Donatello's equestrian statue of Erasmo better known as the Gattamelata was built in 1453, during the middle of the Italian Renaissance. This statue stands 11 feet tall and was the first example of such a monument since ancient times. There were other statues of such scale in the 14th century but none that had been created in bronze and all were placed over tombs rather than erected to be a standalone piece. Donatello portrays Gattamelata sitting atop his horse staring off in the distance, his face focused as if the threat of battle is immanent. He has a command baton in one hand, which he holds away from his chest yet crosses the neck of the horse signifying his leadership. Comparatively ancient Rome’s equestrian statues of Marcus Aurelius,…
When the Roman Emperor Augustus came to power in 27 BC it was after a period of civil war that lasted over 70 years following the death of Julius Caesar. Rome had 50 legions at this time, and number that would have put too great a financial strain on the Roman coffers. Augustus also feared for the loyalty of these legion due to the fact that many legionaries prior to the civil war had given their loyalty to the legion’s commander and not the state. During this time Augustus also limited Rome’s territorial ambitions choosing the secure its gains and to not expand it much further, thus making it more unmanageable both administratively and financially.…
Marcus Aurelius was born on April 20, 121 AD into a family of royalty. His uncle and adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, was the emperor of Rome. Aurelius, too, was trained from birth to be a great ruler like his father. At age eleven, he dedicated himself to religion, although he considered philosophy to be the "true, inward" religion, one which did not require ceremonies necessary in others. He was appointed by Emperor Hadrian to priesthood in 129. The Emperor also supervised his education, which was with the best professors of literature and philosophy of the time. From his early twenties, he deserted his other studies for philosophy. In 161, Marcus Aurelius ascended the throne and shared his imperial power with his adopted brother Lucius…
Marcus Aurelius would have had mixed feelings about the collapse of the Roman Empire in the mid-to-late third century AD. An admirer of change, Marcus would have accepted the direction that the Empire was heading in, but not necessarily through the murderous means in which it transpired. He also was an enormous aficionado of living as close to in accordance with nature as was possible and not enjoying an overly lavish lifestyle. Few of the Emperors during the mid-to-late third century AD were overtly careless with their reigns, and most were entirely focused on maintaining defense. According to Aurelius, nothing could be more in accordance with nature than death, or in this case a violent death, which was the fate of every emperor that took…
The Roman currency is sestertius (HS). Augustus paid to the Roman plebs, HS 300 per man from his father’s will and in his own name, he gave HS 400 from the spoils of war when he was consul for the fifth time (29 BCE); furthermore, he again paid out a public gift of HS 400 per man in his tenth consulate (24 BCE) from his own patrimony; and in his twelfth year of tribunician power (12-11 BCE), he gave HS 400 per man for the third time. And these public gifts of his never reached fewer than 250,000 men. In his eighteenth year of tribunician power, as consul for the twelfth time (5 BCE), he gave HS 240 to 320,000 plebs of the city. And when he consul the fifth time (29 BCE), he gave from his war spoils to colonies of his soldiers each HS 1,000, about 120,000 men in the colonies received this triumphal public gift. He paid the towns money for the fields, which he had assigned to soldiers in his fourth consulate (30 BCE) and then when Marcus Crassus and Gnaeus Lentulus Augur were consuls (14 BCE); the sum was about HS 600,000,000, which he paid out for Italian estates, and about HS 260,000,000 for which he paid for provincial fields. He was the first and alone who did this among all who founded military colonies in Italy or the provinces according to the memory of his age. And afterwards, he paid out rewards in cash to the soldiers whom he had led into their towns when their service was completed, and in this venture, he spent about HS 400,000,000. He helped the senatorial treasury with his money four times, so that he offered HS 150,000,000 to those who were in charge of the treasury. And when Marcus Lepidus and Lucius Arruntius were consuls (6 BCE), he offered HS 170,000,000 from his patrimony to the military treasury, which was founded by his advice and from which rewards were given to soldiers who had served twenty or more times. All the expenditures, which he gave either into the treasury or to the Roman…
This incident has been recorded in many historical documents such as the works, biographer Plutarch and, historian Thucydides. From analysis of these their accounts is can be deduced that Plutarch’s account is unreliable and presents a biased point of view.…
Having a strong ruler is key to a successful empire. A strong ruler is a sign of a strong empire, and if you have a weak leader who makes bad decisions when your empire will most likely crumble. Many empires such as Carolingian, the Qin Dynasty, Egypt, and so many more thrived because of their strong leaders, even if that time of prosperity doesn't always last long. One great and powerful leader that lead his empire to peace was Augustus. "The era of Augustus’ reign was a golden age in every respect. " (Augustus) A strong leader often brings prosperity which causes the citizens to be more patriotic. This patriotism helps strengthen the empire's military might because more people would be willing to fight for the empire that they…
The Roman Empire was filled with beautiful art and insightful literature, but none knew how to use this literature to their advantage like Gaius Octavian Thurinus also know as Augustus. Augustus the most influential people in all of Rome's history and was responsible for turning Rome into an empire. Octavian was not directly linked to royalty, but he proved his loyalty to his uncle Julius Caesar. Caesar and Octavian had a close relationship and this relationship would grow to a point where Julius Caesar adopted Octavian as his son and made him heir to the throne. Not long after that, Julius Caesar was assassinated and Octavian would become senator of Rome, but would also be allowed to sit in council meetings. This was how Octavius came to power. But Octavian made his real mark when he decided to not take…
A Stoic is a person who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain. One who is not touched by the outside world seem to live inside themselves always thinking that today might be the last. Stoics detach themselves from things of this worlds including objects, people, and to a certain extent their own lives. In Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and Epictetus’ Discourses they both explain how to properly be a stoic, learning to deny their feelings, respect themselves and nature, and detach themselves from the useless things of this world.…
Marius was a very influential and strong general during the time of the romans. Although he had good military tactics, his time as a statesman was different he was ill equipped to be a statesman. He wasn't smart and did not have good impacts on the roman people. He was covered up in (as plutarch states) “ smoke screen of moralizing”.…
Its head turned to the right with its mouth slightly open. Marcus Aurelius is posed with his right hand raised in the air and head tilted turned slightly to his right toward his raised hand. The artist who created the Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius used curves, horizontal, and vertical lines for it. They also used repetition to create the lines underneath the horse’s head and the curls on Marcus Aurelius’ head. General “Mad” Anthony has his head looking forward and hands placed on the reins as though he is pulling the horse’s head slightly right or stopping the horse. The horse is posed with its left front leg raised to step forward or possibly to turn. The artist, George E. Ganiere, used curves for the bodies of the horse and the General, as well as what they wear on them. He also used vertical lines for the…
Essay Topic 4: Augustus made significant urban and architectural interventions on the city of Rome. Choose three buildings/monuments related to his reign and discuss how they reflect his impact. What representational messages were they designed to convey?…
“I have found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble.” These were Augustus’s last words. Augustus was born Gaius Octavius on September 23 63 B.C. in Rome. Augustus’s father was a senator and governor in the Roman republic. Augustus was the nephew of Julias Caesar and then later became his heir. He was a teenager and was in Apollenia (modern-day Albania) when his uncle was murdered. Augustus was named Octavian before 27 B.C. He was the first and most powerful Roman emperor. Augustus was the most successful Roman emperor because he restored Roman peace, won many battles and expanded the Roman Empire.…
Peoples and Cultures, a Concise History, Vol. I: To 1740, ed. Katharine J. Lualdi, 51-55. Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.…
There were many things that were noticeable that made Augustus a pioneer and a visionary. The first that is noticeable is that he takes chances. At the beginning of his rein he had to make a decision. Take a chance and get revenge or carry on and not do anything about his allies turning on him behind his back. He knew if he lost this war he would lose everything and that Rome would no longer be the same and maybe not even be in existence.…