1. The portrait of Augusta Prima Porta depicts the power and divinity that he was trying to express through his sculpture. He is barefoot in his portrait which reminds those who look at it that he is a god and that he is a member of the Julian family, which claimed to be descended from Venus. The breastplate shows his power. It depicts his victory over the Parthians in 39-38 BC that avenged a Roman defeat at their hands nearly 15 years earlier. It was known as the battle that set off the Pax Romana. It reminds the viewers that Augustus was responsible for their time of peace and prosperity. Hadrian kept the empire relatively peaceful throughout his reign. He patronized the art and even wrote poetry himself. In one full statue of him he is shown stepping on an opponant. That shows his power to control other peoples and protect the empire. Caracalla is most known for his slaughtering of over 20,000 people in response to an insulting satire made of him. His portrait looks harsh. His eyebrows are furrowed and he appears serious and controlling. He kept a very tight leash on his people.
2. The Coliseum was architecturally significant because it was such a staple of Roman culture during it's time. It was huge and could seat 50,000-75,000 people. It was used for entertainment purposes such as gladiator battles, chariot races and it could even be flooded to host mock naval battles. There was a wooden stage above the basement part. In the basement they held the gladiators, lions and prisoners that would be used to entertain the public later. It is also a great example of the Roman arch and all three of the types of columns they used. The columns were connected by the arches that surrounded the entire circular or ovular building. The Coliseum is comprised of three levels or columns connected by arches. The bottom level has Doric columns that represent strength and stability. The middle level has Ionic columns and the top has Corinthian columns. The Coliseum is also significant because in the Middle Ages the bronze was taken from it to make weapons.
The Pont du Gard was also built on three levels and used the characteristic Roman arch. It is a perfect example of the high caliber of Roman engineering. Marcus Agrippa ordered its building. They didn't use mortar to connect the stones. They cut each one perfectly to fit into each other. They used a block and tackle system to lift the huge stones on top of each other. That system had one or two pulleys that had a rope that was used like a lever to lift heavy loads. It was made to be an aqueduct, but it is also a bridge over the Gard river. The name actually means bridge over Gard River. The aqueduct brought water from the Fontaines d'Eure springs near Uzes to the Castellum in the Roman city of Nemausus. It delivered about 5 million gallons of water a day. During the ninth century it was neglected and unusable as an aqueduct. From the Middle ages to the 18th century it was only used as a footbridge. Today it is a popular tourist spot.
The Mausoleum of Hadrian was built by Hadrian and finished by his adoptive son, Antoninus Pius. It was used to store the ashes of the dead emperors and their families. In AD 271 it was turned into a fortress by Aurelian. It is the second largest building in Rome after the Coliseum. It has Roman arches and is a circular building which is like the Coliseum and takes after the Mausoleum built by Augustus. It was converted into a castle in the 14th century and renamed the Castel Sant'Angleo.
3. The Odysseus paintings from the House of Livia are about the adventures of Odysseus. They are in the second style and they are usually a continuous stretch of landscape. It is divided into 8 compartments and separated by faux columns (pilasters). There are huge gaps in the story, however. They are symbolized by blue skies and waters that seem to encompass the scenery of the Odyssey. The Villa of the Mysteries is also in the second style. It is named the Villa of Mysteries because no one knows really what it is about, unlike the paintings from the House of Livia. They have an intense air about them that is almost the opposite of the Odysseus paintings. They were figures in the painting were on a green stage that circled the whole room. They combined human and mythical realities into one story.
4. The potraits of the Tetarchs and Constantine are portraits that were used as propaganda. Whereas the portraits of the early imperial rulers were seen as more of a true portrait, simply showing the ruler as they might have really appeared "warts and all". The Tetarchs appear to be supporting each other or leaning on each other for protection from the hard times of conflict during their reign. The statue itself was made of porhyry, which is a stone with a purple tint. The color purple was used for royalty and the fact that their portrait was purple speaks for the amount of power they held. Constantine's portrait is different from the early Roman imperial portraits because it is not realistic. The head itself is eight feet tall. He was probably sitting in the whole statue, which is a sign of a god. He meant to make himself appear as a god, which means that he had great power. Both of the later portraits tell little of how they actually looked, but tell alot about how they wanted to be viewed and how powerful they were.
5. A basilica is really just a type of building with a long nave that has an alcove in the center. However, a basilica in today's terminology is a large church that has the long nave with the alcove in the center. In ancient Rome a basilica was a Roman law court. In gratitude to Constantine, Christians built their large churches with the same form and called them basilicas. They used the huge arches that are a characteristic of Roman architecture.
