Augustus of Primaporta, c. 20 B.C. or c. 14 A.D. (Principate)- cuirass statue	Colossus of Barletta, 5th c. A.D. (Dominate)
Coin of the Emperor Valens, 364-7. Holding Labarum with Cross.
Arch of Constantine, c. 312-315 A.D., Rome, commemorates Constantine's victory over Maxentius. Includes reliefs taken from monuments of earlier emperors: Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius.	Arch of Titus, c. 81 A.D. Rome.
	Detail of the Arch of Constantine: Medallions, Hadrianic, c. 117-138; Frieze, Constantinian, 312-315 A.D.
Bronze portrait of Constantine.	Marble portrait of Constantine, c. 330 A.D.
Palace Basilica of Constantine, Trier, Germany, 305-312 A.D.	Sta. Sabina, interior view towards the apse, Rome early 5th c.
Model of the Forum of Trajan, c. 113 A.D.	Old St. Peter's, reconstruction view of the exterior and plan, Rome, first half of the 4th c.
Santa Pudenziana, apse mosaic, c. 390	Missorium of the Emperor Theodosius (silver plate), 388 A.D.
"Adventus" of Marcus Aurelius, c. 176 A.D.	Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, 359 A.D.
	Detail of the Junius Bassus Sarcophagus with Christ with Peter and Paul (Traditio legis) and the Entry into Jerusalem (Adventus).
	Melchizedek offering bread and wine to Abraham, c. 432-440 A.D., mosaics from the nave of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome.
Interior view of the Church of San Vitale, looking into the apse, Ravenna, c. 525-547.	Christ enthroned between angels and Saints, apse mosaic, San Vitale.
The Emperor and his court (Maximianus- Bishop), San Vitale.

"Traditio legis": litterally the "translation of the law." This refers to a conventional iconographic theme in Roman art showing the Emperor dispensings the law. If signifies that the Emperor is the source of law. This theme was adapted by Christian artists with Christ dispensing the divine law.

Mosaic- a method of decorating walls, pavements, and vaults with patterns or pictures composed of small pieces of colored stone or glass (tesserae) set in wet cement which, upon hardening, holds them in place. Mosaics were widely used in ancient Roman houses and Early Christian and Byzantine Churches.

From St. John Chrysostom's commentary on Matthew I:
You will see the king, seated on the throne of that unutterable glory, together with the angels and archangels standing beside him, as well as the countless legions of the ranks of the saints. This is how the Holy City appears.... In this city is towering the wonderful and glorious sign of victory, the cross, the victory booty of Christ, the first fruit of our human kind, the spoils of war of our king.

I have developed webpages for topics included in this slide list for my Medieval Art class. You are encouraged to review them: Late Antiquity: the Imperial Image, the Early Christian Basilica, the Post-Constantinian Conception of Christ, and the Mosaics of the Church of San Vitale.

Augustus of Primaporta,c. 20 B.C. or c.14 A.D.- Principate.	Colossus of Barletta, 5th c. A.D.

Through an analysis of the styles of these two works demonstrate how the artists have created effective images of the authority of the Emperor for their respective periods.

Hadrianic Medallion, c. 117-138 A.D. and Constantinian frieze, c. 312-315 from the Arch of Constantine.

Discuss the transformation in the imperial image documented by this comparison, and indicate some reasons for this change in approach.

Palace Basilica of Constantine, Trier, 305-312 A.D.

Discuss the sources of Christian architecture illustrated by this comparison. Why would Christian architects have borrowed these traditional architectural forms?

Forum of Trajan, c. 113 A.D.	Old St. Peter's, reconstruction view of the exterior and plan, Rome, first half of the 4th c.

Discuss the sources of Christian architecture illustrated by this comparison. Why would Christian architects have borrowed these traditional architectural forms?

Santa Pudenziana, apse mosaic, c. 390 A.D.	Missorium of the Emperor Theodosius (silver plate), 388 A.D.

Discuss the sources for Christian iconography documented by this comparison.

Emperor Justinian and his court, San Vitale, Ravenna, c. 525-547 A.D.	Imperial Procession from the Ara Pacis, 13-9 B.C.,

Both of these works illustrate an Emperor participating in a religious procession. Through an analysis of these works, demonstrate how each presents an effective image of the authority of the Emperor for their respective periods. Your discussion should focus on an examination of the style and subject matter of both works. Make sure that you observe significant similarities.

1) Propylaeum- the entrance building of a sacred precinct, whether church or imperial palace.

2) Atrium- in early Christian, Byzantine, and medieval architecture, the forecourt of a church; as a rule enveloped by four colonnaded porticoes.

3) Narthex- the entrance hall or porch proceding the nave of a church.

4) Nave- the great central space in a church. In longitudinal churches, it extends from the entrance to the apse (or only to the crossing if the church has one) and is usually flanked by side aisles.

5) Side Aisle- one of the corridors running parallel to the nave of a church and separated from it by an arcade or colonnade.

6) Crossing- the area in a church where the transept and the nave intersect.

7) Transept- in a cruciform church, the whole arm set at right angles to the nave. Note that the transept appears infrequently in Early Christian churches. Old St. Peter's is one of the few example of a basilica with a transept from this period. The transept would not become a standard component of the Christian church until the Carolingian period.

8) Apse- a recess, sometimes rectangular but usually semicircular, in the wall at the end of a Roman basilica or Christian church. The apse in the Roman basilica frequently contained an image of the Emperor and was where the magistrate dispensed laws. In the Early Christian basilica, the apses contained the "cathedra" or throne of the bishop and the altar.

9) Nave elevation- term which refers to the division of the nave wall into various levels. In the Early Christian basilica the nave elevation usually is composed of a nave colonnade or arcade and clerestory.

10) Clerestory- a clear story, i.e. a row of windows in the upper part of a wall. In churches, the clerestory windows above the roofs of the side aisles permit direct illumination of the nave.