HUM 111: Ancient Greek and Roman Art, Architecture, and Literature

Topic: ArtCinema Art
Sample donated:
Last updated: May 7, 2019
“The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” by Homer
Iron Age to Archaic Period; Showed power of the gods vs power of humans; showed how Greeks believed in honor from war

“Peloponnesian Wars” by Thucydides
Iron Age to Archaic Period; Documents Pericles’ funerary oration

“Antigone” by Sophocles
Classical Period; Tragedy; Main Themes: Harmony/Power of humanity and the gods, law, and wisdom (over reason); protagonist and antagonist are opposite of each other (“literary foils”)

“The Allegory of the Cave” from “The Republic” by Plato
Classical Period; Civilization over Barbarity; those who are in the cave are ignorant, and, therefore, barbarous, and those who make it outside of the cave and adjust to light and reason are civilized

“The Nicomachean Ethics” by Aristotle
Classical Period; the Golden Mean (desirable middle between two extremes)

“Life of Alexander” by Plutarch
Hellenistic Period; Tells the story of Alexander the Great calming a horse – “Civilization over Barbarism”; Shows that the Greeks valued success and honor in war

“Description of the Roman Army” by Josephus
Tells how the Roman army is always prepared and training, so they are always ready for war, how they are soldiers for life, and how being successful in war leads you to become a citizen of Rome

“Aeneid” by Virgil
Epic commissioned by Augustus to be a continuation of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey; Celebrates the origin and growth of the Roman empire, and the achievements of both Rome and Augustus; Combines Roman tradition of founding of Rome by Romulus with the legend of Aeneas, a Trojan hero who escaped to Italy after the fall of Troy; Connects Rome with Greece’s historic past

Roman Task?
???

“Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius
Draws from stoic philosophy of ancient Greece; Shows himself (the writer) as one with the people, but yet a ruler, which parallels with the sculpture of the writer as well

The Gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; John is the most abstract gospel; Mark was the shortest gospel

Gnostic Gospels
Books that were taken out of the New Testament

Pauline Epistles
Books of the New Testament that were written by Paul of Tarsus

“Letter to Trajan” by Pliny
Letter written to a Roman emperor, asking for guidance concerning the treatment of Christians; Response: Treat them as citizens, or non-citizens, as appropriate (so given a trial if they are citizens of Rome)

“Antiquities of the Jews” by Josephus
Significant, because it is an account of Jewish history from a Jewish person; account of Jewish history from the beginning of modern day

Dipylon Amphora, Dipylon cemetery, Athens
Geometric Period; Used at burial site (burial for a woman, based off of the grave goods found with this)
Kouros from Anavyssos, Attica
Archaic Period; Dedicated to a deceased individual and a god/goddess; Found in funerary complexes; Idealistic
Doryphoros (Spear-bearer) by Polykleitos
Created by most famous Greek sculptor; Roman marble copy by Greek bronze original; Represents the Platonic ideal of sculptures in the form of art (mathematically – head is 1/8 the size of the body); Contrapasto
Doryphoros (Spear-bearer) by Polykleitos

Athenian Acropolis by Ictinus and Kallicrates (architects) and Phidias (sculptor)
Rebuilt under Pericles from the money from the Delian League, celebrating Athena; Female form takes over the scene (3 forms of Athena are present: Nike, Pallas, Virgin); Doric order (masculine) – had more sculptural decorations
Parthenon
Part of Periclean Building Program; Used to have – “Athena Parthenos” sculpture by Phidas in the center; Uses optical illusion to avoid making the Parthenon from looking like itsfalling in on itself); East and West Pediments (triangular part) of the Parthenon shows story of how Athena became the patrion saint of Athens; Friezes
Parthenon

Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs
Painted; civilization over barbarity; takes place at a wedding between the lapis and the centaurs, who all end up getting drunk leading to a moment of chaos; shows that “Athens needs to get its act together”; Centaur: represents the Persians or the Spartans
Temple of Athena Nike
Part of Periclean Building Program; Goddess of Speed/Victory
Temple of Athena Nike

Erechtheion
Stores the olive tree given by Athena; Shows women presence
Propylaia
Part of Periclean Building Program; Gateway/ Processional entryway of Acropolis
Propylaia

“Aphrodite of Knidos” by Praxiteles
Classical Period; Roman marble copy after an original; Idealized female
Athena Battling with Alcyoneus
Hellenistic Period; from the frieze of the Altar of Zeus, Pergamon; Athena Nike; “Civilization over Barbarism”
Athena Battling with Alcyoneus

“Laocoon and His Sons” by Agesander, Polydorus, and Athendorus (architects) of Rhodes
Hellenistic Period; Roman copy of Greek original; Significant, because it was discovered during the Renaissance period (when Michelangelo, Da Vinci, etc. were alive); depicts temple priest of Apollo in Troy being attacked by Poseidon’s sea serpents, because he was attempting to warn the Trojans about the horse (filled with Greeks); Shows lots of emotion
“Alexander at the Battle of Issus” by Philoxenos of Eretria
Hellenistic Period; Had many Roman copies (that survived instead of the Greek ones); Mosaic (uses tiny pieces of glass and stone)

Apollo of Veii
Etruscan; looking down from the roof of the Portonaccio Temple
Etruscan Sarcophagus with man and woman from Cerveteri
Intimate scenes ? “Life going on even in death”; Show men and women supporting each other; showed power of women in this civilization
Etruscan Sarcophagus with man and woman from Cerveteri

Roman Noble with Busts of Ancestors
Idealized; Emphasizes the importance of lineage in the Roman world
Augustus of Primaporta
*Refer to Lec. 13 Notes*
Augustus of Primaporta

Ara Pacis
Celebrates Peace throughout the empire – “Pax Romana”; peace monument/altar during Augustus’ reign; supposed to go in Augustus’ mausoleum (NOT his tomb), so that prayers for Augustus could continuously be done; shows scenes of offerings and gods and goddesses
Ara Pacis

Pont du Gard
Roman Aqueduct and Arches
Pont du Gard

Colosseum, Rome
Built under the rule of Vespasian; “Bread and Circus”; Had gladiator fights and even boat fights; had storage rooms below; Shows Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders; built out of brick and concrete (invented by the Romans), but “coated” in marble and travertine
Colosseum, Rome

Pantheon, Rome
Expanded by Hadrian to be dedicated to all of the gods; Meant to be the largest temple in all of Rome; Significant architecturally, because the heaviest material used at the bottom, and got lighter as moved to the top); Became a temple to artists, so many artists were buried there (Raphael, etc.)
Pantheon, Rome

Arch of Titus, Rome
Commemorates the victory of the Roman Jewish wars when the Temple of Solomon was destroyed; Built and army was kept out of the city to get them to calm down after their “victory high”
Arch of Titus, Rome

Portrait of Four Tetrarchs, Constantinople
Sculpture that shows how the empire was divided under Diocletian’s rule
Portrait of Four Tetrarchs, Constantinople

Arch of Constantine, Rome
Built to welcome conquering armies back into the cities of war; Different from other arches, because it has three different entryways, to represent the three parts of the Roman World: Africa, Europe, and Asia; Took “Stuff” from other sculptures – Trajan (took figures at the top that were in chains – Daecians), Hadrian (took the circles, showing images of the gods), Marcus Aurelius (took rectangular portions at the top with oration scenes – because Marcus Aurelius was a great orators); *Ruler did this to associate himself with the more favorable emperors
Arch of Constantine, Rome

Colossus of Constantine
Majorly fragmented because the body was made with wood (which wouldn’t last), and bronze (which was probably melted down for war purposes later); Put in basilica
Colossus of Constantine

Orans, Catacombs of Saint Priscilla, Rome
Altar with a woman with her hands raised in silent praise/prayer, looking up at a personification of heaven (God is not clearly show to avoid direct references); Other figures are mourning the death of the person
Orans, Catacombs of Saint Priscilla, Rome

Junius Bassus Sarcophagus, Rome
Blends traditions from different civilizations:-Etruscan: Sarcophagus with deceased individual and wife on it-Greek: veristic, corinthian capitals, pedimental arches-Roman: togas, rounded archesAlso shows scenes from both the NT and OT ? “Typology”
Junius Bassus Sarcophagus, Rome

Typology
Related something from the OT to the NT

Christ as Good Shepherd, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy
Lots of parallels between Roman and Early Christian cultures at this time; Christ figure could be seen as Apollo; Needed to avoid direct references to Christ because of the second commandment in Exodus: “Do not make yourself any graven image” ? no names on the images; Could also represent second coming (two witnesses = two goats)
Christ as Good Shepherd, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy

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