Download Early Roman Civilization

Ovid
Roman Literature: The Third
Literary Period
Seneca: born into a wealthy
equestrian family in Spain, a
powerful senator, a writer of
tragedies.
Juvenal: satirist
Tacitus: A historian
Seneca
Early Roman Civilization:
Philosophy
From the Hellenic Age, the Romans
took the ethical aspects of
philosophy, but they rejected
philosophy itself as dangerous.
From the Hellenistic Age, they took
over the two philosophies of Stoicism
and Epicureanism.
The dominant philosophy was
Stoicism.
Early Roman Civilization:
Philosophy
Stoicism:
– Seneca: Letters on Morality is one of the great
guides for Western thought. His reputation
suffered because of his association with Nero,
an emperor of legendary cruelty.
– Epictetus: a slave in Rome, won his freedom
because of his teachings. He founded a school
in Asia Minor. He advised for the acceptance of
one’s destiny.
– Marcus Aurelius: his Meditations is a
masterpiece of Stoicism.
Marcus Aurelius
Early Roman Civilization:
Philosophy
Neo-Platonism:
– Founded by Plotinus in the 3rd century
AD
– Neo-Platonism was the last major school
of philosophy in the ancient world.
– Plotinus resolved Platonic dualism not
with logical analysis but with mystical
insight.
Plotinus
Early Roman Architecture
The Romans’ most significant innovation in
architecture was the rounded arch, which
was invented by the Mesopotamians.
From the basic arch, the Romans created
barrel vault, cross vault and dome (p.
124)
The Pantheon (p.126)
The Colosseum: three types of columns
(129)
The Colosseum
The Colosseum
The Pantheon
The Pantheon
The Pantheon