blog #10

The Young Flavian Woman exemplifies the Roman ideal during the Early Empire. Her well-observed, recognizable features- a strong nose and jaw, heavy brows, deep-set eyes, and a long neck- contrast with the smoothly rendered flesh and soft, full lips. Her hair is piled high in an extraordinary mass of ringlets in the latest court fashion. But what was interesting to me was that in the book it says that her portrait suggests the retouched fashion photos of today. I wondered if that was true, so I decided to look through some magazines I had. Turns out that is very true, and that most models have the exact features as the Young Flavian Woman. Certain features are beautiful and seem to stand the test of time.

blog #9

The Denarius with the Portrait of Julius Caesar was of interest to me because it is something we can obvioulsy relate to our daily lives. This idea of placing the living ruler's portrait on one side of the coin and a symbol of the country or an image that recalls some important action or event on the other was adopted by Caesar's successors. I'm not sure if we got this from the Romans exactly, but I know we have the same concept on our coins today. Its nice to see that ideas from so long ago are still a part of our society in some ways.

Blog #8

The Epidauros theater was a vehicle for the communal expression of religious belief through music, poetry, and dance. This obviously sounds familiar, as we have such things today. We use theaters and stadiums for entertainment events, and they are all more modern versions of the Epidauros theater if you think about it. I think that beyond just the architectural connection, we can connect our lives to ancient people. We too enjoy live music, plays, dance, and poetry just as people hundreds of years ago did too. Its kind of crazy to see how these traditions and passtimes have affected generations to come.

Blog #7

So this reading has taught me a lot about Greek architectural orders. I had no idea there was so many details. I basically always called these things as big houses with columns aha. I really had no idea about the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders or that every part had a certain name (ex:shaft, capital, drums, echinus, stylobate, stereobate, ect.) Well anyways, I think greek architecture can obviously be related to our lives today. Greek architecture is everywhere, and sometimes we don't even notice it. So instead of just talking about this relation, I thought I would put some pictures up because they help illustrate my point more than words :)


Greek Orders:
Uses today:


Federal Buildings:


Frat Houses:

Mansions:

Other:

Blog #6

The Knossos interior caught my attention simply because of its incredible design. I'm honestly so impressed that people that long ago were able to create such beautiful interiors. I'm not saying that people were stupid or talentless in those days, but I mean seriously think about how impressive they were by being able to creat all of this. The columns, the stairs, the symmetry, everything! I also think we can relate this to our daily lives because it is an inspiration to architects. Old looking houses or greek-styled houses are popular with the wealthy, and I think the Knossos interior definetly plays a part in inspiring today's architects.

Blog #5

I liked reading about the burial services of the Egyptians. They put so much effort into the "afterflife." I mean, King Tutankhuman's coffin had over 240 pounds of gold! And the coffins were so well decorated, and obviously very extravagant. I think times have definitely changed now, at least in our society. When someone dies here, they don't get 240 pounds of gold on their coffin thats for sure (even if it is someone wealthy or powerful)! I don't think our society puts a lot of emphasis on the afterlife, well at least not as nearly as much as the Egyptians. I feel like we just kind of put someone in a coffin and say goodbye, rather than preparing them for the afterlife and making sure they have what they need for it. Well anyways, i found this comparison to be pretty interestiing!

Blog #4

So being that I'm a girly girl, I of course picked the Pectoral of Senusret II as my topic for this week. I love jewlery myself, especially the really big kind that can sometimes look a little tacky! Haha well anyways, I found this piece to be really beautiful and interesting. The detail is incredible, and I love the gold lining because it makes everything pop (there is a much better pic in your book!). I find it fascinating that these people from soooo many years ago were able to create such intricate jewlery. In the picture above, you can see the Two Horus falcons perched on the base, and above their heads is a pair of coiled cobras, symbols of Ra, wearing the ankh, the symbol of life. I think people who design jewlery today actually may have gotten inspiration from pieces like this, because big jewlery like this is very popular today and the concepts are very similar to the Pectoral of Senusret II.