Contextual Influences UNIT 5

752 BC – 1461 Length of ancient Rome

752 BC - AD 476 Time of Centurions

About Centurions

The Centurion was an officer in the Ancient Roman army. They were often selected for their skill and bravery in battle. Centurions led their troops from the front lines, leading their men by example. They also sought to display the skill and courage which may have got them their rank in the first place. However, because of their presence on the front lines, they suffered a disproportionate number of causalities in battle when compared to their subordinates.

Each Centurion was put in charge of a centuria, or century containing about 80 men. Being directly responsible for the training and discipline of the legionaries under his command, centurions had a well-deserved reputation for dealing out harsh punishment.

Stand out historical moments – Rome vs Carthage

264 BC - 241 BC 1^st Punic War

218 BC - 201 BC 2nd Punic War
202 BC – Battle of Zama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFT_WzQRetU

149 BC - 146 BC 3rd Punic War

Religious Figures

The Romans worshipped their Gods out of fear. This meant they would participate in festivals, offer sacrifices and offerings.

Mars – God of War

Mercury – The messenger of the Gods

Neptune – God of the Sea

Janus – God of the Doorway

Diana – Goddess of Hunting

Vesta – Goddess of Hearth

Minerva – Goddess of Healing & Wisdom

Venus – Goddess of Love 

Roman Centurion amour

A Roman soldier wore armour made from strips of iron and leather. On his head was a metal helmet. He carried a rectangular shield, curved so it protected his body. The shield was made of wood and leather. He also wore leather sandals which were made to not slip on wet rocks.  

Roman clothing

Tunic

The Roman tunic was worn by citizens and non-citizens. Citizens might wear it under the toga, especially at formal occasions. The length of the garment, the presence or lack of stripes, as well as their width would indicate the wearer's status in Roman society.

Toga

The Roman Toga was an important social representations, denoting power, occupation, and social place of upper class Roman citizens.

Toga virilis – made of undyed wool, this toga was off-white in colour and was the “everyday” toga for an adult male citizen.

Toga praetexta – Also off-white in colour, this toga featured a wide purple border that denoted the wearer was a Senator or some type of Magistrate, such as an aedile or consul Stripes of varying width would have indicated the specific government position.

Toga pulla – this toga was a dark gray or brown garment that was reserved for periods of mourning.

Toga candida – A toga for political candidates, its bright white-dyed colour symbolized the candidate’s purity and honesty.

Toga picta – this special toga was dyed purple (the colour of royalty), and featured elaborate gold embroidery. It was worn by victorious generals during triumphal processions, and later by Emperors for official state events.

Presentation

Group presentation feedback

I had to give feedback on the presentation given by Jordan Ash, Alex Stubbs and Corey Reading. 

the layout of the presentation and depth of the presentation was good and had useful information.

The presentation flowed well but had some pauses.

All spoke clearly, had positive body language and made consistent eye contact.

The idea was clear from the beginning and made sense all the way through, their was a lot of images and had a good idea generation.

I learnt a lot about the history of art from ancient Japan and what they wore, but I would have liked some more background on ancient Japan.

Political influences on art

I looked at comic books and chose captain America because I think it was used to show children in America the Nazi Germany were getting beaten by America.

In this comic book cover, it is showing Captain America punching Hitler and beating Nazi Germany. This was used to keep the spirits of America high during the war.