3.4 Supplemental Readings
Supplemental Readings
Roman Poetry
Read an English translation of “The Metamorphoses of Ovid” from Project Gutenberg
Imperial Roman Architecture
Column of Trajan
Video URL: https://youtu.be/to3kP7U3PoM?si=TLeQM_ILqZlg_QpC
The Colosseum
Video URL: https://youtu.be/7FpQ1CmcPYQ?si=T2SK9aZxmjIiBlhE
The Arch of Titus
Video URL: https://youtu.be/2Pz_p8Tf24g?si=Lu3nlSiNKYG7WmQf
Hadrian’s Villa
Video URL: https://youtu.be/Nu_6X04EGHk?si=4_Qtxg5F4nQFta8t
Roman Theater
Video from Crash Course URL: https://youtu.be/jQpvph777Pg?si=R0dTldw67cyQ-Vj-
Read an English translation of “The Two Tragedies of Seneca: Medea and The Daughters of Troy” from Project Gutenberg
Republican and Imperial Sculpture
Head of a Roman Patrician
The Portrait
This portrait head, now housed in the Palazzo Torlonia in Rome, Italy, comes from Otricoli (ancient Ocriculum) and dates to the middle of the first century B.C.E. The name of the individual depicted is now unknown, but the portrait is a powerful representation of a male aristocrat with a hooked nose and strong cheekbones. The figure is frontal without any hint of dynamism or emotion—this sets the portrait apart from some of its near contemporaries. The portrait head is characterized by deep wrinkles, a furrowed brow, and generally an appearance of sagging, sunken skin—all indicative of the veristic style of Roman portraiture.
Verism
Verism can be defined as a sort of hyperrealism in sculpture where the naturally occurring features of the subject are exaggerated, often to the point of absurdity. In the case of Roman Republican portraiture, middle age males adopt veristic tendencies in their portraiture to such an extent that they appear to be extremely aged and care worn. This stylistic tendency is influenced both by the tradition of ancestral imagines as well as a deep-seated respect for family, tradition, and ancestry. The imagines were essentially death masks of notable ancestors that were kept and displayed by the family. In the case of aristocratic families these wax masks were used at subsequent funerals so that an actor might portray the deceased ancestors in a sort of familial parade (Polybius History 6.53.54). The ancestor cult, in turn, influenced a deep connection to family. For Late Republican politicians without any famous ancestors (a group famously known as ‘new men’ or ‘homines novi’) the need was even more acute—and verism rode to the rescue. The adoption of such an austere and wizened visage was a tactic to lend familial gravitas to families who had none—and thus (hopefully) increase the chances of the aristocrat’s success in both politics and business. This jockeying for position very much characterized the scene at Rome in the waning days of the Roman Republic and the Otricoli head is a reminder that one’s public image played a major role in what was a turbulent time in Roman history.
Copyright: Dr. Jeffrey A. Becker, “Head of a Roman Patrician,” in Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, acces