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Notes for Final Exam:

Ancient Roman Architecture
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No question of Ancient Rome’s contribution to architecture (borrowed Greek and
Etruscan elements, made their own, profoundly affected the history of Western
Architecture)

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5 GREATEST CONTRIBUTIONS:
o Developed the potential of the ARCH
o Combined the arch w/Greek orders of architecture
o Developed and used a form of concrete
o Discovered that architecture can affect of manipulate the mood of the viewer
o Focus on interior space, an extension of the use of concrete

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FAMILIAR FORMS AND CONVENTIONS: doric, ionic and Corinthian orders, doric
Etruscan order

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TIMELINE:
o Hellenistic/Etruscan ! 1000/900-89 BC
o Roman Republic ! 509-27 BC
o Roman Empire ! 27 BC – 476 AD

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To what extent were the romans indebted to the Etruscans for getting started ! very
hard to know because many Etruscan cities can’t be excavated so we have to turn to
literature and language
o Etruscans taught Romans about civil engineering, military technology, etc
...
Roman temples= long and skinny)

o One large staircase for access, build on a podium, engaged columns (attached to
the wall), porch on one side)
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PONT DU GARD (Nimes, France, 16 BC)
o Aqueduct, held up by the hillsides, also served as a bridge
o Most Roman aqueducts are not above ground like this, most were underground
to prevent sabotage (only above ground when there was no other option)

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SANCTUARY OF FORTUNA (Palestrina, late 2nd c BC, renovated in 80 BC)
o Entire complex= 400 feet high, no marble used except for sculpture, made of
Tura, limestone and concrete (concrete was not used much before 150 BC)
o Built into the hillside, in the renaissance a palace was built on top of the
sanctuary (compared to Greeks, thought that Architecture, adorns the
landscape)
o Hill transformed into architecture, concrete is a major material, triangular
composition (tholos at apex), no arches springing from columns, combines
architectural orders
"

When orders of architecture are combined: (top of building to bottom of
building) Corinthian ! ionic ! doric ! Tuscan

o Elements: grand staircase, theatre area, main terrace, barrel vaults, ramp
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PANTHEON (118-125 AD)
o The third incarnation of the building, ground level rose

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HOW DID WE GET FROM THE SANCTUARY OF FORTUNA TO THE PANTHEON?

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THEATRE OF MARCELLUS (late 1st century BC)
o Styles of architecture is move from doric to ionic to Corinthian

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COLLOSEUM (Roman amphitheater, 70-80 AD)
o Poles at the top to support the canopy
o Built by the emperor Vespasian (69-79 AD), built it to correct on of the actions of
the Emperor Nero (originally the site of Nero’s Golden Palace), Vespasian gave
some of the land back to the people

o Façade= LIMESTONE, interior= CONCRETE (no mortar, was held together by
metal clamps which were later stolen (façade was also stolen to build St
...
VISIGOTHS ! western Goths
o Theodore the Ostrogoth (454-526): grew up as a privileged hostage, insurance
so that his parents (King and Queen of the Ostrogoths) would behave ! reconquered Italy for Constantinople, was a very good King, renaissance of art and

culture, had one daughter who was eventually killed and Italy was taken by the
Roman Empire
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JUSTINIAN ! ruled 527-565 AD, Byzantine Emperor, true power held by his wife,
Theodora

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HAGIA SOPHIA (Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, 532-537)
o Influenced by Roman architecture, pendantives, groin vaulting, Narthex

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SAN VITALE (Ravenna, Italy (526-547))
o Central plan church, windows made of ALABASTER (creates golden light)
o Piers to hold things up, nave, single aisle (ambulatory), Atrium
o MOSAICS
"

APSE OF SAN VITALE WITH THE MOSAIC OF CHRIST BETWEEN TWO
ANGELS (526-547) !San Vitalis and Bishop Ecclesius, golden
background (symbolizes the everlasting now of God (KAIROS), Jesus as
the emperor of the world, figures flattened out

"

JUSTINIAN, BISHOP MAXIMANUS AND ATTENDANTS! mosaic from
North wall, gold background, no shadows, figures look like they are
levitating

"

THEODORA AND ATTENDANTS ! mosaic from south wall of the apse,
547

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MAUSOLEUM OF GALLA PLACIDIA (Ravenna, Italy (425))
o Early example of combination of central plan and longitudinal plan church
(crossing tower)
o Marble paneling on walls (reference to ancient Rome), interior of the dome= star
studded (mosaics), symbols of the 4 gospels, alabaster windows
o Tesserae (mosaic pieces) made of COLORED GLASS (tend to be set at slight
angles to make the wall seem insubstantial)
o CHRIST AS THE GOOD SHEPARD (mosaics), set in rational space, dressed in
purple (symbolizes royalty), petting sheep, not ordinary shepherd, as an
emperor

•

Very early medieval style of art, Jesus got his bearded image from statue of Zeus placed
in an apse

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BYZANTINE AESTHETIC THEORY:
o Art as an aid to meditation= Justified
o Emphasis on abstraction to ensure spiritual reality

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REVERSE PERSPECTIVE ! chalice that Theodora is holding looks like it is tilted
towards us, art tilted towards the viewer (THEODORA AND ATTENDANTS)

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SANT’APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE (533-549)
o ST APPOLINARIS AMID SHEEP (apse mosaic, Ravenna, 533-549)
"

Low register= saint and sheep, higher register= miracle of transfiguration
(three sheep in the high register =apostles Peter, James and John), cross=
Jesus

"

When Jesus moved into Kairos time and was able to speak to Noah and
Moses (gold background, Jesus w/ beard), St/ Apollinaris with hands up
in traditional prayer stance (taken from the pagan Greeks and Romans)

"

No overlap of trees and rocks, REVERSE PERSPECTIVE


Early Medieval Art
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Early middle ages/hiberno Saxon (also called Insular Manuscripts= MSS)

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MIDDLE AGES TIMELINE:
o Early= 476-1050
o Middle= 1050-1300
o Late= 1300-1500

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Romanesque and gothic styles have their roots here

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Migration period= 375BC-750AD (saw fusion of classical and barbarian cultures, dark
period for Western Europe, Ireland was on the fringe (golden age from 7th-8th century,
sent missionaries to mainland Europe))

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INSULAR MANUSCRIPTS COMBINED…
o Classical/Mediterranean influences w/
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Celtic spirals

"
"
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Germanic polychrome/gem style
Animal style

MIGRATIONS PERIOD ! overlaps with the end of the Roman empire, early Christian
art, beginning of the Byzantine Emperor, saw the fusion of barbarian and classical
cultures, complete by the 8th century
o Late 4th century, mid 5th century, Huns from Asia attacked western Europe and
set off a chain reaction of migrations
o Created a large amount of portable art, but a lack of architecture

•

IRELAND
o Was at the edge of the migration period
o 6th century= famine, 538 followed by plague and war, then a strengthening
o 7th c – 8th c = golden age for Ireland, monasteries= centers of learning, sent
missionaries to Italy, Germany, Switzerland and France

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HIBERNO SAXON/INSULAR MSS PAINTING:
o Style of manuscript painting in Northern England/Scotland/Ireland
o Hibernia= ancient name for Ireland
o Not really Celtic interlace, instead a combo of Celtic spirals, gem style and animal
style

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ANIMAL STYLE: developed by the Scythians and passed to the Goths
...
John the Evangelist

•

VIKINGS AND ANIMAL STYLE:
o Aka Norsemen, 793 –mid 11th century, attacked and colonized British Isles and
coasts of Western Europe
o Traded Walrus Ivory and slaves (attacked soft targets like villages, monasteries,
etc
...
825)! ship survived but treasure was taken (opposite of
Sutton Hoo), not a seafaring vessel, pleasure ship, prow was elaborately carved,
ANIMAL HEAD POST (elaborately carved, narrow bands w/ interlace)

•

WOODEN PORTAL (stave church at Uris, Norway, 1050-1070) ! carved with fantastic,
distorted animals that were intertwined

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CODEX: book we use today, pages you can turn, invented in the 1st century
...
Matthew is very similar to the page fro Ezra, language =
mixture of Latin and Greek, figure on the right= holding Old Testament (Moses?
Jesus?)

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CHI-RHO IOTA (book of Kells)! has Celtic spirals, animal style, gem style, for display on
an alter

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WHY WERE MANUSCRIPTS ILLUMINATED?

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CATHACH OF ST
...
Colomba involved 1st copyright controversy, borrowed from St
...

Columba) CARPET PAGE (signified the start of a new part of the book), mix of
many influences, carpet pages tend to be on the left, author page to the right
(reversed in the Book of Durrow)
o MAN (symbol of St
...


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SAINT JOHN, OF THE CORONATION GOSPELS (800-810) ! page of the book= painted
royal purple (very expensive), painting has a much greater sense of volume than
previous author pages, background= reminiscent of ancient Roman paintings

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PSALM 44, detail of the UTRECHT PSALTER (820-835) ! very free drawing, agitated
lines (reminiscent of the Ebbo Gospels), illustrates select parts of the psalms (“we are
counted as sheep for the slaughter”, “our soul is bowed down to the dust, our bellies
cleave to the earth”, “awake, why sleepest thou, o’ lord”), REMARKABLE EXAMPLE OF
MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION

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SAINT MATTHEW of the CORONATION GOSPELS (800-810) ! also dyed purple, frame
around the image of Matthew, tradition that goes back to Ancient Greece and Rome,
writing done in reverse perspective, foot on footstool, influenced by Greek and Roman
styles of painting

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SAINT MATTHEW of the EBBO GOSPELS (816-835) ! reverse perspectives, footstool,
writing, agitated quality to the brushstrokes, horn for holding ink in hand, winged man
in upper right corner (symbol of Matthew), frame around image

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AT THE GRAVE OF A SAINT, THE BARRIER BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH IS BROKEN

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CRUCIFIXION, front cover of the LINDAU GOSPELS (870) ! gold and jewels, pattern of
repeating arches, triumphant Christ (common in the middle ages, no beard), large
jewels prevented the cover from touching the table when the book was opened
(elevated about everything else), Mary and St
...
Sernin (Romanesque)
o Chartes Cathedral (Gothic)

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HOW DID WE GET FROM EARLY CHRISTIAN BASILLICA TO GOTHIC?
o The problem of Fire: churches regularly caught on fire, either accidentally or
because of attackers, this caused churches to start to be build in STONE (much
less vulnerable to fire)
o Changes in ground plan: no more atrium, was moved over to the side of the
church if it was part of a monastery (center of the monastic community), narthex
becomes part of the building, many spiral staircases built into the church,
transept has changed, large stretched out apse
"

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION! coined by Louis Sullivan= shoe makes no
sense unless you know about the human foot

"

Large apse= large monastic community associated w/ the church (clergy
sit in the apse), people wanted to join the church to escape, you could rise
through the ranks, escape arranged marriage, etc
...
Gall (819), laid out in multiples or fractions of that
module)

"

ST
...
Peter’s ! EARLY CHRISTIAN, ROMAN CULTURE (Constantine)
o Hagia Sophia ! BYZANTINE, BYZANTINE
o Mosaics of San Vitale ! BYZANTINE, BYZANTINE
o Galla Placidia! EARLY CHRISTIAN

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Early Middle ages
o Sant’Apollonare in Classe ! EMA, EMA (Theodoric the Ostrogoth)
o Animal Head Post ! EMA, EMA (Norwegian)
o All manuscripts ! EMA, EMA
o San Vitale ! EMA, WESTERN (Theodoric the Ostrogoth)

o Everything from the Ottonian and Carolingian periods ! EMA, EMA
o Purse cover/clasps from Sutton Hoo ! EMA, EMA
o Mosaic in Saint Apollinaris ! EMA, EMA
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High Middle Ages
o Wooden portal of Stave Church at Urnes, Norway ! HMA, HMA
o All Romanesque and Gothic churches ! HMA, HMA
o Chartes Cathedral ! HMA, HMA
o Jesus as Architect of the World ! HMA, HMA
o Royal Portal ! HMA, HMA

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WHY IS RAVENNA SO IMPORTANT? ! Last seat of the Roman Emperors’ in the West,
harbor/naval base right at the top of Italy, situated in a swamp, time capsule of early
Christian and Byzantine art

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CONSTANTINOPLE ! taken over by the Turks in 1453, converted churches into
mosques, lots of early Christian and Byzantine art was destroyed, makes Ravenna more
important

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Justinian’s portrait in mosaics in San Vitale because he paid for the decoration of the
church, marking his territory, trying to convert the Ostrogoths

•

Early Roman Basilica = place for business transactions, illegal to do Empire/Roman
business w/o the image of the emperor or the emperor himself present
o Jesus of ten placed in the apse as the heavenly emperor (customary in Early
Christian Basilicas)

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BASILICA NOVA ! Constantine’s huge statue presiding over the basilica

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AULA PALATINA ! now a church, originally a throne room/audience hall for
Constantine (variant of the Roman Basilica)

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Once Constantine recognized Christianity, he commissioned Churches as a “thank you”
to Jesus, didn’t want them to look like pagan temples, advantages to the Christians to
have their churches borrow from Constantine’s Basilica because that shows that
Constantine approves (BRANDING/PROPOGANDA)



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