Deck 19: The Soldier Emperors

Question 1

The Roman emperors who came to power in the third century generally obtained imperial power because they had the support of

A) the Roman citizens.
B) the provincial consuls.
C) the Senate.
D) the military.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Once a new ruler came to power, he immediately asserted his authority by disseminating his image through

A) long-term architectural projects.
B) cameo commissions.
C) portrait statues and coins.
D) cult statues.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Nearly all of the third-century imperial portraits that survive today are identified based on evidence from

A) cameos.
B) coins.
C) building records.
D) inscriptions.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What part of the portrait of Balbinus from Piraeus continues the traditional imagery of the Early and High Empire?

A) the representation of the emperor in the guise of Jupiter
B) the Greek contrapposto and trim proportions
C) the heroic ideal that emphasized physical power over grace
D) the setting up of the image at Piraeus, near Athens

Question 5

The emotional expression in imperial portraits of the soldier emperors generally reveals

A) insecurity, nervousness, and a troubled pysche
B) unwavering confidence in Rome's physical and political strength
C) harsh, barbaric ruthlessness
D) calm, intellectual resolve

Question 6

How are third-century portraits of elite men and women similar?

A) Portraits of both men and women only depict their subjects as eternally youthful.
B) Portraits of both men and women reveal the psychological stress of the third century.
C) Portraits of both men and women depict elaborate, ostentatious hairstyles.
D) Portraits of both men and women only depict their subjects as aged and mature.

Question 7

The new, heroic male ideal that became popular in third-century portraiture was characterized by

A) a slender, graceful physique.
B) a combination of an aged head with a youthful physique.
C) a heavyset, muscular physique.
D) a mathematically proportioned physique based on the Canon of Polykleitos.

Question 8

Although traditional jobs for relief sculptors were scarce, what sculptural medium flourished during the age of the soldier emperors?

A) copies of Classical Greek masterpieces
B) reliefs on triumphal columns
C) temple friezes
D) sculptured sarcophagi

Question 9

The earliest securely identifiable sarcophagus of a member of the imperial family is the

A) Lion hunt (Mattei) sarcophagus.
B) Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus.
C) Acilia sarcophagus.
D) Balbinus sarcophagus.

Question 10

What change in imperial funerary practice took place after the reign of Septimius Severus?

A) Roman emperors began to be embalmed and put on display rather than inhumed in sarcophagi.
B) Roman emperors began to be mummified in Egyptian fashion rather than cremated on funerary pyres.
C) Roman emperors began to be inhumed in sarcophagi rather than cremated on funerary pyres.
D) Roman emperors began to be cremated on funerary pyres rather than inhumed in sarcophagi.

Question 11

The lenos (bathtub) sarcophagus type is distinguished by what feature?

A) its monumental size
B) its rounded corners
C) its significant depth
D) its sculptural relief program

Question 12

Lion hunts were popular subjects for sarcophagi because they demonstrated

A) the deceased's victory over death.
B) the deceased's hunting occupation in life.
C) the deceased's military rank.
D) the deceased's political status.

Question 13

The dense mass of intertwined bodies on the Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus represents what artistic development of the third century?

A) increasing rejection of the Classical style
B) increasing dependence of the Classical style
C) increasing interest in representing the illusion of three-dimensional space
D) increasing interest in the accurate rendering of atmospheric perspective

Question 14

In the sarcophagus of Lucius Pullius Peregrinus, what is the most likely reason why the portrait head of the wife is featureless?

A) His wife suffered a damnatio memoriae after her death, and her portrait was erased.
B) He was probably unmarried at the time of his death, and the portrait was never completed.
C) His wife predeceased him, and her portrait was erased.
D) He rejected the idea of burial with his wife and wanted to change the portrait to something else.

Question 15

In addition to the construction of the Temple of the Sun, the only other significant building project in Rome during the era of the solder emperors was

A) a renovation of Augustus's house on the Palatine.
B) a renovation of the Baths of Caracalla.
C) a new fortified wall circuit.
D) a new imperial palace.

Question 16

Discuss the historical context for the instability of Roman rule and its effect on architectural and artistic production in the capital.

Question 17

Discuss how portraits of the soldier emperors depicted psychological and emotional intensity.

Question 18

Describe the new heroic ideal that emerged in the third century CE and its manifestation in imperial portraiture.

Question 19

Explain how third-century portraiture reflects a sense of nervousness or insecurity about the contemporary era.

Question 20

Discuss how elite women were depicted in portraiture during the reign of the soldier emperors.

Question 21

Describe the subject matter of the sculptural relief on the Acilia Sarcophagus and the controversy surrounding its identification.

Question 22

Discuss the "biographical" subject matter in the relief sculpture of the Balbinus Sarcophagus.

Question 23

Explain how the relief sculpture on the Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus represents a rejection of the Classical style.

Question 24

Explain how the theme of victory is represented in sarcophagi from the third century.

Question 25

Using the sarcophagus of Lucius Pullius Peregrinus as an example, explain how sarcophagi were selected and produced.

Question 26

Describe examples of subjects from Greek and Roman mythology that were popular choices for sarcophagi.

Question 27

Describe the design of the Aurelianic Walls and explain why they were necessary.

Question 28

Portraits of the so-called "soldier emperors" are notable especially for their emotional content.

Question 29

The subject matter on third century sarcophagi typically depicted the role that the deceased assumed in life.