Hadrian

even gave his army a raise. After the death of Domitian, there began the Nervan-Antonin Dynasty, which contained what was known as ‘The Five Good Emperors’. These started with Domitian’s advisor, Nerva, becoming emperor. After him was Trajan, then Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and finally Marcus Aurelius. Marcus was considered the last good emperor, and none after him quite met the standards set by these five…

The introduction of the of The Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome 500 - 323 B.C. speaks to the Traditional Time of Greek progress. At the time, which was in likewise the season of strength and quality after the triumph over the Persians (peace settlement in 449 B.C.), Athens created majority rules system as a righteousness of the person in an equalitarian culture while at the same time reverencing the divine beings. The significance of the past spoke to a critical column to achieving a…

It turned out that the Christian converts had wanted the same things as the Romans. Unfortunately because Christianity was part of a number of mystery cults, images of the Nativity, Crucifixion, and Resurrection were not found in the third century Christian works of art (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia). The theme of death and resurrection were not directly shown in the works of art but they were represented through many images that had been derived from the Old Testament. Faith and…

The Romans have been known to be one of the greatest ruling powers in known history. This success can be attributed to many things; such as their unique culture. Roman culture has long been studied and revered for its attributes and survival. Excavation upon excavation has been launched in order to find out more about the Roman people and their culture, but what really speaks volumes about them is the ancient texts and the texts written today. There are three key subjects that contribute the…

What is commonly referred to as the “fall of Rome” wasn’t at its essence a fall at all. It was a gradual decline, following years, decades, even centuries of conquering peoples and acquirement of riches. Throughout the centuries, the Roman Empire had many RISES and declines as does any world power that survives for as long as the Roman Empire did. The question is why this decline was the last decline, what led Rome to a point that the Empire failed to recover as it had in the past. Roman armies…

technical prowess. And perhaps of a more secular power - with a less intimate, more pick and choose relationship to its gods. In Athens, Pericles and Phidias made very sure that their names were associated with their great triumph. But the Emperor Hadrian and his architect preferred not to claim credit for the largest dome in the world - their inscription just puts it down as a restoration of an earlier structure, no big deal. Personally, I find this tendency to massive understatement to be…

Architecture was a means to human satisfaction as well as a way to appease a higher entity. (T) Architecture was often used by civilizations to prove to their occupants that they were powerful and raise morale. (A) The bigger, more elegant or complex the structure, the easier it would be for you to intimidate your enemies and show that your empire was a force to be reckoned with. (B) Through high vaulted ceilings, magnificent displays of engineering and breath taking pieces of art, a religion…

On the third day ashore, I made my first visit to Trajan’s Forum. The forum is two centuries old and was built by Emperor Trajan after their successful wars against the Dacians. Using the riches acquired during the wars, the Emperor rewarded the Roman citizens with the building of the forum. Construction was started in 107 CE and completed in 112 CE. The Emperor used architect Apollodorua of Damascus to construct the forum. The forum which is the largest in Roma, is a vast complex which has…

Mark Naden Architecture and Design Profile Ten years directing all aspects of a multidisciplinary design consultancy Twenty years leading design projects in the disciplines of architecture, product design and branding Extensive experience in all aspects of design and production in both architecture and industrial design Experience in all aspects of creative direction including defining the design agenda, team building and management to achieve the highest quality, on time, and within budget…

Scholar Tamsyn Barton continues with a critical examination of Suetonius, declaring that the ancient historian was more of a rhetorician than a non-biased scholar. Throughout her essay “The inventio of Nero: Suetonius,” Barton points out Suetonius employed a known rhetorical mode of writing, which was used for criticizing politicians in ancient Rome. Therefore, the people of Rome would have understood Suetonius’ words were not meant to be taken as factual information on the emperors’ lives.…