hum 101 monuments

temple of divus julius

• built to honor julius caesar after his death

• in c16, most of it vanished and nothings remains except a column base, a corinthian pilaster-capital, and a Forum Antiquariam

• had a platform, round monument, and became a favored venue for funeral orations

julius caesar’s star

• shows the cult statue of divus julius, wearing a toga and holding an augur’s staff (pontifex maximus, head of college of priests)

• shows a star in the temple pediment, referring to the comet that appeared in the sky four months after caesar’s death (sign of his apotheosis)

apotheosis of deceased emperors

depicted emperors such as julius caesar, claudius, and titus all experiencing Apotheosis. they elevated to the rank of god after their deaths

• for julius, during the funeral games held by Augustus 4 months after his death, a comet was seen, and this is assumed to be julius caesar reaching apotheosis

• for claudius, shows an eagle being released to carry his soul to heaven, where he joined the ranks of gods

• for Titus, shows his divine ascension with an eagle carrying the deified emperor to the heavens. again symbolizes apotheosis and his soul’s journey to heaven after death

temple of Antoninus Pius and faustina

• built by antoninus pius for his wife faustina, who was deified after her death in AD 140. when he died and was deified 20 years later, faustina’s inscription was chiseled off and his name was also added.

• faustina sits between columns and her statue would have been joined later by antoninus pius

• honored them being deified as members of the imperial cult and representing its continued tradition

arch of titus

• erected after Titus’ early death and shows him deified, riding heavenwards on the back of an eagle

• reliefs carved on the archway show scenes from his triumphs with his father

• honored Titus’s victories and memory, and again depicted him deified and reaching Apotheosis.

imperial cult

deification of emperors and their family members, often after their death, to foster political and cultural unity across the empire

Pontifex maximus

the living emperor was the head of the college of priests