Remember that you need to answer a total of 4 of the following questions.
You must choose a question from each Topic.
Ancient Rome:
1. What were some of the reasons the Romans emerged as a very practical people? In what areas of Roman life do we see evidence of their practical nature? Provide and explain at least one example (from both the Roman Culture Lecture Presentation and the Roman Architecture Lecture Presentation) of Roman contributions to the Humanistic tradition that reveals this practical and/or pragmatic outlook.
2. Who is Octavian and how does he come to power? What are some of the things Octavian does once he is in power? What is the importance of the Augustus of Primaporta? Why is Octavian so important for Roman history and Roman culture?
Roman Architecture:
3. How can the Pont du Gard aqueduct be seen to represent many of the major elements of Roman architecture? (What are these elements and how does it illustrate/utilize them?)
4. What made the Colosseum such an important part of Roman life? What was its overall purpose? What are some of its architectural characteristics (both inside and out)?
5. Compare and contrast the Parthenon of Athens and the Pantheon in Rome in terms of construction, form, function, size, and purpose.
Emergence of Christianity:
6. What are Roman mystery cults and what are their major characteristics? How/where are these characteristics expressed in the assigned Reading? What are some examples of Roman mystery cults? How did Roman culture and the existence of mystery cults pave the way for Christianity?
7. Who is Paul of Tarsus? What is he known for? Why is he such an important figure for the development of early Christianity?
Early Christian Art:
8. What were living conditions like for early Christians in the Roman Empire? How did this influence the development of early Christian art? Provide, describe, and explain at least 2 examples.
9. What is the difference between a Latin cross and a Greek cross? How are they applied to church architecture? How do they influence the function/experience of a church? Describe an example of each and explain the differences.
10. What are mosaics? Where do we find them in early Christian culture? Using at least 2 images created by early Christians, describe how the ideals of early Christian visual art (mosaics and catacomb paintings) differ from the ideals of Greco-Roman art?
