Public architecture in the late Republican period changed dramatically as Roman politics placed increased emphasis on conquest through expansion. Victorious generals often employed their own architects to build public monuments ex manubiis (Ward-Perkins 20). Julius Caesar constructed his Forum Iulium near the Forum Romanum while Pompey the Great constructed his Theatrum Pompei in the Campus Martius, and the complexes greatly impacted the status of the generals in Rome. Pompey and Caesar were in fact builder-generals, and they utilized the public nature of the complexes for their own ends. In merging religious cult with personal glory in the context of a public complex, they present such high-powered propaganda to the public that only increases their power as generals and Roman leaders. Pompey’s complex was so grand and monumental that it set the stage for those to come, like that of the Forum Iulium. Caesar’s complex, however, was even grander than that of Pompey as he affirmed his divine lineage throughout the entire space, making it extremely powerful. The Theatrum Pompei and Forum Iulium are examples of a larger theme in the late Republican period, where dictators like Caesar and Pompey demonstrate the use of a tool for orchestrating domination and separation from the lower class to maintain their position of power. Builder-generals like Caesar and Pompey set the true foundations of the political propaganda that would arrive in the Augustan period. Pompey the Great was awarded a triumph in 61 BC for his successful campaigns in the eastern Mediterranean, and following this he began work on a magnificent complex in the Campus Martius outside the city walls of Rome on the east bank of the Tiber River (Kleiner 56). The complex wa... ... middle of paper ... ...trix, the complex’s plan, and foreign works of art. While Pompey imbued his own personal accomplishments within his theatre complex, Caesar included that and more. By asserting his divine lineage through his temple to Venus Genetrix, statuary and orientation of the complex he raised himself so far above the general Roman public that he may have been despised by some, but revered by many. Caesar expanded upon the political propaganda methods of Pompey to extreme heights to help solidify his position as dictator perpetuo, and increased agency in political propaganda for future rulers, such as his son Augustus. Caesar and Pompey before him marked a transition in Roman public architecture where generals and leaders of Rome began to utilize building plans to communicate their greatness, and effectively go against Roman propriety to shape the architectural taste of Rome.
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
The Political Decay of the Roman Republic The fall of the Western Roman Empire was the first example in history on the collapse of a constitutional system which was caused by the internal decay in political, military, economics, and sociological issues. The government was becoming corrupt with bribery. Commanders of the Roman army turned their own army inward towards their own Constitutional systems, fueled by their own ruthless ambition. This paper will talk about how the violence and internal turmoil in 133 B.C.-27 B.C. was what provoked the economic stagnation in the city of Rome and to the end of the Republic and the many corrupt politicians and generals who only thought of nothing more than personal gains and glory. The senate lost control of the Roman military and the reason they rose against the senate was because the senate were no longer able to help manage the social problems or the military and administrative problems of the empire.
As Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon and took the Roman Republic, many came to love and praise him. Being a man of great prestige from his war campaign in Gaul, he was easily excepted by the Roman citizens. Cicero, a public enemy of Caesar's power, wrote, “They fear the man they once trusted [Pompey] and adore the man they once dreaded
When discussing the historical and cultural aspects it is important to take into consideration the culture, religion, political, social, economic and artistic aspects of the time period.The construction of the Colosseum occurred during the Flavian Dynasty, between 69 CE to 96 CE. The construction of this massive amphitheater began in 70 CE under the reign of emperor Vespasian and ended sometime around 80 CE under the reign of his son Titus (Vespasian, 2013). During this time period Vespasian was greatly known for his reorganization of the army and the expansion of the membership of the senate, which ultimately dealt with the political, economic and military aspect of the Roman history and culture.
Within the Ancient world, political leaders manipulated the balance between religion and politics to further their own power. In particular, Gaius Octavius (63 BC – 14 AD) later known as Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus, exploited the ‘imperial cult’ as a political tool within the Roman Empire. Termed by modern historians, the imperial cult was a combination of local religious cults where people worshipped the emperor as a deity who received divine honours exceeding all other living entities. By directly allowing the imperial cult in the Roman provinces, this achieved much required unity and stability throughout the Empire. Consequently, this enabled Augustus to indirectly incorporate the cult into Rome’s ritualistic polytheism practices.
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
The Roman Republic had an upstanding infrastructure, a stable social system, and a balanced constitution that solidified Rome’s greatness. Regardless of its achievements, however, the Roman Republic owes much of its success to classical Greek cultures. These cultures, in conjunction with the fundamental values of Roman society, certified Rome as one of the most significant powers the world has ever seen.
The Roman Republic began approximately around 509 B.C. when the nobles drove the King and his family out of Rome. This monumental incident helped shape the start to the transformation of the monarchy into a republican governmental system. This is known to have begun by that of the Roman nobles trying to hold their power that they had gained. The Republic was “[a] city-state [which] was the foundation of Greek society in the Hellenic Age; in the Hellenistic Age, Greek cities became subordinate to kingdoms, larder political units ruled by autocratic monarchs” (Perry 105)
Factors Which Led to the Spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire Christianity was not born in a vacumn. There were many social, geographical, historical and religious issues prevailing at the time of Christ and all of which were favorable to the spread of Christianity. Geograpicly, Christianity came into being in the Meditation world, the largest of the various centers of civilization at that time. Israel stands almost central to the five continents, dividing the east and west.
The primary function of monumental portraits in Ancient Rome was to honor political figures of power through repeating social and political themes. The Romans expressed these themes through a form of “realism”. Relics of this era were found depicting the elderly conservative nobility that lived through civil disruptions and war, elaborately individualized through detail of the face expression. Through the features of grimacing heaviness, wrinkles, and effects of old age, the Romans were able to express the reality of their political situation felt by the people whose faces were sculptured into stone. Furthermore, Nodelman discusses the use of sculpture portraits to depict the ideology behind Roman conservative aristocracy. Artists would portray the virtues of gravitas, dignities, and fides, through the use to physical expression and symbolic meaning, rather than through words. A statue of Augustus, for instance, displays the militaristic, powerful, godly perception of the conservative ideology through the use of symbolic detail. The decorative, rich, military outfit on Augustus, represents the power of the military and Augustus’s role as imperator in it. The freely held masculine arm and pointing gesture towards the horizon are Rome’s expanding dreams, clashing with the overall powerful and sturdy stance of the body. The bare feet bring about the impression
Narration- Julius Caesar was a victorious military leader who defeated Pompey, another militaristic general of the Roman Republic. In the course of his victory he rose to greater notoriety, and as he entered Rome he felt the support of an admiring public. He was offered royal status with a crown displaying his importance to the Roman people. Caesar refused the royal status thrice by not accepting the crown and each time the crowd roared. But was the roar of the crowd the sign of
They were the upper classes, the elites who established themselves since the beginning of Campagna contributing to the economic as well as the political activity of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Their inherent wealth enabled them to buy, sell and rent properties. Many of the landowners who had estates cultivated both vineyards and olive groves, two of the most profitable industries in Pompeii. It was due to the patricians fortune that the most extravagant and remarkable villas were ever built in Rome such as the House of Sallust and the House of the Faun where even its art epitomized extravagance and their reverent taste for both exotic and native decor. The taste for the exotic was to assert their distinct customs and ideals that isolate them from the less established and privileged society of Pompeii. Being a member of the aristocracy meant accepting the responsibility of presenting himself to the collective as they believed in the ideology that “décor is not simply a reflection of your taste; it is a way of asserting yourself and your family’s right to be part of Rome” (Shelley Hales). Without a doubt, the cities of Vesuvius exhibit the tangibility and the mobility of its social structure where immense wealth is revealed to overcome social status yet even that cannot beat nobility. However, one cannot neglect the empowerment of women and their spiritual and social emancipation proven within Eumechia a prominent Pompeian businesswoman and priestess honoured through a statue signifying her power and influence. Nevertheless, it is these astounding archaeological evidences that enable the modern mind to acknowledge Pompeii and Herculaneum’s significant social
Modern representations of Roman culture tend to ignore its centuries-long history, assuming consistency throughout ancient Rome. Although there was continuity, Roman architecture and spatial planning witnessed changes over centuries. Changes in politics, religion or knowledge of technology can often be perceived from buildings of different periods, as public constructions remained a major part of imperial propaganda. Topographic changes in the city of Rome during the reign of two important Roman emperors, Trajan (r. 97-117 AD) and Constantine (r. 306-337 AD), unveiled progression in engineering techniques, specific aspects of the emperors’ political propaganda, as well as changes in beliefs held by the people of Rome. Trajan reigned 97-117
The entrance of the exhibit stresses that Pompeii is such an important archeological find because so many artefacts were perfectly preserved from being buried underneath volcanic ash from the day of the eruption in the year 79 until the beginning of excavation in the 1700s. This point illustrated by a Roman bust in near perfect