Module 5

• Lucius Septimius Severus

  • Senator under Marcus Aurelius
  • Marched Rome with 16 legions > Senate proclaimed him emperor
  • Appointed Gaius Fulvius Plautianus as Praetorian Perfect
  • Born in Lepcis Magna
  • Married to Julia Domna
  • Claimed to be adopted by Marcus Aurelius so that the Severans were Antonines > No one questions this, Commodus is not his brother, halts his damnatio and deified him
• Coins as Propaganda under the Severans

  • Lets soldiers far away see who is emperor
  • Show off the family > Shows Lucius Severus as a good husband, father and Father of Rome
  • Severus presents himself with similar traits to Antoninus
  • Slogan says “happy times”

  
• Julia Domna

  • Married to Lucius Septimius Severus
  • Powerful woman, Severus asked and respected her opinion
  • Portrayed as respectable
  • Nicknamed Mother of the Camp > cared for soldiers
  • Notable hair > thick wig
  • Shows art starting to lose classical flavour
  • Represented as Ceres, a high priestess, and assisting in sacrifices
  • Born in Syria

  
• Septimius Severus

  • Born in Lepcis Magna
  • Tries to look like Marcus Aurelius with the long beard and deep drilling
  • 4 distinct corkscrew curls and beard parted in 2 > imitates the god of Serapis

  
• Serapis

  • God that inspired the look of Septimius Severus’ portraits
  • Egyptian god, highlights Severus’ roots
  • Pot on top of his head to note he is Serapis

  
• Bronze from Cyprus 200 - 210 CE

  • 6 ft 9 portrait of Septimius Severus
  • Head is smaller than the body > emphasizes the power of the man
  • Standing similar to 5th century BCE Riace Warriors
  • Possibly holding a shield and sword
  • May represent Mars Victor

  
• Statues from Leptis Magna

  • Portrays Septimius Severus
  • Made from bronze
  • Placed in his home town > emphasizes hometown love rather than “look who owns you” motif

  
• Caracalla as Hercules

  • Probably made when he was older
  • Became co-emperor with his father at 15 years old
  • Represents him being a strong leader

  
• Caracalla breaking away from Antonine tradition

  • Heroically nude, shown as a soldier
  • Hair and beard gets shorter and shorter
  • Scowl rather than dreamy
  • Lines on face make an X > people imitate this
  • Looks over his shoulder slightly > start to see paranoia

  
• Caracalla

  • Army loved him > good soldier, active soldier, increased their wages
  • Spent more time fighting outside of Rome than in the city > Julia Domna (his mom) was administering Rome
  • Was 15 when he became co-emperor with his father
• Greta

  • Original plan was to be co-emperors with Caracalla > fought all the time
  • Caracalla pretended to want to fix things > stabbed Geta to death in his mothers arms > demanded Damantio > lied and said Geta tried to assassinate him > put Geta’s friends to death, made it illegal to speak his name, and banned his mother from crying
  • Very few images of him
• Elagabalus

  • 15 when he became emperor
  • Ruled for 4 years, assassinated
  • Julia Maesa (his grandmother) forced him to adopt his cousin > she had Elagabalus killed
  • Very sexual, Many wives

  
• Severus Alexander

  • The younger cousin of Elagabalus
  • 14 when he became emperor > majority was run by his mother (Julia Mamaea)
  • Ruled for 13 years
  • Serverus and Julia were murdered

  
• Triumphal Arch in Rome

  • Very well preserved due to being buried
  • Panels of relief carvings > fighting against Parthians, Emperor addressing troops, battle scenes
  • Celebrates defeating the Parthians in 202 CE
  • Located in the Forum Romanum

  
• Forum of Severus

  • Rectangular inside, uneven on the outside > fixed by making different sized stores and tilting the Basilica
  • Houses the Temple Of the Severi
  • Basilica > double story apse, two stories of ionic capitals, columns that serve no purpose
  • Pink stone from Egypt, marble from Athens, and local sandstone

  
• Pilasters of the Forum of Severus

  • Deeply carved
  • Called ”peopled scrolls”
  • Characters seen: Hercules, Dionysus

  
• Quadrifons Arch

  • Had 4 fronts and 2 roads going through > not a groin vault
  • Made with limestone, faced with marble
  • Celebrates victory of the Parthians
  • Has broken pediments
  • Images: Victory in the spandrel of the arch, Concordia Augustorum, Caracalla and Geta, Bull sacrifice

  
• Broken Pediments of the Quadrifons Arch

  • Corinthian capital
  • Star shaped ornament > Severan Baroque
  • Not actually broken, is meant to be like that
  • Seen in the 4th style painting of Pompeii

  
• Baths of Caracella

  • Started by Septimius Severus, completed by Caracalla
  • Complex had gardens, libraries, meeting halls, lecture halls
  • Symmetrical
  • Has different types of saunas
  • Floors have mosaics > Gladiator Mosaics to inspire body building
  • Statues > Hercules statue to inspire body building

  
• 50 years of difficult time during 235 - 285 CE

  • Severus Alexander got assassinated > started crisis
  • Issues in Rome, lots of instability and could not fight effectively
  • Over 20 emperors during this time, rising to office through support fo their armies
  • Not much architecture from this time
  • Enemies took advantage of Rome’s weak State
• Portrait trends during the 3rd century crisis

  • Short hairstyle
  • Stubble beards
  • Scowling faces
  • Busts and statues do not face viewer directly
  • emphasize military status
  • Shows characteristics of being tough, intimidating, and strong
• Larger than life emperor

  • Depicts Trebonianus Gallus with a pinhead
  • Becomes new ideal
  • Shows strength and power rather than classical hero
  • Was murdered after two years of reigning

  
• Probus

  • Reigned from 276 - 282
  • No scowl, appears to be sad
  • Faces viewer directly but his eyes look away
  • Beard in low relief
  • Symmetrical

  
• Gallienus

  • Reigned from 253 - 268
  • Hair and beard carved in relief
  • Son of Valarian > first and only emperor captured during war
  • Departure of the scowl > appears like Marcus Aurelius, seems in thought
  • Hair has short crab claw > trying to resemble Augustus

  
• Aurelian

  • Follows Gallienus
  • Face is more frontal
  • Made from gilded bronze
  • Simplified treatment of anatomy > like Probus

  
• Female portraits during the 3rd century

  • Follows the trend of Julia Domna’s hair, but more natural
  • More like a portrait > unibrow, dimpled chin

  
• Otacilia Severa

  • Wife of Philip the Arab > reigned 244 - 249
  • Mature woman with an idealized face
  • Eyebrows contracted > appeared worried
  • Julia Domna hairstyle
  • Looks past shoulder

  
• Balbinus Sarcophagus, 238 CE

  • Most relief carving at this time is on sarcophagi
  • Emperor for 3 months, first after Severus to be killed
  • Depicts him marrying his wife > they were expected to be buried together, but he got tortured and never joined him

  
• Ludovisi Sarcophagus

  • The last of the battle sarcophagi
  • Central figure > empty hand raised to say he does not nee weapons to in, probably owner of sarcophagus
  • Unsure who is being fought, probably Northern Goths > Romans win
  • Rejection of Classical perspective

  
• The Aurelianic Walls, 271 - 275

  • Only architecture we have from the third century crisis
  • Built due to increased threats from the North
  • Built in a hurry > reused brick, incorporates monuments
  • Rebuilt over time
  • No one got past the wall, expect by through treason

  
• Domestic quarters in Ephesus

  • Third Pompeian style
  • Lost the creativity we saw in Pompeii
  • Well preserved
  • Can see renovations through the plaster
  • Had heating in walls and floors
• The Tetraarchs

  • Considered of Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius
  • Diocletian and Maximian = Augustus
  • Galerius and Constantius = Caesar
  • Divided the empire up, each had a capital and an area to rule
  • Attempted to form a new way to rule > Augustuses retire, Caesars become Augustus, new Caesars appointed, failed due to Caesars wanting their sons to rule
• Diocletian

  • 284 > proclaimed emperor by his troops
  • Appointed Maximian as colleague
  • Born in Dalmatia
  • ruled the east side of the empire

  
• Maximian

  • Colleague of Diocletian
  • Ruled the West side of the empire

  
• Galerius

  • Diocletian’s caesar

  
• Constantius

  • Maximian’s caesar

  
• Baths of Diocletian, Rome, 298 - 306

  • Covers 13 hectares
  • Has libraries, lecture halls, theatre, saunas
  • Converted to a church by Michelangelo

  
• Diocletian’s Palace

  • In Spalato
  • Similar layout to a Roman fort > towers on the sides, gates on 3 sides
  • Has a temple, peristyle, and mausoleum
  • Medieval period > people built houses inside the walls

  
• Arch of Galerius, 300 CE

  • Octopylon > an arch with 8 piers
  • Celebrates Galerius’ victory over the King of Persia
  • Idea that if one Tetrarch is celebrated, all are celebrated
  • Stacked friezes > similar to sarcophagus
  • Images > episodes appear generic, campaigns against the Sassanians, all four shown

  
• Concordia

  • Idea that all 4 emperors were in harmony and equal
  • Lots of coins minted by them, which have all 4 shown
  • Images of the new form of government