Roman Interior Self

Changing Sense of the Interior Self and Relations Between Humans and the Divine Roman art reflected a new sense of the interior self and a changing definition of the relationship between humans and the divine in comparison to Greek art. In Greek art the interior self was never really depicted as it is in Roman art. For example a Greek statue of a soldier prepared for battle would have been common in their culture, but an idea of how that soldier truly felt could never be gleaned like it can be from Roman art. Another major contrast between Greek and Roman art is the treatment of the relationship between humans and the divine. The Greeks considered the Divine as being present, but having an ambivalent or destructive role in the lives of humans.

After telling the Trojans that they can expect better times to come due to the disheveled status of their empire Virgil writes, “Aeneas said this, and though he was sick With worry, he put on a good face And pushed his anguish deep into his heart (8).” While Aeneas exhibits a different behavior from what he feels on the inside this description of Aeneas feels is something that would never be seen in Greek literature. Statements like these capture the essence of the interior self as it is shown in Roman literature since the way that Aeneas feels can still be interpreted. In terms of the relation of the divine to humans this can be seen in multiple places throughout The Aeneid. For example, Jupiter tells Venus that the future of Rome will be successful and The Fire God inscribes the same message on the Shield of Aeneas suggesting the presence of Gods in securing the future of the Roman

For example, “The Dying Gaul,” depicts a man that looks entirely defeated. Based on how he is looking downward, one can infer that he is also crying. This kind of sadness and depression would never have been depicted in a Greek sculpture. Roman Art also served to show who man is in relation to the divine. For example the Mosaic, “Christ the Good Shepherd,” displays Christ surrounded by a herd of sheep. In this work the sheep can be interpreted as man and clearly they are portrayed as following his lead. This suggests that there was a shift to viewing the divine as a higher power that man could depend