The Buildings and the Images of the Imperial Cult X The Antonines Antoninus Pius (86 – 161) - married Faustina the Elder, had 4 children, 3 died, Faustina the Younger survived - adopted Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus - was pius to his ancestor, the Senate and family - after the death of his wife – The Temple of Faustina on the Roman Forum Cult: - insisted on deifying Hadrian (difficult relationship with the Senate after his reignrelationship with the Senate after his reign dedicated to Greece and Eastern part of the empire) - attitude to his own cult – not expressed in the works of historians, but watched closely so that Hadrian and Faustina were deified - after his death – deified immediately and joined Faustina in her temple in the Roman Forum Lucius Verus (130 – 169 AD) - his father was a first adopted son of Hadrian, died before him - a co-ruler with Marcus Aurelius (adopted by Antoninus Pius) - spent much time abroad - married Lucilla (daughter of Marcus Aurelius) - deified by the Roman Senate after death - not interested in a cult, a commander Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180) - married Faustina the Younger (his adopted sister) - at least 13 children, one of them Commodus - little is known about his cult – not interested in it, a Stoic philosopher - little about Marcus’ cult in his writings – wrote to the boule of Athens in 179 to modify its offer of gold and silver statues as honors more suited to the gods, accepting bronze buststo the gods, accepting bronze busts - the context of the modest reply to the boule is unknown (harks back to Julio-Claudian precedents – possibly intended to reflect on the good character of the new Augustus, Commodus) Commodus (161 – 192) - married Bruttia Crispina, no children - Saoterus, Cleander – main advisors - as a sole ruler – not considerate at all - his identification as god is quite common – Roman Hercules - adorned himself with a lion-skin head-dress and carried a club, paraded through Rome ascarried a club, paraded through Rome as Hercules - wanted to show his “divine powers” in the amphitheatre on 1st January 193 (but murdered on 31st December, 192 AD) Funeral and apotheosis - emperors – two funerals: a) shortly after death – cremation or inhumation, deposition in the family tomb b) after the senatorial deification – public, spectacular event, a wax effigy of the emperor was burned and an eagle was released - what caused this change – unknown, the place of deaths? Death Private burial (cremation or inhumation) Divine honors awarded by the Senate (cremation or inhumation) Public burial Symbolic apotheosis – eagle released from the pyre ROMEROME The Column of Antoninus Pius - Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus honoring Antoninus Pius and Faustina - red granite column and a marble base with an inscription on one side, figural sculpture on the other 3 sides - Antoninus Pius and Faustina Elder – buried in the mausoleum of Hadrian - location: Campus Martius, the place of Antoninus ustrinum - two panels – decursio – in honor of the deceased emperor, counterclockwise, circling the funeral pyre, one led by Marcus Aurelis the other by Lucius Verus - dedicatory inscription The Column of Antoninus Pius - apotheosis - similar to Sabina from the Arco di Portogallo - the scene in Campus Martius – personification of it reclining, seminude, holding an obelisk - on the right – Roma in Amazon costume and wearing a helmet sits on a pile of armor and weapons, in the shield – Romulus, Remus, the she –wolf - genius of the saeculum aereium (Golden Age) – transports the deceased on his back, grasps a globe - Antoninus Pius – carries a scepter crowned by an eagle – Jupiter’s attribute - Faustina Elder – Juno, the veil - flanked by two eagles – symbols of their souls - classicizing style – stylistically the same as Sabina’s apotheosis The temple of Antoninus and Faustina - north of the Regia, church of S. Lorenzo in Miranda was later incorporated - identified by an inscription: Divo Antonino et / Divae Faustinae ex S(enatus) c(onsulto) - 141 AD – by Antoninus Pius in honor of his wife Faustina - at the death of the emperor – temple also dedicated to him (the first line of the inscription was added) - the temple: large podium, a front stairway, remains of the brick altar, façade – 6 columns of cipollino (Euboea), Corinthian capitals in white marble - the cella: peperino, opus quadratum, marble frieze – two long sides – facing griffins set amid a vegetal motif in heraldic fashion - cold, classicizing manner of the Antonine period, exterior – clad with marble - statues: on the podium beyond the columns - grooves: cut across the high part of the columns – to fix the ropes – attempt to pull the building down, monolithic shafts – greater resistance than was foreseen - the central column on the left – drawings representing Hercules and the Nemean Lion (among other subjects), may have been inspired by statues visible from there Commodus as Hercules - discovered on the Esquiline (1874) - a portrait type known from about 12 other copies – 191 – 192 AD - bare chest including arms and hands: right hand – club, left hand – apples of thehand – club, left hand – apples of the Hesperides - crowned with a lion-skin headdress of Hercules, the paws are tied across his chest -the bust rests on an Amazon pelta above crossed cornucopiae and an orb - on the left – kneeling Amazon – now headless, originally balanced by a counterpart - Herculanean subject underscored by 3 signs of the Zodiac – the bull, Capricorn, Scorpion – on the orb -all of them refer to the month October – number of important events in the life of thenumber of important events in the life of the emperor - pelta and kneeling Amazon – Rome’s enemies – over which Commodus has triumphed - has brought peace and prosperity - cornucopiae – to the empire (orb) - the bust originally flanked by 2 tritons, who held a parapetasma (curtain) above his head – known from contemporary sarcophagi - original position – not known – likely a public place PROVINCESPROVINCES Characteristics: - about 35 cities – neokoroi for the temples of emperors (11 temples known from its ruins) Temples: - temples always free standing – interesting, the only Etruscan temple – Sebasteion - large, prominently placed, when newly built, Corinthian, followed Hellenistic rather than contemporary Roman models, conservative in their decorative program, multiple columns, aediculated façade of the marble style - even more temples appear on coins – many of them don’t exist anymore - 3rd century AD – explosion in the number of temples in Asia Statues: - standard statues, colossal size, acrolithic – wooden core, only head, hands, legs and feet of marble, clothing - moving the statue of an emperor (or emperors) into a standing temple – common practice since the mid. 2nd century AD Koinon - association of cities of similar ethnic background within a region, borders didn’t conform to those of Roman provinces - also several koina within one province - no administrative or governmental capabilities, only an association to govern the cult of emperors (an association joining the neokoroia) - in the West – concilia - no neokoroi - Crete, Cyprus, Lycaonia, Syria – but had koina Officials: - chief priest – presided imperial temples and their ceremonies, wore an imperial portrait busts on his crown, 1 chief priest per year (agonothetes, hierophantes, or “the chief priest of ….”) - hymmodoi – sang emperor’s praises, 40 men- hymmodoi – sang emperor’s praises, 40 men - theologoi – celebrated imperial gods in prose - thesmodoi – deliverers of precepts or oracles - grammateis – secretaries - neopoioi – in charge of temple’s fabric, oversaw funds Laodikeia Sagalassos Sardis, Lydia Laodikeia, Phrygia (Lydia or Caria?) Amaseia, Pontus Sagalassos, Pisidia Nikomedia, Bithynia Sardis – The temple of Artemis -Antoninus Pius - previously: a provincial temple of Tiberius, his mother and the Senate - Antoninus Pius – neokoros 2nd time – in the the temple of Artemis - 1882 – a colossal statue head of Faustina found in ruins, later lower part of Antoninus’ head, together 3 male and 3 female colossal statues - two deities worshipped – Artemis and the Antonines The temple - 8 x 20 columns, pseudodipteros - ionic order - began in 3rd century BC – introduction of the cult of Zeus - opened to the west - later the cella divided by a long wall in half and a door in eastern wall of opisthodomos – two back to back cellas - 2nd century AD – to accommodate the provincial imperial cult (opisthodomos) The statues: Antoninus Pius - 4 times life-size, nude, seated, likely held a scepter or a spear in his left hand, head strongly turned to the left - recalls Zeus, also called Olympios in Sardis - not a known portrait type Faustina the Elder - acrolithic head – characteristic Faustina’s posthumous portrait type known from coins - similar to Hera – a perfect match for the “Zeus” - head turned slightly to her right, exaggerated eyes - 3 - 3.5 life-size Marcus Aurelius - 4 times life-size, three separate locks starting under the lower lip - other fragments of the head and a hand curved as if holding a scepter - thought to be Hellenistic – chisel work/drill Faustina the Younger Lucius Verus (or Commodus?) - 4 times life-size - curling beard - co-emperor Lucilla -broad, square, plump face - eyes are unnaturally wide organization: in pairs, scale differs – 1. males, 2. senior woman, 3. junior women, probably seated male statues and standing female 1. male statues – western part of the temple, female statues – eastern part, with Artemis 2. male and female statues together, placed in pairs - eyes are unnaturally wide - not possible to identify the hairstyle Sagalassos (Pisidia) - excavation campaigns 2003-2004, Belgium, Turkey - the temple of divine Hadrian and Antoninus Pius - the construction started during the reign of Hadrian - top of the bedrock – phases of settlement pre-dating the sanctuary – early imperial period - Tiberius - 500 AD – an earthquake – collapse of the temple - occupation until the 11th c. AD - the temple stood on a large temenos: 82 x 60 m, ionic porticoes on 4 sides, entrance through a propylon - paved courtyard - the temple was Corinthian, 6 x 11 columns, rich vegetal ornament - pronaos almost as deep as the cella - inscription on the architrave - no trace of an altar – removed completely in the Byzantine period - ritual waste deposit – related to the festivities connected with the cult Amaseia (Pontus) - Marcus Aurelius - capital of Pontic kingdom - 1st neokoros – Trajan (coins) – temple similar to the one in Pergamon - also 161/162 AD – neokoros – Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus – coins – no temple but refer to the concord of the two rulers Laodikeia (Phrygia) - Commodus made Laodikeia neokoros- inscriptions -the same reason as Nikomedia – but through Cleander Nikomedia (Bithynia) - Saoteros of Nikomedia (180 – 182), Commodus’ chamberlain – very influential - Saoteros (officially Commodus and the Senate) gave the right to build a temple of Commodus (Cassius Dio), withdrew at Saoteros’ fall - citizens asked for festival and the temple (soon cancelled) - no sign it was ever celebrated, the temple was built but later used as the temple of the imperial cult, not the temple of Commodus through Cleander - early in his reign, but damnatio memoraie - rehabilitated by Septimius Severus (festivals) and Caracalla (neokoria) - 1993 – 1999 – a survey – large colonnaded temenos near the city’s eastern gate - low podium at the back wall – monumental building - probably a temple with spiral-fluted columns set on square bases (no excavations done there) - only measures – the temple 30 x 65 m, mid. 2nd c. AD (unsure until the excavations) - how many times neokoros? – Commodus, Caracalla, Elagabalus The Great Antonine Altar at Ephesus - location: in the centre of ancient Ephesus – near the Library of Celsus - later reused as fronts for a later fountain basin - now in Vienna - date: highly controversial 140 – to glorify Hadrian and his adopted family 169 – death of Lucius Verus – celebrates his life – from adoption to apotheosis - later date preferable – mature head of Lucius Verus (being crowned by Victory, sitting among other gods and goddesses) - U-shaped altar based on Hellenistic prototypes (Great Altar of Zeus in Pergamon) - slabs: 2 m high, about 31 m long frieze - the order cannot be reconstructed certainly - 3 sets of letters on the slabs probably used as guidelines to set them up - dimensions were altered when they were reused - also the chronology of events could help to- also the chronology of events could help to reconstruct the order - styles: motionless, active - two decorated podia - garlands and bucrania in the lower part, figural frieze around the whole structure Topics: 1. Lucius Verus – adoption 2. Campaign in Parthia in 163 – 166 AD 3. Apotheosis of Lucius Verus 4. Divine sphere 1. Lucius Verus – adoption - 8 years old, a dynastic scene - frontal depiction of the Antonine dynasty – seriousness of the event – as if posing for a formal portrait - priestesses and the other figures –- priestesses and the other figures – taking part in the ceremony – also frontally placed, motionless - near the adoption scene – sacrifice (only a part of it survives) – 2 attendants flank the sacrificial bull, musicians in the background - Sabina, Faustina the Elder – frontal – standing to the right of the sacrifice - attendants – profile, or ¾ view 2. Parthian campaign -163-166 AD, accomplishments of the commander in the campaign, got a joined triumph with Marcus Aurelius - scenes of combat – fight, dying barbarians, active scenes a) several panels – two heroic Roman legionnaires walk beside three defeated Parthians (one kneels pulling an arrow from his back, the other slumped over the saddle) b) Roman soldier in a tunic, helmet and a sword in hand raising right arm across his body – about to kill kneeling Parthian (even though holding a weapon, has a shield, helpless to defend himself), horse in the background – additional dramatic aspect c) the combat continues – heroic suicide, death and destruction d) personifications of cities of the empire – east and west – accompanied by river gods (depicted from the waist up), cities – ¾, blank background, similar to Hadrianeum, little movement 3. Apotheosis - Lucius Verus – cuirass, stepping with the help of Victory into a chariot drawn by 2 horses and led by Helios and Virtus - Tellus holding a cornucopia, and a child with fruits in its cloak (one of the seasons?) 4. Divine sphere - Olympian gods – Athena, Poseidon, Lucius Verus crowned by Victory