– Chariot Passes by
– Silence

The Roman Fights. Their Power Evolves.

– Light Fighting/Grunting
– Silence

What is a man?

– Sound used from Our Planet

Romans once ruled the world. Their ideal leaders were known as true men. They were characterized by their morality, physicality, and ideals. Men had to show that they were valiant, cunning, charming, and credible.

– Silence
– Sound used from Our Planet
– Fades as talking

The personas that these men carried show how the body is more than just the flesh. It extends to their emotions, desires, and identity. [2] Throughout Roman portraiture, art and written work audiences have been able to understand what was expected of these masculine figures. In these works there are countless metonyms for masculine ideals that are showcased in the different segments of the body.

– Flesh tearing

The corporeal body refers to the physical body that we live in.

– Light sounds of war while talking

As the world’s conquerors Romans were often finding themselves in war. Due to that the leaders and generals often vested signs of aging and battle. In veristic portraiture, you see the deep bags and wrinkles brought on by sun damage, and the facial scars from being sliced. [3] These are metaphors for wisdom and courage as even now we attribute elders to being knowledgeable, and wounded soldiers to being brave. These ideals were so engraved that in some roman works we discuss how men were taunted for being beautiful because they lacked the marks of a true man. [6] That is until Caesar’s traitorous demise.

– War sounds turn to serenity while talking

With Julius Caesar’s downfall comes the rise of his adopted son Augustus. He was a young well-liked boy who would come to outwit and decimate all of his enemies. Due to his youth, he lacked all of the trademark signs that a leader and man should have, So he changed it. He had already proven himself in battle and still had all of his father’s supporters on his side. This enabled him to rise to power and change the ideal image.

– Thunder

Hermes, Mercury, Venus, Aphrodite were where Augustus’ blood and image were tied to. The gods were known for their longevity and ideal bodies, and since Augustus’ lineage had been deified he was now the son of a god. Using Greek models he was able to shift the views of power so that he could embody the true Roman in a new light. [5], [6] These Greek models focused on not showing impurities and rather focused on how the portrait was adorned to show Romanism with symbolic dolphins, gods, and armor. This evolution allows us to see not only how the ideal body evolves but also introduces us to how power determines the ideal body. [2], [4]

– Silence
– Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Sound

The ideal masculine body has a strong focus on identity. During Augustus’ hold on power, he focused legislation on bearing children within nuclear families. [1] A large part of being a Roman became being able to produce offspring. We are introduced to scenes of men who in one derivation are suffering from erectile disfunction.

– Laughter line before “He is”

In one particular scene, he is seen as a failure as his partner laughs at his inability to perform his duty as a Roman. [1] This invites us to see how functionality of the body and being able to live up to your role in society also plays a role into what the ideal body is. We can also look into Roman literature to get a better understanding of the expectations of masculine character.

– Marvel Music

Emotionality of Romans is seen throughout a variety of works. During Augustus’ rise to power he battled one of his father, Caesar’s friends. He defeated Antony the final lover of Cleopatra. We can see a relationship between power and desire in depictions of Antony and his relationship with Cleopatra. Facing guaranteed failure Antony abandoned his soldiers who were fighting on the front lines, and ran away with Cleopatra. Antony is described as a coward rather than a leader or a man, meanwhile, his men are praised for remaining loyal and brave like generals. [5] He is seen as a man who has lost his Roman way and was actually deceived by the monstrous and tempting Cleopatra. Recounts of her death ironically noblize her. “She did not feel a woman’s fear” Many who called her a monster also claim that because she committed suicide and faced a man or ruler’s death that she showed signs of a powerful and true Roman. [5] These writing give us clear indications of how a man must act in the face of danger and even death. Giving us a clear imagine of what an ideal Roman’s character, values, and morals were.

– Scandal “The Light”

The ideal body is a conglomeration of the beauty and perfection that our society desires to obtain. From the Roman’s we see that throughout each civilization and ruler it changes to fit what those in power desire. So now the questions evolve with it. How have you seen the ideal body change, who controls what we see as ideal, and will it ever vanish?

– Fades into ships

References

[1] Barrow, Rosemary. Gender, identity and the body in Greek and Roman sculpture. Cambridge . University Press, 2018.

[2] Bynum, Caroline. “Why all the fuss about the body? A medievalist’s perspective.” Critical . inquiry 22.1 (1995): 1-33.

[3] Jackson, David. “Verism and the ancestral portrait.” Greece & Rome 34.1 (1987): 32-47.

[4] Najmabadi, Afsaneh. Women with mustaches and men without beards: Gender and sexual anxieties . of Iranian modernity. Univ of California Press, 2005.

[5] Velleius, Paterculus, Frederick W. Shipley, Paterculus Velleius, Paterculus Velleius, . Augustus, and Augustus. Compendium of Roman History. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University . Press, 1979. Print.

[6] Zanker, Paul. The power of images in the age of Augustus. University of Michigan Press, 1988.