Porta Prima Augustus Statue

Porta Prima Augustus

• A statue of a man slightly bigger than life-size
• It is made of marble, possibly a copy of an earlier bronze original.
• The statue's artist is unknown.
• Found in 1863 in Porta Prima, North of Rome.
• It supposedly belonged to Livia, the wife of Augustus.
• The statue portrays Augustus.
• Also known as Porta Prima Augustus.
• Most date it to AD20.
• It was likely a private gift from Augustus' successor, Tiberius, shortly after Augustus' death in AD14.
• The statue is a post-humous statue exhibiting Hellenistic tradition.
• Another argument suggests it is a copy of a bronze statue erected by the senate in 20 BC.
• The breastplate depicts victory over Parthians.
• Political figures often manipulated their image through statues.
• Displaying statues of political figures was common, like those of Alexander the Great.
• Sculpture connected to religion, political life, and signs of status, hierarchy, and wealth.
• Family members and famous political figures portrayed differently, where political figures needed to be recognizable.
• Recognition was achieved through coins, statues, and a specific look, even if manipulated.
• Coins used in the succession of Augustus to Tiberius, for example a coin from AD13-14
• Recognizable features include a thin face, prominent ears, and an idealized, non-aging depiction.
• The head resembles a classical Greek statue.
• Similar to statues of Julius Caesar, where Augustus = adopted son and heir of Caesar
• Augustus was Caesar's nephew
• The Romans believed in hereditary traits, including physical appearance and fundamental qualities like being a good warrior or politician.

Domus Aurea (Golden House)

• Constructed between 64-68 CE
• Legendary even in its own time
• Known as the Golden House due to its gold embellishments
• Built between Palatine, Caelius Hill, and Maecenatis Hill
• Scale and location can be found on Canvas 20.01.2025
• Features included two Nymphaeums
• Included a public bath (Therme) and a Stagnum
• Has an entryway with columns
• Featured a Colossus
• Commissioned by Emperor Nero, who ruled from 54-68 CE
• The house has a lot of stories associated with Nero and his rule.
• It is one of the few remaining structures from Nero's time.
• The Great Fire of Rome occurred on July 18th, 64 CE, destroying most of Rome
• A myth claims Nero burned down the city.
• Most experts think Nero had nothing to do with the fire and wasn't even in the town.
• Nero benefited from the fires by using the clear slate to start his projects like redesigning the city
• Nero decided not to reconstruct but redesign
• The reasons for building the Domus Aurea: Nero aimed to deepen his role and rule.
• Part of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty (27 BCE – 68 CE)
• The Dynasty was from Augustus to Nero
• The Dynasty includes Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, all linked somehow
• The Emperors shared the quality that they could justify their right to rule by talking about their militaristic victories
• Nero became Emperor at 17 without prior military or political experience.
• Nero was interested in art and building
• He was determined to be involved in fine arts like poetry and wasn't interested in battles or public speaking.
• He played the Lyre
• Canvas 20.01.2025 has account of the building project
• Building size had to be great to make an impression

Trajan's Column

• A sculpted monumental column
• 100 Roman feet tall
• Covered in relief sculpture
• The statue base at the top is about 25 Roman feet
• 3.7 meters in diameter
• Made from Carrara Marble from northern Italy
• Carrara marble's were very high quality
• Augustus famously said that he inherited a city of stone and made it a city of marble
• Made of 20 hollow drums
• The marble is from Carrara
• The column is still at the center of Rome
• It stands on Trajan's markets and forum and there is a map on Canvas
• Has libraries (one for Latin/ one for Greek texts)
• Trajan was one of the greatest Roman Emperors (AD 98 – 117), known as "Optimus princeps" or Best Princeps
• Trajan was the first emperor born outside Italy, and was born in Spain
• By the time he became emperor, he had proven himself in the military
• He was adopted, and therefore was able to become emperor
• Once he was emperor, he was proved to be a dynamic emperor at home and abroad
• The Roman empire reached its biggest point of expansion
• He was a wise leader
• Dedicated by the senate and people of Rome, as evidenced by the inscription from the 6th time imperator AD 113
• The column has legitimacy in looking like Augustus
• Portrayals depict Trajan looking like Augustus with big ears etc.
• The monument from Trajan's market survived in good condition
• The monument has a preservation order
• Acknowledged as a sightseeing and pilgrimage attraction, Pope Sixtus V had a statue of St. Peter put on top of the column to get rid of the pagan influence and Christianize it
• The column had 3 purposes in Roman times
• Used to exhibit sculptures of Trajan's campaigns
• Height of the hill
• Trajan's ashes were buried in a chamber at the base of the column
• Trajan was singled out for special treatment
• Structure was a lavish tribute for a great emperor
• Financial cost was great, the money used came from the conquest of Dacia
• The column has an internal staircase with 119 stairs

Decoration of Trajan's Column

• Covered in sculptures
• Reliefs spiraled around the column continuously instead of horizontally
• Decoration damaged by pollution, so it's better to study casts made in the 19th century
• Reliefs tell the story of Trajan's military campaigns in Dacia, including two campaigns.
• The Roman's engaged in conquest led to access to the Dacian gold mines (101 – 102 / 105 – 106 AD)
• Maintaining Rome cost a lot of money, and conquering a gold-rich country was needed to remedy this.
• Trajan displayed Virtus
• The spiral starts very narrow and ends very broad
• Scenes are separated by a thin line
• Low relief style has depth rarely exceeds 5 mm
• The scene starts with the Roman army crossing the Danube River (depicted as a giant god)
• In total, there are more than 2500 figures
• Insignia carried by the Roman figures identify the real divisions of the Roman empire who went on those campaigns
• Some sense of scale achieved: figures in the background are smaller than the one's in the foreground
• Trajan is depicted as the largest figure
• Change of angle = change of depth
• The scene shows Dacian prisoners being brought before the emperor
• A range of battle scenes including images of the popular testudo "Schildkröten" formation where Roman's built a box around them with their shields
• Shows an Adlocutio scene: Trajan addressing his troops/speaking to them in speaking position
• The enemy is depicted quite respectfully
• The death of Decebalus shown on the columnElevates the opponents which are depicted as honorable
• Aims for realism instead of an abstract style
• Classicism is depicted with the victory figure
• There were no fictitious figures help or take part in the war
• Sculptors try to depict a coherent picture
• Was a high point of Roman relief sculpture
• Later reused in the Column of Marcus Aurelius, where the Roman army was seen to need divine help

The Hinton St. Mary Mosaic

• Discovered in 1963
• A complete Roman mosaic made with polychrome
• It is one of the first known depictions of Christ in western art.
• It shows a biblical scene of Christ among a group of apostles.
• Depiction is unusual since early Christ depictions are not standardized.
• Dates from the 4th century AD
• Composed with Opus tessellatum called tessellated work which is larger tiled sections
• It utilized Opus vermiculatum which is smaller tile sections and also called worm work.
• The Mosaic has 2 parts
• Includes a central rounded depiction of a biblical figure
• Hunting scenes
• Scenes of Bellerophon winning over the Chimera
• Made with Colourful tesserae
• Discovered in a Roman Villa believed to be owned by a rich Roman family
• Currently located at the British Museum

Codex Ambrosiana

• The author of the codex is anonymous.
• It as likely written in Ireland.
• It contains commentary on the Psalms.
• Manuscript shows a primary text in Latin alongside extensive glosses in Old Irish.
• Current location is Biblioteca Ambrosiana
• Offers linguistic clarification by translating and explaining complex Latin terms and structures into Old Irish.
• Includes exegetical commentary, providing interpretations and explanations of the Psalms.
• There were various instructional tools for monks and scholars studying the Psalms and the Latin language.
• The Milan Glosses are part of a broader collection of Old Irish glosses found in continental manuscripts.
• Includes The Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles
• Includes The St. Gall Glosses on Priscian's Institutiones Grammaticae
• Found in the Thesaurus Paleohibernicus by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan (1901-1903)

A Monk's Scrapbook

• A Monk's scrapbook from a Thousand Years ago in 1023 - 1025 AD
• The writer of the book was Ademarus Cabannensis
• He engaged in writing, teaching, etc.
• In addition, other objects were used in creating the book
• Ademarus was a musical theorist, he invented a new method of musical notation

Ademarus as a Teacher

• Aquitania: He worked in Limoges and Angouleme
• Important as a teacher because he taught Latin through grammar

Liber Manualis

• Composed of 14 booklets that were later bound together
• There were 14 separate books in the beginning
• Featured a developed technique of binding with tacket holes
• School programs in the middle ages included a trivium and quadrivium
• The trivium included grammar, rhetoric dialect, the quadrivium included Geometry.
• Featured Arithmetic, Astronomy and Music: It is an ideal distinction proposed by Martianus Capella
• Every school and each territory specialized in various topics with evidence of many Trivium texts in central-southern France, while little had been found on Quadrivium
• other topics were included in The Liber manualis
• In the manual Isidorus of Seville refers: Etymologiae