Late+Empire

= ** 200-395 CE ** =

Created by Connor McDonald
The Roman Empire had already been beginning to decline before, with barbarians starting to invade the outskirts of the empire, but after Commodus the empire started to suffer economic and political decline allowing the barbarians to invade more inwards. The rulers of the empire were now only military leaders who used force to come into power, many of them corrupt. Because of this, in 286 the emperor Diocletian divided the empire in two, and then in 293 divided it into four parts to create a tetrarchy where one person ruled each part. This soon ended as Diocletian was abdicated in 305. Then in 324 Constantine became emperor, bringing Christianity into the empire and moved the capital to the east, greatly furthering the decline of the western empire.

** Sculpture **
==== Towards the beginning of the Late Empire the sculpture still retained the verism they had in earlier periods, but the style started shift to more abstract, showing the person’s power, rather than who the actual person was. ====

====__ The Portrait of Caracalla __ - Caracalla is still shown very realistically through the use of verism. He is also made to look almost angry, which is meant to make him look more powerful and fierce. This helps secure his status as the emperor, making him look like a capable ruler. This angry look is different from prior sculptures, as sculptures made of Augustus were meant to show the wealth and peacefulness of that era, where now intimidation was much more important. ====

__ Portrait o ____ f a Tet ____ rarch (Galerius?) __ - Made during the period that Diocletian ruled, the portrait has a very noticeable change in style. It is much more abstract and less realistic. It still contains similar elements to the portrait of Caracalla in that the man has a somewhat fierce and alert look, helping show the person’s authority. It is also created from porphyry, a stone from Egypt that was only used by the rulers due to its expense.

====__ The Tet ____ rarchs __ -Made of porphyry, like the Portrait of a Tetrarch, this sculpture also has a less realistic, more abstract style. It shows the four tetrarchs as identical and embracing each other to show that all four have equal power and are united. They all have swords on their sides to show their power. This sculpture represents the tetrarchy of the period very well. ====

====__ Constantine The Great __ - Found in the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, this statue was commissioned by Constantine to be a stand-in for him. The statue, now in pieces, was 30 feet tall, helping show his large amount of power. The face incorporates the more abstract qualities of the period, by having abnormally large eyes and other disproportions, with the earlier Roman style of geometrical perfection as opposed to realism. This sculpture is made out of marble, the more common material for Roman sculptures. ====

** Architecture **
====__ Arch of Constantine __ - The Arch of Constantine was made in Rome and is much larger than many of the other arches, including the Arch of Titus, which is nearby. It has three barrel-vaulted arches with engaged Corinthian columns beside each one. The reliefs on the arch are depictions of his victory in battle against Maxentius, as well as victorious depictions of prior emperors, like Marcus Aurelius, helping to further the arch’s effect of displaying Constantine’s power. ====

====__ Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine (Basilica Nova) __ - This Basilica was one of the last important buildings in Rome and was started by the emperor of Rome Maxentius shortly before he was defeated by Constantine. This Basilica was created differently than most, making it similar to the public bathhouses. The long hall with an apse of the same width was later used in Christian churches. ====