Genres of Roman Poetry - Answers 1. Poetry (in verse) 2. Prose (not in verse)
Catullus - Answers Poet born outside of Rome into rich Italian family, came to Rome and got involved
with Clodia, sister of Clodius, who was already married, poetry reflects ups and downs of their
relationship including when he was jealous of her canary and when he called her a prostitute. Her
persona was Lesbia. He wrote purely about love in lyrical poetry even though he wrote at the same time
as Cicero who focused on Roman politics and society. Died young, believed to have been from a broken
heart after his ultimate break-up with Clodia.
Horace - Answers -At school in Athens when Brutus' liberators killed Caesar and campaigned to 'save'
the Republic. Horace drooped out of school to join the Liberators who were soon defeated by Octavian.
Octavian gained control of Horace's land when his father died, and as a result Horace was forced to
work as a clerk in Rome. His writings took a bitter twist as he wrote cynically about his life. Maecenas, a
chief follower of Augustus took an interest in Horace's writings and created an amicita relationship with
him. He gave Horus a farm in Sabine to write for him. However, Horus was forced to write things
Maecenas liked, mostly praise for Augustus. He also wrote about his farm.
-Wrote about Cleopatra's death, Augustus' victory and the Regulus Standards
Regulus - Answers -commander during the Punic wars, taken hostage with a lot of other Romans by the
Carthaginians and sent to Rome to negotiate their release
-Regulus said to forget about the soldiers in captivity and put the state first
-Lost standards to the Carthaginians the same way Crassus did to the Parthians (which were recovered
by Augustus)
Regal Period Architecture - Answers -Circus Maximus, thatched huts on hills, Temple of Jupiter Optimus
Maximus, Temple of Vesta, Senate House, Forum
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus - Answers -wooden frame with statues on the roof, terracotta tiles
-cult statue inside taken out for festivals
-Etruscan/Italian style
Cloaca Maxima - Answers -"biggest drain" of many
-Etruscans drained the forum into the Tiber River
-cleaned out by Agrippa, Aedile of Augustus who sailed through it and sanitized and cleaned the city
-ensured entire city had clean water, 1200 fountains added
Coins - Answers -Coin of Syracuse: 2-horse chariot carrying Nike, and lion with sea goddess
, -Coin of Rome: 4-horse chariot driven by Janus, with Victoria, Jupiter and Roma
Atrium House - Answers -made from terracotta and tile
-has garden, similar to Greek peristyle but without colonnade
-stone-faced concrete facade at front
Roman Temple - Answers -Raised on podium, front-facing steps (towards street)
-one set of stairs with defined porch
-Cella defined with embedded columns
-Rectangular shape
-Has markers where priests are to look for signs from the gods
-typically made from wood and terracotta (Original Etruscan design)
-more concerned with functionality
Greek Temple - Answers -slight porch, slightly raised
-stairs all around structure
-rectangular or Square
-no embedded columns= all around the building, 2 sets
-usually made from stone or marble
-more concerned with aesthetics
Temple of Fortuna Palestrina - Answers -elaborate victory processional temple
-not in Rome
-grandly designed (radical) not concerned with tradition or function
Victory Temples - Answers -Soldiers/generals would pray to a god to help them win the war, if they won
they would build a temple in their honour
-had to be approved by the Senate
-paid for by victory spoils of general, gets to put images of his family and advertise himself in the temple
-had to be uniform in size and shape to fit in the city along the Triumphal route
-Triumph through city to the temple