Deck 10: Civil War, the Flavians, and Nerva

Question 1

All of the following Roman emperors were members of the Flavian dynasty EXCEPT

A) Vespasian
B) Titus
C) Domitian
D) Galba

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is true concerning the portraits of Vespasian?

A) His portraits attempt to cover up the receding hairline that was characteristic of his family.
B) His portraits portray him in an idealized, youthful style.
C) His portraits present him as older, serious, and unpretentious.
D) His portraits emphasize his continuation of Nero's policies.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Portrait groups depicting Vespasian and his two sons promoted the idea that

A) stability had returned to Rome on the basis of an orderly succession.
B) Vespasian sought deification during his lifetime.
C) Vespasian intended to adopt formally the two boys before his death.
D) the process of dynastic succession was fundamentally changed since the time of Augustus.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Despite Domitian's pretension to be a dominus et deus, his portraits are characterized by

A) Augustan idealism.
B) Flavian verism.
C) Etruscan archaism.
D) Neronian self-indulgence.

Question 5

Flavian women tended to be portrayed in portraiture as

A) youthful and idealized.
B) aged and wise.
C) realistically as possible.
D) they would appear in public, without the "costume" of nudity.

Question 6

The complex in which Vespasian constructed the Templum Pacis doubled as a

A) mausoleum for the Flavian dynasty.
B) center for imperial cult worship.
C) public art museum.
D) stage for theatrical shows.

Question 7

What motivated Vespasian's choice of location for the Colosseum?

A) He wanted to associate himself with Nero by situating the structure next to the huge statue of Nero portrayed as the sun god.
B) He wanted to reclaim for the public the land that Nero had confiscated for private pleasure.
C) He wanted the amphitheater to be visible from all parts of the city.
D) He wanted the amphitheater to provide views over the artificial lake that Nero had constructed.

Question 8

The interior "skeleton" of the Colosseum was constructed with the use of what building material?

A) mudbrick
B) timber
C) imported marble
D) concrete

Question 9

Spectators in the Colosseum were given seats based on

A) the amount of land their family held both in and outside of Rome.
B) the time at which they arrived at the events.
C) their place in the Roman social hierarchy.
D) the amount of money they had donated to the project.

Question 10

The types of spectacles that took place in the Colosseum included all of the following EXCEPT

A) funeral orations for distinguished citizens.
B) gladiatorial combats.
C) venationes, or wild animal hunts.
D) staged naval battles.

Question 11

The inscription on the Arch of Titus states that the arch was constructed to honor

A) the deified Vespasian.
B) the deified Titus.
C) Titus's younger brother, Domitian.
D) Titus's son and intended successor.

Question 12

The traditional Roman triumphal procession began at the ____________ and terminated at the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus.

A) Circus Maximus
B) Theater of Pompey
C) Porta Triumphalis
D) Campus Martius

Question 13

Because Nero's Domus Aurea could house the Flavian emperors only temporarily, Domitian chose to construct a new imperial palace near

A) the Temple of Venus Genetrix in the Forum Iulium.
B) the Mausoleum of Augustus in the Campus Martius.
C) the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill.
D) the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill.

Question 14

The two fragmentary reliefs known as the Cancellaria Reliefs depict Vespasian's ____________ (entry into Rome) and Domitian's ____________ (departure from Rome).

A) adventus; profectio
B) adventus; apotheosis
C) profectio; adlocutio
D) adlocutio; triumphus

Question 15

Visible consequences of a person's damnatio memoriae include all of the following EXCEPT

A) erasure of a person's name from inscriptions.
B) recalling coins bearing the person's portrait.
C) commissioning apotheosis reliefs of the person.
D) recutting portrait statues and reliefs.

Question 16

Discuss how the emperors Galba and Vitellius were represented on coins and the importance of coins as propagandistic media.

Question 17

Compare and contrast the features that characterized the portraits of the Flavian emperors.

Question 18

Explain how the representation of Flavian women differed from that of Flavian men.

Question 19

Discuss the design of and political motivations for Vespasian's Templum Pacis.

Question 20

Describe the design of the Colosseum and how it supported the building's function.

Question 21

Discuss the different types of spectacles that took place in the Colosseum.

Question 22

Discuss the sculpted decoration on the Arch of Titus and how it should be interpreted.

Question 23

Describe the typical processional route of the Roman triumph as well as surviving literary and artistic evidence for this ritual.

Question 24

Explain how Vespasian used building projects to differentiate himself from Nero.

Question 25

Compare and contrast the design of the Palace of Domitian to that of a typical Roman domus.

Question 26

Explain what a damnatio memoriae is and the various ways in which condemned portraits were repurposed.

Question 27

Discuss how Domitian is represented in the Cancellaria Reliefs.

Question 28

The Colosseum derives its name from its proximity to a statue of Nero portrayed as the sun god.

Question 29

Because the emperors Galba, Otho, and Vitellius only held power for mere months, very few coins from their respective reigns survive.

Question 30

After Domitian's death, many portraits of the emperor were refashioned as Nerva.