1) Consider Rome as a city and think about its ambiance in the city during the earlier Imperial period (ca. 27 BC-AD 117). How had Augustus changed the appearance of the city?
What important buildings and monuments were added later by Vespasian and Trajan? What was it like to be an ordinary citizen living there, according to Juvenal and Martial (their comments are in Massey's book, see pdf on the class web site)?
How do their accounts contrast with the powerful symbolism of the imperial architecture in the city?
2) Choose two free-standing statues from the transitional/early Classical period, or the Classical period (including the 4th century), or the Hellenistic period (one from each period).
Compare them, with the following questions in mind:
What is the relationship between marble and bronze and what are the limits and advantages of each? What do we know about the artists' intentions and the identification (subjects) of the statues?
How would you relate the developments in statuary to changing historical circumstances?