CLAS242 - The Trajan and Hadrian Period

Identify and Analyze

Portrait of Trajan as victorious general, Ostia

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Next Emperor

  • after Nerva, no familial relation

    • weak and old ruler with no heirs

    • Praetorian Guard angered by Domitian’s assassination

    • only ruled less than 16 months - not much art contributed by him

  • new idea for emperors: pick who they think is best to be the next emperor without the need of family ties

• Role Portraiture

  • general, was successful as one

    • number of victorious wars

  • always showed himself as this

    • maybe because Hadrian wasn’t a general

• Return to Classicism

  • distancing from Flavian’s Verism just as they had done verism to distance themselves from the Julio-Claudians

• Roman Iconography

  • traditional Roman victory imagery

    • cuirass

    • military cloak on left shoulder

• Greek Iconography

  • flying pair Victories on his breastplate

    • can be traced back to reliefs on Acropolis

  • variation of Contrapposto

• Augustus Similarities

  • last emperor who greatly expanded Roman territory

  • Agelessness

    • Augustus - eternally youthful

    • Trajan - eternally like 45 (when he became Emperor)

• Acts as Emperor

  • first major

    • withdrawing roman forces from the Parthian teritories

      • they were invaded/occupied but never stabilized

Identify and Analyze

Bronze cuirassed portrait of Hadrian, near Tel Shalem, Israel

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Next Emperor

  • after Trajan

• Beard

  • first emperor to be depicted with one, otherwise they were usually clean shaven

  • usually only barbarians/lower Roman classes had one

  • Two Reasons:

    • as a youth, he was known to have horrible acne

      • a beard to hide the scars

    • Philhelene

      • “lover of Greek”

      • not only art but the culture too

        • would write poetry/plays/etc in Greek styles

  • a style that all following emperors for the next 100 years followed

• Philhelene Acts

  • spent lots on a bunch of Greek things

  • most architecture/art that survives in Athens is Hadrianic

    • and other places he went to as well, he would just give a bunch of money to fix everything up that had fallen/was falling to ruins

• Cuirass/Breastplate

  • mythological battle

    • Greek Thing

      • rare to present mythological battles over historical ones in Roman culture

    • Aeneid, Trojan War

      • because of Aeneas being the founder of Rome

• Hair

  • curly - Greek thing

  • could be from a curling iron

• Portraiture Innovation

  • drilled irises into eyeballs

  • helped expression and depth/can paint

    • only post-Hadrianic

• Eternally presented as the age he was when he was crowned emperor

Identify and Analyze

Portrait of Plotina, wife of Trajan, from Maritime Baths, Ostia

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Plotina

  • Trajan’s Wife

• Classical Look

  • some changes

  • no longer as Goddess-like

• simplified beehive

  • no elaborate curls

  • maybe even just a more modest look

Identify and Analyze

Portrait of Sabina, wife of Hadrian, from Maritime Baths, Ostia

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Sabina

  • Hadrian’s wife

• Classical Look

  • heavy return to Greek Goddess look

    • hair pulled into loose bun at back

    • middle part

    • diadem

      • tiara and veil

  • probably based on Venus

    • other portraits of her include symbols of Juno or Ceres

Identify and Analyze

Plan of the Forum of Trajan (Forum Traiani), Rome

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Forum Traiani

  • fifth, largest, and final of the imperial fora (forums)

• Like Julius Caesar

  • separate forum off to Roman Forum

  • means as gifts to the Romans as things for them to do with their spare time

• Temple to Divine Trajan

  • an Emperor can now be worshipped as a god during their lifetime

  • worshipped as God + Emperor at the same time

• Meeting Place

  • a place to get out of the sun

  • bumped off semi circulars with sculptures inside

  • entered through the basilica

• Basilica Ulpia

  • 2 Big Public Libraries

    • first eveidence of large scale public libraries

      • some smaller ones existed, but one needed to be literate in order to even have it be of use to them

      • bigger ones existed but truly only private ones for nobles/upper class

    • one fully in Greek, the other in Latin

• Column of Trajan

  • in the middle of the two libraries

• Pillars up Top

  • many relief sculptures of many Trajan victories in battles

  • Rome was the best under Trajan

    • best economy, highest area of land

• Decoration

  • whole theme is Trajan’s victory for the Dacians

    • which basically paid for the construction of the building because Rome became so rich off of the spoils

Identify and Analyze

Markets of Trajan designed by Apollodorus of Damascus

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Stalls for shops, like a mall

  • over 150 individual shops/offices

• Quirinal Hill

  • shops extend six stories up the side of it

• Light source?

  • difficult with no artifical lighting

  • half the available light gone because half the building it against a cliff

• Hemicycle

  • creates longer building than a straight design

  • lower floor then serves as foundation for upper levels

• Apollodorus of Damascus

  • celebrated architect

    • combination of what concrete can do

Identify and Analyze

Street of shops, Markets of Trajan designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, Rome

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• each shop had an open door

• vaulted roof and form of a skylight to bring it light to interior spaces//passageways/stairs

• Upper Floors

  • a step back from lower ones to bring in this light

• Apollodorus of Damascus

  • celebrated architect

    • combination of what concrete can do

Identify and Analyze

Main Hall, Markets of Trajan designed by Apollodorus of Damascus

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Main Hall

  • over 91 feet long

  • two stories

    • six shops on each level/on each side of the hall

• Groin Vaults

  • gives the market impression of being tall + airy

• Apollodorus of Damascus

  • celebrated architect

    • combination of what concrete can do

Identify and Analyze (two images)

Pantheon, Rome, plan and section

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Pantheon

  • Greek - pan - all; theon - building of the gods

    • a place to worship any god

      • but really only the Olympians

      • nothing known of the cult activities that occurred within

  • Existed Prior to Hadrian

    • later destroyed and then Hadrian provided the funds to rebuild it

  • Best preserved surviving Roman temple

• Front

  • Greek Temple style

    • deep porch

    • corinthian pillars

  • Inscription

    • “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, made this”

    • Marcus Agrippa was the original one to make the Parthenon

    • Hadrian kept the inscription

      • maybe because he loved architecture/had an appreciation for Agrippa’s work

      • or he wanted to be associated with the old emperors/Julio-Claudian bloodline

• True Arched Dome - Rotunda

  • concrete

    • laid in a single batch

  • biggest built until Michelangelo

    • though still the largest diameter dome of unreinforced concrete

  • Coiffures

    • structural reason - makes the concrete lighter and cuts away some of the weight to improve structural integrity

  • perfect sphere

• Niches

  • statues for the Gods

• Oculus

  • let in light

  • rain?

    • the floor was slightly sloped with drains at the edges of the interior for the water to disperse

Identify and Analyze

Facade on the Pantheon, Rome

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Pantheon

  • Greek - pan - all; theon - building of the gods

    • a place to worship any god

      • but really only the Olympians

      • nothing known of the cult activities that occurred within

  • Existed Prior to Hadrian

    • later destroyed and then Hadrian provided the funds to rebuild it

  • Best preserved surviving Roman temple

• Front

  • Greek Temple style

    • deep porch

    • corinthian pillars

  • Inscription

    • “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, made this”

    • Marcus Agrippa was the original one to make the Parthenon

    • Hadrian kept the inscription

      • maybe because he loved architecture/had an appreciation for Agrippa’s work

      • or he wanted to be associated with the old emperors/Julio-Claudian bloodline

• True Arched Dome - Rotunda

  • concrete

    • laid in a single batch

  • biggest built until Michelangelo

    • though still the largest diameter dome of unreinforced concrete

  • Coiffures

    • structural reason - makes the concrete lighter and cuts away some of the weight to improve structural integrity

  • perfect sphere

• Niches

  • statues for the Gods

• Oculus

  • let in light

  • rain?

    • the floor was slightly sloped with drains at the edges of the interior for the water to disperse

Identify and Analyze

Interior of the Pantheon, Rome

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Pantheon

  • Greek - pan - all; theon - building of the gods

    • a place to worship any god

      • but really only the Olympians

      • nothing known of the cult activities that occurred within

  • Existed Prior to Hadrian

    • later destroyed and then Hadrian provided the funds to rebuild it

  • Best preserved surviving Roman temple

• Front

  • Greek Temple style

    • deep porch

    • corinthian pillars

  • Inscription

    • “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, made this”

    • Marcus Agrippa was the original one to make the Parthenon

    • Hadrian kept the inscription

      • maybe because he loved architecture/had an appreciation for Agrippa’s work

      • or he wanted to be associated with the old emperors/Julio-Claudian bloodline

• True Arched Dome - Rotunda

  • concrete

    • laid in a single batch

  • biggest built until Michelangelo

    • though still the largest diameter dome of unreinforced concrete

  • Coiffures

    • structural reason - makes the concrete lighter and cuts away some of the weight to improve structural integrity

  • perfect sphere

• Niches

  • statues for the Gods

• Oculus

  • let in light

  • rain?

    • the floor was slightly sloped with drains at the edges of the interior for the water to disperse

Identify and Analyze

Plan of the Villa of Hadrian, Tivoli, Hadrianic

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Greek + Egyptian + Roman architecture

• Lots of Brickwork and Concrete

• Includes the Circular Island Suite

• Almost like a laboratory where he experiemnted in concrete and radical roofing systems

• Many complexly designed buildings

• Largest imperial villa in the Roman world

  • stretched around 17 miles

Identify and Analyze

Circular Island Suite, Villa of Hadrian, Tivoli, Hadrianic

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Teatro Marittimo

  • people gathered in and hung out

  • specific purpose unknown

  • suspected to be Hadrian and Sabina’s private apartment suite

  • or astronomical observatory

• Water Features

• Played on Aquatic themes

  • mythological or realistic

• Hellenic Forms

  • heavy influence

  • sense of theatre/dramatics brought to a personal open space

• Imitation River

  • Canopus

    • named after a canal at Alexandria in Egypt

      • ran between the Nile and the sanctuary of Serapis

  • drains and semi circular benches

    • as a dining area

  • View down the entire fake river

  • imitating the Nile

    • Egyptian style

• Niches

  • statues

  • Mars, Mercury, and Minerva

  • Scylla

    • last scene in Tiberius’ dining grotto

    • mimicking elements of that?

  • 4 copies of Caryatids from Acropolis

• Imitation Dome

  • Melon Dome

  • not perfect sphere/real dome

Identify and Analyze

Sculpture from the Serapeum complex, Villa of Hadrian, Tivoli, Hadrianic

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Temple of Serapus

  • Egyptian + Greek

  • Popularity of Egyptian culture/religion after it was conquered

  • Serapus - invention by the Greeks

    • all the Egyptian Gods + some Greek ones that were all combined into one

• Black Statues

  • mimicking Egyptian black salt stone

  • Romans used black limestone

• Egyptian Headresses/Decoration

  • winged sphinx

• Big Head

  • Serapus

  • but - it’s Antinous

• Antinous

  • 16 - 18 year old Greek boy

  • famous for being gorgeous

    • idea that good looks reflects a good insides/soul

  • Hadrian travelling all the time, met Antinous and caught his attention

    • Became Hadrian’s lover; known to be passionate relationship

    • open display of a young male lover a very Greek thing

  • Hadrian brought him everywhere with him and his wife

    • Sabina was pretty much unbothered by the whole thing

  • Trip to the Nile

    • Antinous falls into the Nile and drowns

      • story uncertain of how it truly happened/how he fell off the boat

    • Hadrian was heartbroken and deified him

  • only non-imperial to be deified

  • Cult of Antinous

    • spread under Hadrian

    • as a living embodiment of beauty

  • bajillion images of him throughout the empire

Identify and Analyze

Column of Trajan, Rome, dedicated 113 CE

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• within the heart of the Trajan Forum

• Meant to commemorate the amount of work that went into the forum

  • height of the column was the same as the amount of dirt that was taken away from the area during construction

• Trajan’s Victory in Dacia

• Trajan’s and Plotina’s ashes in base

  • not originally meant to be a tomb

  • column was so famous that Hadrian and the senate voting on putting them there

• 3 Parts

  • Base

    • door inside to stairs that lead up to the top

  • Column

    • stairs inside

    • decked out with relief sculpture

    • separate drums attached together

      • if broken, the whole column wouldn’t be garbage, they could just replace a single part

  • Top

    • statue of Trajan on horseback

      • now gone

    • Modern adaptation

      • statue of Saint Peter placed in 16th century

• part of the column was partly buried for a while but it was always visible

Identify and Analyze

Base of the Column of Trajan, Rome, dedicated 113 CE

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• within the heart of the Trajan Forum

• Meant to commemorate the amount of work that went into the forum

  • height of the column was the same as the amount of dirt that was taken away from the area during construction

• Trajan’s Victory in Dacia

• Trajan’s and Plotina’s ashes in base

  • not originally meant to be a tomb

  • column was so famous that Hadrian and the senate voting on putting them there

• 3 Parts

  • Base

    • door inside to stairs that lead up to the top

  • Column

    • stairs inside

    • decked out with relief sculpture

    • separate drums attached together

      • if broken, the whole column wouldn’t be garbage, they could just replace a single part

  • Top

    • statue of Trajan on horseback

      • now gone

    • Modern adaptation

      • statue of Saint Peter placed in 16th century

• part of the column was partly buried for a while but it was always visible

• Relief Sculpture

  • Captive Armor + People

  • Celtic People imagery

    • oblong shield

    • “screaming duck” - celtic horn

Identify and Analyze

Spiral frieze of the Column of Trajan, Rome, dedicated 113 CE

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• within the heart of the Trajan Forum

• Meant to commemorate the amount of work that went into the forum

  • height of the column was the same as the amount of dirt that was taken away from the area during construction

• Trajan’s Victory in Dacia

• Trajan’s and Plotina’s ashes in base

  • not originally meant to be a tomb

  • column was so famous that Hadrian and the senate voting on putting them there

• 3 Parts

  • Base

    • door inside to stairs that lead up to the top

  • Column

    • stairs inside

    • decked out with relief sculpture

    • separate drums attached together

      • if broken, the whole column wouldn’t be garbage, they could just replace a single part

  • Top

    • statue of Trajan on horseback

      • now gone

    • Modern adaptation

      • statue of Saint Peter placed in 16th century

• part of the column was partly buried for a while but it was always visible

• Relief Sculpture - Bottom of spiral frieze

  • wonder work of Roman historic narrative

  • Romans crossing Danube river to Dacia

  • Danube is represented by the personification of it here

  • One of Trajan’s feats: building the bridge across the Danube to invade Dacia

Identify and Analyze

Spiral frieze of the Column of Trajan, lower registers, Rome, dedicated 113 CE

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• within the heart of the Trajan Forum

• Meant to commemorate the amount of work that went into the forum

  • height of the column was the same as the amount of dirt that was taken away from the area during construction

• Trajan’s Victory in Dacia

• Trajan’s and Plotina’s ashes in base

  • not originally meant to be a tomb

  • column was so famous that Hadrian and the senate voting on putting them there

• 3 Parts

  • Base

    • door inside to stairs that lead up to the top

  • Column

    • stairs inside

    • decked out with relief sculpture

    • separate drums attached together

      • if broken, the whole column wouldn’t be garbage, they could just replace a single part

  • Top

    • statue of Trajan on horseback

      • now gone

    • Modern adaptation

      • statue of Saint Peter placed in 16th century

• part of the column was partly buried for a while but it was always visible

• Relief Sculpture - Upper pats of spiral frieze

  • Climbing through different battles

  • historical sequence

  • Trajan appearing multiple times throughout

  • some Italic elements

    • scale doesn’t matter

    • mainly classical

      • body proportions

  • decorative elements

    • strategic placement to show where one scene ends and another begins

Identify and Analyze

Trajan in battle, Great Trajanic Frieze, from the Forum of Trajan, Rome, Trajanic

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• within the heart of the Trajan Forum

• Meant to commemorate the amount of work that went into the forum

  • height of the column was the same as the amount of dirt that was taken away from the area during construction

• Trajan’s Victory in Dacia

• Trajan’s and Plotina’s ashes in base

  • not originally meant to be a tomb

  • column was so famous that Hadrian and the senate voting on putting them there

• 3 Parts

  • Base

    • door inside to stairs that lead up to the top

  • Column

    • stairs inside

    • decked out with relief sculpture

    • separate drums attached together

      • if broken, the whole column wouldn’t be garbage, they could just replace a single part

  • Top

    • statue of Trajan on horseback

      • now gone

    • Modern adaptation

      • statue of Saint Peter placed in 16th century

• part of the column was partly buried for a while but it was always visible

• Relief Sculpture

  • Separation of Depictions of people

  • Daitians

    • wood camps

    • naked

    • beards

  • Roman

    • wood

    • armour

    • clean shaven

  • Trajan vs Daicius

    • Trajan on horse + cape bellowing

      • cape as part of Greek hero imagery

    • Dacius

      • being stabbed

      • scared emotion evident on his face

  • Spoilia

    • content taken from one context and put into another

      • this scene was repurposed and put into the Arch of Constantine

Identify and Analyze

Trajan crowned by Victory, Great Trajanic Frieze, from the Forum of Trajan

• within the heart of the Trajan Forum

• Meant to commemorate the amount of work that went into the forum

  • height of the column was the same as the amount of dirt that was taken away from the area during construction

• Trajan’s Victory in Dacia

• Trajan’s and Plotina’s ashes in base

  • not originally meant to be a tomb

  • column was so famous that Hadrian and the senate voting on putting them there

• 3 Parts

  • Base

    • door inside to stairs that lead up to the top

  • Column

    • stairs inside

    • decked out with relief sculpture

    • separate drums attached together

      • if broken, the whole column wouldn’t be garbage, they could just replace a single part

  • Top

    • statue of Trajan on horseback

      • now gone

    • Modern adaptation

      • statue of Saint Peter placed in 16th century

• part of the column was partly buried for a while but it was always visible

• Relief Sculpture

  • Adventus Scene

    • Trajan returning from the battle

  • Crowned by Victory

  • Virtus + Honos personifications with them

    • male virture and honour

  • Spoilia

    • content taken from one context and put into another

      • this scene was repurposed and put into the Arch of Constantine

Identify and Analyze

Emperor addressing a crowd in the Forum Romanum, Anaglypha Traiani

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Success of Conquering of Dacia

  • many riches came into Roman economy

  • Trajan made public announcement that all Roman citizens were forgiven of their debt

  • would hand out bread to the citizens for free

• Trajan seated on Dias

  • giving of bread to the people

  • curule chair

    • senior magistrates (consuls, praetors, censors, etc) and all those with imperium were entitled to sit

• glorifying the emperor as leader and doing things for the people

• Forum

  • how do we know it’s in the Forum?

  • imagery of Marsyas to the right

    • myth of Marsyas the Satyr who was so good at playing pipes, he claimed he was better than Apollo

      • they have a competition and Marsyus loses

      • Apollo ordered him to my flayed alive while hung from a fig tree - famous Greek statue depicting the moment before he is flayed that was put up in the Roman Forum

Identify and Analyze

Burning of debt records in the Forum Romanum, Anaglypha Traiani

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Success of Conquering of Dacia

  • many riches came into Roman economy

  • Trajan made public announcement that all Roman citizens were forgiven of their debt

• Trajan to Left

  • head lost

  • speaking to crowd - adlocutio pose

  • Roman soldiers next to him carrying debt/tax records to a fire to be burnt

• glorifying the emperor as leader and doing things for the people

• Roman Forum

  • how do we know?

    • imagery of Marsyas to the left

      • myth of Marsyas the Satyr who was so good at playing pipes, he claimed he was better than Apollo

        • they have a competition and Marsyus loses

        • Apollo ordered him to my flayed alive - famous Greek statue depicting the moment before he is flayed that was put up in the Roman Forum

    • imagery of forum buildings

      • Basilica Julia

      • Temple of Saturn

      • Temple of Vespasian

      • Temple of Titus

      • Temple of Concordia

Identify and Analyze

Medallions of the virtuti Augusti, the manliness of the emperor Hadrian

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• love of Greek

  • adopted some images

• Image of the Hunt

  • manly virtue - Virtus

  • hunt as a substitute for war when there were none to fight in

• Hadrian Hunting Lion

  • Virtuti Augsti - Virtus of the emperor

Identify and Analyze

Tondi of Hadrian from the Arch of Constantine, Rome

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Tondi

  • round reliefs panels

  • based on a series of medallions (seen above)

• Spoilia

  • reused in the Arch of Constantine

• meant to show virtues of the Emperor

  • boar hunt - manliness

    • image of the hunt from Greek culture

    • hunting as an alternative to war when there was none to fight in

• Possibly Antinous in background

  • dressed as another god

• Sacrifice to Apollo, Hercules, Silvanus, and Diana

• Dynasty

  • as a theme

  • Hadrian’s court and possible successors of the throne in background

Identify and Analyze

Arch of Trajan, Beneventum

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• finished under Hadrian

• largest set of ideological images from any single monument in the Roman world

• Main Body

  • eight large relief panels

• Attic

  • four large relief panels

  • two on each side

• Passage

  • personified victory figures

  • Spandrels

    • roughly triangular space between the curve of an arch and the surrounding molding

    • usually filled with victories when on triumph arches

• Relief Sculpture

  • generic, none historical

    • unspecific battles shown

      • “I beat the Daitians” instead of “here is the specific leader that I defeated during this part of our campaign”

  • covered in sculpture

• later on - arches become fully covered in sculpture rather than only certain sections

• Exterior

  • memorializing Trajan’s major accomplishments

    • military campaigns

    • founding of colonies

    • creating his alimentary scheme

    • establishing harbours

    • reorganizing the army

Identify and Analyze

Sacrifice relief panel, Arch of Trajan, Beneventum

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Sacrifical bull

• Pious - honours the gods

Identify and Analyze

Alimenta relief panel, Arch of Trajan, Beneventum

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• 3D lumps - loaves of bread being given out

• Togas

  • running drill now used in textiles, not only hair anymore

• alimentary payments to widows and orphans

• Crenellated Crowns vs. Contemporary Headdresses

  • crowns on the women

    • showing they are not individuals but personifications of communities

Identify and Analyze

Keystone image of Victory crowning Trajan, Arch of Trajan, Beneventum, Italy

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

• Trajan being crowned by Victory

• still alive, so he is not yet being carried off to the heavens to be with the gods

  • like Titus on his eagle

  • not yet completely deified

• Border

  • piled captive arms and armour

    • also seen on the based of the Column of Trajan

Identify and Analyze

Relief portraying the interior of a tavern, from Isola Sacra necropolis, Ostia

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Tomb Relief

• Ostia Necropolis

• not elite- would have been reclining while drinking if they were

• a woman serving the drinks

  • focus on the woman in this tomb rather than the male figures

  • maybe the owner of the establihsment>

    • tells us more about women economics + their lifestyles within Rome

Identify and Analyze

Venus statue from the facade of the amphitheater at Capua, Italy, Hadrianic

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• miniature replica of a statue that would have been on the colosseum

• is this reflective od the decor there?

• gives us insight

• Statues on Colosseum

  • different god statues on colosseum represented different aspects of the events that happened within

• Amphitheatre at Capua

  • a smaller copy of the colosseum

  • installed decoration under Hadrian

Identify and Analyze

Calydonian Boar Hunt relief panel from the amphitheater at Capua, Italy

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• myth

  • a monstrous boar is sent by Artemis to plague the land of Calydon because King Oeneus failed to offer her a sacrifice.

  • Meleager (Oeneus's son) and Atalanta hunt the beast

  • hunt ends with Meleager killing the boar, but not without a tragic aftermath involving a quarrel over the spoils and ultimately Meleager's death

• Relief

  • Atlanta’s leading with her bow, Meleager behind with a spear on the left

  • 3rd hunter on far left, showing it’s in an arena and not in the wild

• reminiscent of what’s going on in an amphitheatre

• Hadrian’s presentation of the image of the Hunt being equated to manly virtue

• one of best preserved panels

Identify and Analyze

Relief of Antinous as the god Silvanus, from Lanuvium

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• see Serapus Tempel to fill in info on Antinous here

Identify and Analyze

Dove mosaic from the Villa of Hadrian, Tivoli, Hadrianic

The Trajan and Hadrian Period

98 CE - 138 CE

• Villa of Hadrian

• Highest quality

• exact copy of a 200BCE painting of only named mosaicist in antiquity

• Sosus of Pergamon

  • mosaicist

• Opus Vermiculatum

  • “worm work”

  • individual tesserae so small you can curve a line very easily

  • Tromp l’oeil that its so lifelike even real birds would try to drink from the bowl

Identify and Analyze

Black and white mosaic from the Villa of Hadrian, Tivoli, Hadrianic