Chapter 16 - Hannah's List



Bust of Septimius Severus (fig. 16-6) p. 234 

This bust of Septimius preserves some of the Antonine looks, including drilled pupils, hair and beard. However, 4 drilled locks across the forehead now appear. It is also in the style of the Egyptian god Serapis. The family had visited a shrine to this god in Memphis in the late 2nd century. It is the most common type of Severan portrait and it underscores his North African roots. A good example is housed in the Indiana University Art Museum!

 Bust of Julia Domna pp. 234-5

This portrait matches the one of Septimius housed in Indiana. She was very important, and her status was probably derived from giving birth to potential heirs. Her hair is clearly a wig, popular among Roman women at the time. Two curls of her real hair can be seen on her temple, protruding from underneath the helmet-like wig.

''' Head of Caracalla (16-9 & 10) pp. 235-6 '''

Caracalla’s portraiture marks a break from the Antonine style. His hair and beard were worn so short that the sculptor decided to show this with negative carving rather than relief. His suspicious and ruthless nature is very evident in his portraits, as indicated by his deeply furrowed brows and shifting eyes. This is one of the breaks from the even-keeled portraiture of Marcus Aurelius.

 Arch of Septimius Severus pp. 238-40

Septimius constructed this arch after is triumph over the Parthians. He had sought a foreign war in order to legitimate his rule, like so many emperors before him. It is located across from Augustus’ Parthian victory arch, connecting his dynasty to that of the founder of the Roman Empire. Like Augustus’ arch, it features three arches. It features personifications of the four seasons, indicating that Rome will be victorious anywhere and in any season. However, it is different from previous arches in that it features panels that look like scenes from Trajan’s spiral column. It depicts episodes from Septimius’ Parthian campaign, and like Marcus Aurelius, he is shown facing forward. The entire narrative could be read from a single vantage point, unlike the spiral columns.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN"> Baths of Caracalla pp.242-44

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN">The plan of this was similar to those of Titus and Trajan. It was once enormous and magnificent, dwarfing previous baths. There were gardens, libraries and lecture halls, among other things. Some of the floors had mosaics, the most famous of which feature black-and-white athletes, showing the idea of physical perfection very different from the Greek style. They are burly and barrel chested, unlike the lean, muscular Greek ideal. They are exemplars of brute strength, not grace. Mosaics and statues presented a new model for the ideal Roman man, one that was consistent with the brute strength and emotional intensity of the emperor.