settings
-Colonnade with an arch
connecting the tops of the
columns alternating with
rounded and flattened lines,
all framing a reflecting pool
-Tries to incorporate the
landscape into the design
-References Egyptian and
Greek styles
-Interesting as it notes the
beginning of retreat of the
wealthy from Rome
Hadrian’s Villa
Roman High Empire
125 CE
Who is this
guy? Why is
he important?
Marcus Aurelius
He was the last Stoic
Emperor
His portraits start to depict
worry, weariness sorrow.
Such portraits were a major
turning point in the history
of ancient art and marked
the beginning of the end of
classical art in the Roman
world
Marcus Aurelius 161 CE –180 CE
Commodus 177 CE-192 CE
End of the Pax Romana
• Marcus Aurelius was the last great Roman emperor.
• When he died, the Pax Romana died as well.
• His son, Commodus was assassinated for his shenanigans.
• Society began to reject the Classical way of thinking and
depicting the world.
• Move towards abstraction away from naturalism AND idealism
How would you describe him?
Caracalla
198 CE –217 CE
-There were almost 400
baths in Rome
-The baths generally had
three rooms, hot
(caldarium), cold
(frigidarium), and warm
(tepidarium)
-Aqueducts and gravity
pressure, as well as piping
fed the hot and cold water
that was available to all
Romans for a nominal fee
Baths of Caracalla
Roman Late Empire
200 CE
•These were the largest baths constructed in Rome.
(They covered nearly 50 acres)
•Made of brick faced concrete
•Symmetrical along a central axis
•The Caldarium is so large it sits several hundreds
people.
•The dome that covered it was almost as big as the
Pantheon’s
•Stuccoed vaults, mosaic floors, marble faced walls,
colossal statues
•1600 people could be there at one time.
Name this type of
vault!
Al Khazneh or the Treasury
Roman High Empire
200 CE
•Classical architecture is used
only as a decoration- classical
rules are ignored.
•Lower level resembles a temple,
but columns are unevenly spacedpediment not wide enough
•Tholos like cylinder on top level
•Deep projection and indentation
•Greek elements used, but the
design is wholly Roman
-Very crowded surface with
figures piled upon one another -no illusion of space- rejection of
classical perspective
-Deep relief
-Figures lack individuality
-Confusion of battle is echoed
by a congested composition
-Roman army trounces the
bearded barbarians
-A major transition as the
Romans used to be burners…
now buriers
-Deep, confused lacking in
subtlety, teetering on the edge
of stylized
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
Roman Late Empire
300 CE
Crisis of the 3rd Century!
• This is where things really start to fall apart!
• Emperors are being deposed, assassinated and tossed aside faster than
you can say, “Lemony Snickett”
• In this hour of chaos, the emperor Diocletian (who was appointed
Emperor by his troops) decided to share power with his rivals and set
up the Tetrarchy, or rule by four people.
• He split the Empire into the East and West (two would rule the east
and two would rule the west)
• This was fine, until Diocletian retired. The new tetrarchs fought
among themselves and this form of government collapsed.
• The split into East and West, though survived.
•
-There is an Augustus (President)
and a Caesar (Vice President). The
senior president has a beard with
his hand around the vice president
to show he is a mentor.
-The figures have huge arms and
heads, leaving all traditional styles.
-Leaving Classical Greek styles is
showing they want their own way
-The facial expressions give
reference to early Archaic style.
-Large cubical heads and squat
bodies
-lack of individuality
-return to the Egyptian block and
iconic status of the human form
rather than natural (or even
idealized) form
Four Tetrarchs
Roman Late Empire
300 CE
Chaos!
• Out of the fall of the Tetrarchs comes Civil war.
• One man is able to beat back his opponents- Constantine.
• Attributed his victory to the Christian god. He subsequently
ended the persecution of Christians.
• Moved the Capitol of the Empire to Byzantium (modern-day
Istanbul) and declared Christianity the official religion of the
Empire.
• This begins the transition to the Medieval world
-Built after the battle of Milvan Bridge
to commemorate his victory
-Was built to please the emperor
-Feeling of chaotic narrative
-There is no unity or perspective.
-Often only see heads in a mass without
bodies below them - completely moved
away from the Classical Greek tradition
-Portrays the unification of the East and
West
-This more chaotic approach to art was
accepted by the Christians because it
was not the art of the pagan Greeks.
-This arch is a bridge from the Classical
to Medieval.
-The roundels, columns and reliefs were
taken from previous arches.
-The heads on the sculptures were recut
to show Constantine’s face
Q:What does the reuse of old pieces do?
Arch of Constantine
Roman Late Empire
300 CE
Key Piece
A:
1.
2.
3.
It shows:
Waning creativity and technical skill
Waning $
Desire to associate himself with the good-olddays
• How is this different from the previous reliefs?
-Was depicted as Jupiter himself
-The original statue had Constantine
holding an orb, symbolizing his
divine rule.
-Arms and legs were made out of
marble and the rest of the body was
made out of brick and wood
-The head is abstract, but the rest of
the body is realistic.
-The entire structure symbolizes
Constantine's power.
-lack of subtlety, as it is simply huge!
Designed to fill you with awe
Sat in the Basilica Nova
Portrait of Constantine
Roman Late Empire
300 CE
Key Piece
Basilica Nova
Basilicas were used as civic
buildings, for banking,
courts, and audience halls
-The seat of Constantine’s
government In Germany
-Plain brick once covered with
marble on the interior
-Triumphal arch in the apse
-The Basilican plan inspired
Christian churches of the medieval
period
-The Roman basilica is a political
assembly and a hall of justice, not a
church. This of course will change
as Catholics embrace the design for
their churches
-Hall is heated by a space under the
floor which transmitted heat from a
furnace
-Buttresses arch into a second story
windowed clearstory
Note the use of GLASS- lead framed
windows were quickly becoming
popular
Aula Palatina
Roman Late Empire
300 CE
Key Piece
Next time…
• Cumulative ID final: Computer Lab- B104?
• Review for Essay final
• Thursday:
– Essay Final
– In Two weeks:
• Late Antiquity/Christian art, starring….You Guys!