Download the roman forum - Luigi Settembrini

ARCHES and COLUMNS
around the ROMAN FORUM
“FORUM” originally meant marketplace:
and the most famous forums were in the center of Rome
Today we can still see these areas, known as the “Roman
Forum, the “Imperial Forums”, the “Trajan Forum”. . .
Context:
The Forum was built during the:
 Kingdom (753 - 509 BC)
 Republic (509 - 27 BC)
 Empire (27 BC - 476 AD)
up until the
Christian
era, when
much of it
was built
over,
moved or
dismantled
by Papal
Rome
In the forum, we can see the
remains of:
 Shops
 Temples
 Basilicas (large public
buildings for business,
banking, and judicial
courts)
 Government buildings (for
example, the Senate)
 Commemorative Arches
 Commemorative Columns
Shops
and
Temples
Original
Temple
of Vesta
Temple
of Vesta
as it is
today
Basilicas and Government buildings
Basilica Giulia
Basilica of Maxentius
and Constantine today
Curia Giulia (Senate)–Inside and outside as it was before and what it looks like today
–
And, last but not least, majestic arches and columns, built to glorify
the conquests of the Roman Emperors and to impress viewers with
the power of Rome
Triumphal
Arch of
Titus
Trajan’s
Column
First, we’ll look at arches. . .
Arch of Septimius Severus,
commemorating the victories
(194-5 and 197-9 AD) of the
Parthian campaigns
Arch of Constantine,
commemorating the victory over
Maxentia in 312 AD
Triumphal Arch of Titus
The Arch of
Titus (81 AD)
celebrates the
conquest of
Jerusalem in 70
AD
In this bas relief on the Arch of Titus, you can see details about
this victory –for example, the prisoners and treasures and
brought to Rome
Triumphal
procession
of Titus
Here we can see Titus triumphant in a chariot, being
crowned by the goddess of Victory. The figures in the
relief are very three-dimensional (deeply carved),
creating an illusion of movement and depth.
There are four fluted columns,
one at each angle. We can see that
the capitals are a combination of
Ionic and Corinthian (called
“Composite” order):
There were
various columns,
in or near the
Roman Forum
Column of
Phocas, Roman
Forum (607 AD)
Column of Marcus Aurelius,
erected by his son Commodus in
180 AD, Piazza Colonna
Only the
pedestal
remains from
the Column of
Antoninus Pius
(161-162 AD)
Can you imagine rolls and rolls of
film around a 40-meter-high column
made of Carrara marble, showing
155 different scenes?
Trajan’s Column
at sunset
That is – more or
less - what happens
on the Trajan
Column (113 AD)
This incredible “epic
movie” was probably
created /supervised by
the architect Apollonia
of Damascus
This spiral “film” begins
from the base of the
column and moves up.
It tells the story of the
victories of Trajan over
the Dacians in two
consecutive wars.
(Roman-Dacian Wars,
101-102 and 105-106 AD)
Inside the column, there is
a spiral staircase leading to
a viewpoint at the top
The bas relief is a 200-meter-long marble ribbon telling
the story of these military campaigns:
 the preparation and journey
building bridges (for example over the Danube River)
and fortresses
 terrible battles
the enemy defeated
The Emperor Trajan, portrayed 58 times, always
appears determined yet serene.
It was probably colored
originally
Back in those days, the inauguration might have looked like this:
What do you
think? Could you
create a “film” like
this? Let’s try. . .
Project: Draw your own version of Trajan’s Column telling a
story – any story -- around a paper towel roll
It might be better to paint
a white background first.
Homework: next lesson we will talk about the Pantheon - choose an ancient god
or goddess that you would like to worship at the Pantheon and tell us why.
What this god / goddess symbolized
Roman name
Greek name
king of the gods (rain, thunder, lightening)
Jupiter
Zeus
queen of the gods
Juno
Hera
god of the oceans
Neptune
Poseidon
god of wine
Bacchus
Dionysus
god of light, music, medicine
Apollo
Apollo
the messenger of the gods
Mercury
Hermes
goddess of the moon and the hunt
Diana
Artemis
goddess of wisdom
Minerva
Athena
god of war
Mars
Ares
goddess of beauty
Venus
Aphrodite
god of fire
Vulcan
Hephaestus
goddess of abundance/fertility
Ceres
Demeter
god of death
Pluto
Hades
goddess of the hearth
Vesta
Hesta
god of love
Cupid
Eros
Review:
Triumphal Arch of Titus
The Arch of
Titus (81 AD)
celebrates the
conquest of
J_________ in
70 AD
Review:
There are four fluted columns,
one at each angle. We can see that
the capitals are a combination of
I_______ and C__________ orders
(called “Composite” order):
Review: This column is
called the
T__________ Column. It
was built in the year 113
AD and contains ______
scenes.
This spiral “film” begins
from the base of the
column and moves up.
It tells the story of the
victories of the Emperor
T_______ over the
territory of D__________
in two consecutive wars.
(101-102 and 105-106
AD)
Review: The Emperor Trajan is portrayed _____ times on the column, and is
always calm and determined. One of the scenes shows the Roman army building
a bridge over the D__________ River.
Originally, the column was probably painted in color.