Discovering the Humanities THIRD EDITION CHAPTER Empire: Urban Life and Imperial Majesty in Rome, China, and India Discovering the Humanities, Third Edition Henry M Sayre Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliates All Rights Reserved Learning Objectives Characterize imperial Rome, its dual sense of origin, and its debt to the Roman Republic Describe the impact of the competing schools of thought that flourished in early Chinese culture—Daoism, Confucianism, and Legalism Learning Objectives Discuss the ways in which both Hinduism and Buddhism shaped Indian culture Colonnaded street in Thamugadi, North Africa View toward the Arch of Trajan Late second century CE Henri Stierlin/akg-images [Fig 3.1] Rome • One of the two sources for the Roman culture is the Greek Hellenic culture, which the Romans adopted for their own • The Greeks had colonized the southern coastal regions of the Italian peninsula and Sicily since the eighth century BCE City plan of Thamugadi (line drawing) ca 200 CE ©1996 Harry N Abrams, Inc [Fig 3.2] The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, ca 180 [Fig Map 3.1] CE Rome • The other source for the Roman culture is the Etruscan culture, which occupied modern-day Tuscany • Women played a far more important role in Etruscan culture than in Greek, and Roman culture would later reflect the Etruscan sense of women's equality Republican Rome • Traditionally, Romans distinguished between patricians, the landowning aristocrats who served as priests, magistrates, lawyers, and judges, and plebians, the poorer class who were craftspeople, merchants, and laborers Video: Students on Site: She-Wolf She-Wolf ca 500–480 BCE Bronze with glass-paste eyes Height 33" Museo Capitolino, Rome akg-images/Erich Lessing [Fig 3.3] Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva • These characters face moral dilemmas to which they must react according to dharma, good and righteous conduct reflecting the cosmic moral order that underlies all existence The Goddess Devi • The goddess Devi is the female aspect without whom the male aspect, which represents consciousness or discrimination, remains impotent and void in the Hindu religion • Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, and represents the dynamic forces that move through the entire universe The Goddess Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon, Mahisha (Mahishasuramardini), Bangladesh or India Pala period, 12th century CE Argillite Height: 5-5/16" Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource, NY/Scala, Florence [Fig 3.33] Buddhism: "The Path of Truth" • The founder of Buddhism was Shakyamuni Buddha (563–483 BCE), who was born Prince Siddhartha Gautama • Troubled by human suffering, Siddhartha abandoned his father's luxurious palace to live in the wilderness and meditate Buddhism: "The Path of Truth" • After six years of meditation, Buddha attained complete enlightenment • Living with the Four Noble Truths in mind, one might overcome what Buddha believed to be the source of all human suffering—the desire for material things Buddhism: "The Path of Truth" • Bodhisattvas ("those whose essence is wisdom") are persons of very near total enlightenment, but who have vowed to help others achieve buddhahood before crossing over to nirvana The Maurya Empire • Ashoka (r ca 273–232 BCE) of the Mauryan Empire established Buddhism as the official state religion • After a gruesome experience on the battlefield (261 BCE), Ashoka pursued an official policy of nonviolence The Maurya Empire • Ashoka promoted vegetarianism, built hospitals for people and animals, preached humane treatment of all living things, and regarded all his subjects as equals—regardless of politics, religion, or caste The Maurya Empire • Ashoka embarked on a massive Buddhist architectural campaign, erecting as many as 8,400 shrines and monuments to Buddha throughout the Empire • Soon, Buddhism spread beyond India The Great Stupa • A stupa is a kind of burial mound • As a form, the stupa is deeply symbolic, consisting first and foremost of a hemispheric dome, built of rubble and dirt and faced with stone, evoking the Dome of Heaven • The Great Stupa at Sanchi includes walkways that form a mandala, the Buddhist diagram of the cosmos Architectural Panorama: Great Stupa, Sanchi Closer Look: The Great Stupa at Sanchi The Great Stupa, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India, view of the West Gateway Founded 3rd century BCE, enlarged ca 150–50 BCE Shrine height 50', diameter 105' Madhya Pradesh, India © Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis [Fig 3.34] Architectural Simulation: Stupas and Temples Elevation and plan of the Great Stupa [Fig 3.35] Continuity & Change • In reaction to this threat to imperial authority, during the chaotic years after the fall of the Severan emperors in 235 CE, Christians were blamed for most of Rome's troubles • In 313, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which granted religious freedom to all, ending religious persecution in the Empire Architectural Panorama: Basilica Nova The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, also known as Basilica Nova Rome 306–13 CE © Photo Scala, Florence - courtesy of the Ministero Beni e Att Culturali [Fig 3.36] The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, also known as the Basilica Nova Plan Rome 306–313 CE [Fig 3.37] ... society the demise of the family • The monument is preeminently a celebration of family • It demonstrates the growing prominence of women in Roman society Ara Pacis Augustae, Rome, detail of Imperial... "I came, I saw, I conquered." • He assumed dictatorial control over Rome after the defeat of the other two members of the Triumvirate • On the Ides of March, 44 BCE, he was stabbed 23 times by. .. respect toward the gods, fatherland, and parents Imperial Rome • In 27 BCE, the Senate granted Octavian the imperial name Augustus and the authority of imperium over all the empire • Augustus was