Class Civ - myths and symbols of power

Who was Ixion and what did he do wrong?

Ruler of the Lapiths - Zeus invited him to Olympus where he took a liking to Hera so Zeus made an image of her in the clouds so Ixion raped it

How were centaurs created?

After Ixion raped the cloud, the next rains to fall gave birth to the centaurs - the centaurs were the children of Ixion

How were the centaurs different to the Lapiths?

They were savage beings that lived in caves, hunted wild food and fought with rocks. They were wild so unskilled in the arts of men such as crafts, hospitality and religion

At what event did the Centauromachy take place?

At the wedding of the Lapith king Pirithous, son of Ixion, and Hippodamia

Who attended the wedding?

the centaurs, the lapiths and Theseus

What caused the start of the centauromachy and how did it end?

The centaurs didn’t dilute the wine due to their barbarism so got drunk and tried to run off with the Lapith women so the Lapiths took vengeance and started a battle - Theseus and the Lapiths won by killing/chasing off the centaurs

What themes did the Centauromachy represent in Greek society?

It came to represent civilisation vs barbarism. Centaurs didn’t know how to conduct themselves or how to drink wine correctly and abused the Lapiths’ xenia - the Lapiths wanted to make up for Ixions exploits so invited them causing them to be victims of unprovoked attack by centaurs

How is the centauromachy linked with the Greeks fighting the Persians?

The Persians burnt down the religious buildings on the Acropolis but in 497BC at Plataea they were defeated by the Greeks. The Persians were seen as barbaric and Greeks were proud of their victory over them - the centauromachy also showed Greek victory over barbarism

What were the Parthenon metopes?

92 square carved marble plaques on the Doric frieze (the exterior bit)

Who made the Parthenon metopes and when?

A team of sculptors and Phidias in 447BC

How many sets of metopes were on the Parthenon?

4 sets, 92 metopes, 34 depicting centauromachy - west showed Amazonomachy, north showed fall of troy, east showed gigantomachy, south showed centauromachy

What state are the Parthenon metopes in and how do we know what they looked like?

Best preserved metopes but still heavily fragmented - Drew by French artist Jacques Carvey in 1674 - further damaged in explosion in 1687

What side are the centauromachy metopes displayed on?

the SOUTH

Why were the centaurs mostly shown as victorious?

To make the Lapiths’ victory even more impressive and heroic

Why does the quality of the metopes vary?

Team of sculptors so different skills

What were the three key objectives of a sculptor be when creating a metope?

1. create a scene that could be easily recognisable

2. create realism in this scene

3. fill the space so as not to leave big blank areas

What is shown on the TofZ metopes?

Heracles’ labours

What is in the TofZ naos?

the chryselephantine cult statue of Zeus

what is depicted on the pediments of the TofZ?

East - chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos

West - CENTAUROMACHY

Why may have Greeks decided to include centauromachy of TofZ?

• to warn against uncivilised behaviour in a contest

• remind Greeks of barbarism destroying civilisation

• identify themselves as Greek

• visitors feel awe at power of Greeks

• entertain visitors as they identify image

• honour Zeus by encouraging a sacred + mythological atmosphere

Who were the Amazons and where were they from?

A mythical race of women who came from Asia Minor - daughters of Ares

Possible theories for origin of ‘Amazons’

1. a-mazos = without a breast (burnt off breast to improve archery)

2. ama-zoosai = living together

3. ama-zoonais = with girdles (belt worn by woman)

What happened to the children of the Amazons depending on their gender?

If they had a son, the boy would be killed

If they had a daughter, the girl would be raised by her mother and become an amazon

What was the name of the Queen of the Amazons Heracles defeated during the first Amazonomachy?

Hippolyte - labour 9

Brief backstory on labour 9

Eurystheus wanted the magic belt for his daughter so Heracles went to Hippolyte. Hippolyte, impressed by his feats, gave the belt willingly. Hera, disguised as an Amazon, spread rumours that Heracles meant to kidnap Hippolyte so Amazons attacked Heracles and his men. Heracles assumed that Hippolyte betrayed him so he killed her.

What happened to start the second Amazonomachy

Heracles gave Theseus an Amazonian bride which angered the Amazons so they declared war on Athens - Heracles + Theseus led the army and won

What did the second Amazonomachy become known as?

the Attic War

What did the Amazonomachy represent for the people of Greece?

Greece’s triumph over foreign people

How are Amazons represented in art?

• with weapons and helmets so good warriors

• wear shorter dresses to enable movement

• flesh painted white

• wore animal skins

• bared breast

Why were Amazonomachies popular in Greek art and architecture?

• victory of Greeks over barbarism

• warns women not to fight men as they will be defeated

• power of Greek men

• duty of men to save civilisation from rule of women

Where was Bassae?

Small town, 36 miles south east of Olympia in the west of the Peloponnese

Who was the Bassae temple dedicated to?

Apollo Epikourios - the helper

What praise does Pausanius give to the temple at Bassae?

‘might be placed first after the one at Tegea for the beauty of its stone and for its symmetry’

When was the temple at Bassae built?

450BC by Iktinos - Greece defeated Persians in 480BC, Parthenon started building in 447BC

Who built temple at Bassae?

Iktinos who helped design the Parthenon - helped it gain prestige and admiration for design and sculpture

Where is the frieze in the Temple of Apollo?

Inside the temple’s naos

What were the advantages of the frieze’s unique position in Bassae?

• allowed viewer to take in whole frieze in one place

• made narrative easier to follow

• scene suited space as battles provided a busy and interesting scene for viewers

What is depicted on this frieze at the Temple at Bassae?

The Amazonomachy and the Centauromachy - east + south east end of frieze shows Heraclean Amazonomachy

Why were machies shown on temple at Bassae?

• symbolism of Greek victory helped town celebrate its Greekness

• symbol of victory

• exciting battle suited frieze

When was Augustus born and what was his birth name?

63BC - Gaius Octavius Thurinus (named after his father)

Who was Augustus’ great uncle and what happened to him?

Julius Caesar - assassinated in 44BC by Brutus and Cassius when Augustus was 19

What happened to Augustus after Caesar’s death?

He was named his heir and adopted son so he took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus and vowed to avenge his father’s death

Why did Augustus have to get his army together quickly?

Mark Antony was trying to control the state with Caesar’s old army so the senate asked Octavian to donate his troops to the senate’s army. He won the battle and demanded to become consul but the senate denied it so he got his troops to force the senate into allowing it.

How were Brutus and Cassius defeated?

Assassins of Caesar were declared enemies of the state by Octavian so the senate recalled them from the East where they had gathered a huge army after fleeing Rome - They were defeated by in 43BC at the battle of Philippi and committed suicide

What was the Second Triumvirate?

The alliance between Mark Antony, Marcus Lepidus and Octavian

What did Augustus find in and when that led to the downfall of Mark Antony?

In 32BC he got Antony’s will from the Temple of the Vestals which said he had married Cleopatra and would leave all of Rome’s eastern provinces to her and their children - this caused the people of Rome to turn against Antony

How were Antony and Cleopatra defeated?

In 31BC, they were defeated at the Battle of Actium and in 30BC they committed suicide

Why was it hard for Augustus to become head of the Roman state?

His predecessors had been revolted against after taking titles suggesting they were kings or dictators so he was worried this would happen to him

How did Augustus ensure he didn’t annoy the people?

He invested in propaganda to promote power and superiority

Why did he change his name to Augustus and when?

In 27BC - the senate named his Augustus meaning venerable, esteemed and respected - he used this instead of Octavian - this established his power as the emperor

Why did Augustus recreate the Golden Age of architecture?

5th century Greece was a high point in architectural and sculptural design - he was inspired by buildings like the Parthenon and he sought to recreate these styles in his architecture and sculpture

Why did Augustus promote Pax Romana in his art?

‘The peace of Rome’ - Battle of Actium marked the end of the civil war - made Augustus seem like the bringer of peace

Why did Augustus promote Pax Deorum in his art?

‘Peace of the Gods’ was essential for Romans - if the gods were happy than Rome would flourish, if they were unhappy, Rome would suffer - also being a religious leader meant he was a political leader - Civil wars were due to breakdown of relationship between men and gods - divine ruler and Pontifex Maximus

Why did Augustus promote himself and his family in his art?

Although, he gave the impression of Rome being a republic, he wanted and needed to promote himself and his family. He had to emphasise his links to the gods while promoting future heirs

When was the Augustus of Prime Porta made and out of what?

Built around 20BC, commissioned by the Senate to honour Augustus and made out of marble

Where was the Augustus of Prime Porta held and where is it now?

Was in his wife, Livia’s villa in the town of Prima Porta - is now in the Vatican Museum

What is the Augustus of Prime Porta based off?

the Greek Doryphorus (spear-bearer) staute by Polykleitos

Notes on the face of Augustus of Prime Porta

Greek influence on art in this period suggests the idealised perfect face, and thus a remote, godlike figure

Notes on the right arm of Augustus of Prime Porta

Augustus’ right arm is raised in the pose a general or emperor would use when addressing the army called the ‘adlocutio’

Notes on the statue of Cupid on the Augustus of Prime Porta

At the feet of Augustus Cupid sits on the back of a diving dolphin. Cupid was the son of Venus and the dolphin was oner of her animals so emphasises his links to Venus

Notes on the feet of Augustus of Prime Porta

Bare feet was a pose reserved for heroes and Gods, to the Romans living men couldn’t be gods. In 44BC, after JC’s death, a shooting star was seen which was taken as a sign of JC being a god so a temple was built for Divine Caesar in the Roman Forum. BY making Caesar a god, Augustus become the son of a god. From 42BC he added ‘divi filius’ to his name

Notes on the standards on the breastplate of Augustus of Prime Porta

The central figures represent the return of Roman standards. The Roman standard was first lost by Roman general Crassus in 53BC Another was lost by Antony in the 40s BC. Finally in 20BC, Tiberius (adopted son of Augustus) negotiated peace with the Parthians and the standards returned

Notes on the clothing of Augustus of Prime Porta

The breastplate portrays him as a soldier. Unusually, the military breastplate has been combined with the senatorial toga, which Augustus holds around his waist. The plate contains several religious images. The gods depicted include Apollo, A’s patron god; Artemis, his twin; Tellus, mother earth holding the cornucopia. Other unknown deities are shown

Notes on the hairstyle of Augustus of Prime Porta

Marks out Augustus when compared to images of him on coinage - traditional roman haircut

Who is shown on the Augustus of Prima Porta breastplate?

the sun, caelus (the sky), aurora and luna, seated figure with sheathed sword presenting conquered Eastern people, Diana, Parthian king returning Roman standard, standards returned by Tiberius or Mars Ultor (the avenger), mother earth Tellus, Sphinxes to symbolise the defeat of Cleopatra in Egypt

Who commissioned the ara pacis and why?

the senate in 13BC to honour the return of Augustus from Hispania and Gaul - dedicated in 9BC

Where was the ara pacis located?

the north east corner of the Campus Martius

Why was the Battle of Actium significant?

Marked the end of the civil war with the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra - marked the start of peace in Rome

What is shown on the left of the west façade and why?

The Lupercalia - when the shepherd (Faustulus) found Romulus and Remus being suckled by the she- wolf - celebrate his links to the founder of Rome and Mars

What is shown on the right of the west façade and why?

Aeneas giving an offering to his son Ascanius (Iulus) The Penates from Troy are behind him - Augustus claims he is related to him and links to Venus and he commissioned the Aenead

OR
Numa Pompilius the second king of Rome who built the Temple of Janus and created the office of the Pontifices

What is shown on the left of the east façade and why?

Tellus, mother earth OR Venus OR Pax, peace - surrounded by animals and flanked by 2 semi-nude females who could be the sea and air

What is shown on the right of the east façade and why?

Roma seated on a throne of weapons - recognised due to images on Roman coins - emphasised belief that peace was only viable through war and Rome’s superiority due to warfare and war is over so weapons are laid down

What are the procession panels based on?

the ionic frieze of the Parthenon

What do the priests carry and wear on the procession panel?

NORTH - Carry jug and incense box used for sacrifice and laurel leaves held by senators to show victory - veiled heads and togas to show peace

What is the significance of Augustus being depicted next to the priests on the South frieze?

To present himself as pious and close to the gods - showed him as head of pontiffs (pontifex maximus)

Why are the imperial family shown of the Ara Pacis south frieze?

Images of harmonious family has peaceful connotations - children represent future and promote the family and dynastic intentions - importance of family values is emphasised in this procession with all various members of imperial family shown

What is shown on the side of the ara pacis?

A scene of semi-nude slaves leading sacrificial beasts - vestal virgins - griffins

What do the garlands on the enclosure wall inside signify?

prosperity from peace

‘come, peace … stay gently in this world’

hope for long lasting peace

‘laurel of Actium’

links to battle of Actium in which Octavian defeated Antony to end civil war - laurel links to victory

‘may the soldier be armed to defend against arms’

hope for soldiers to discourage warfare

‘let any land that feared Rome too little, love her’

lands had to submit to Rome’s power and if they fought it they would be defeated - lands should ‘love’ their empire and support its power

‘that the house that brings peace, may so endure’

Augustus’ house - long live Augustus