Literature - pictures Flashcards
(29 cards)
Which texts does picture 1 link to?
Ovid - Dipsas raises the dead from their tombs
Petronius’ spooky story
Which texts does picture 2 link to?
Dido prepares a curse
Which texts does picture 3 link to?
Martial’s epigram - all his animals and mola salsa are used up in sacrifices
Dido surrounds herself with altars when preparing a curse
Suetonius writes about Caesar’s downfall being a result (in part) of his sacrifices
Which texts does picture 4 link to?
Martial’s epigram
Suetonius - Spurinna’s (haruspex) duty of reading the sacrifices’ entrails
Which texts does picture 5 link to?
Horace’s satirical take on augury
Which texts does picture 6 link to?
Horace’s satire about augury
Describe picture 1
- road surrounded by tombs
- most likely Herculaneum, road leading from Pompeii
- many of the tombs have inscriptions
- some would be family tombs
Describe picture 2
- defixio (curse-tablet)
- Vilbia curse tablet, found in Aquae Sulis (Bath)
- written on lead to ensure a powerful curse
Describe picture 3
- an altar with an image of a sacrifice
- a priest with a covered hood can be seen
- the bull is led in by a man holding an axe
- the priest stands next to fire, in which they will burn parts of the bull’s corpse as an offering to the Gods
Describe picture 4
- bronze model of a liver
- detailed instructions on reading omens
- guide for haruspex when examining sacrifices’ entrails
Describe picture 5
- artwork showing Romulus’ and Remus’ augury
- deciding who should become the leader of Rome
- believed to be standing on the Palatine hill, which would become the centre of Rome
- Romulus sees 12 vultures, while Remus only saw 6
Describe picture 6
- emperor Augustus as an augur
- holding a litus (augury instrument)
- also present are the sacred chicken, often consulted in military matters, and two priests with covered heads
Outline the uses and limitations of picture 1 in understanding Roman beliefs about superstition
Uses:
- clear interest in preservation of legacy - belief that spirits live on after death
- superstition impacted town planning; spirits must be close to, but not inside the city, to avoid “miasma”
Limitations:
- doesn’t give a proportional representation of society (slaves couldn’t afford tombs)
- can we rely on inscriptions to express common views e.g., ‘when I’m dead, I’m dead’
Outline the uses and limitations of picture 2 in understanding Roman beliefs about superstition
Uses:
- commonplace throughout levels of society; high numbers in various locations and varying levels of literacy (some just used pictures)
- common belief in supernatural ability to bring harm
- use of lead; magical properties of metal
Limitations:
- magic words - serious or silly?
- similar to graffiti nowadays? Could it be more of an outlet for emotions rather than a genuine wish for someone to be cursed?
- did they really believe it would work - joke?
Outline the uses and limitations of picture 3 in understanding Roman beliefs about superstition
Uses:
- people of high religious importance; respected in society
- indication of exact details
- altar found outside of temple - religious custom
- many similar artefacts; widely held practice
Limitations:
- how often were sacrifices made?
- how were common people involved?
- did Roman society agree with the practice? Was it believed to work?
- may be embellishment of the norm
Outline the uses and limitations of picture 4 in understanding Roman beliefs about superstition
Uses:
- haruspex’s duties treated as an intellectual study
- expensive material used + detail on liver
- level of education - literacy required
- consistent interpretation (either for one haruspex or for others)
Limitations:
- scepticism over haruspex’s claims was common
- did common people understand?
- was it integral to superstitious belief? Does everyone believe it?
Outline the uses and limitations of picture 5 in understanding Roman beliefs about superstition
Uses:
- key moment for Roman society
- leadership of Rome based on augury
- central idea in civilisation
Outline the uses and limitations of picture 6 in understanding Roman beliefs about superstition
Uses:
- indication of exact details e.g., litus, sacred chicken
- ruler believed in superstition, important figure, central theme in society
- altar outside of temple; religious custom
Limitations:
- how were common people involved?
- was augury generally considered an effective practice by the common people?
Picture 1 - info
- tombs close to city so that tombs could easily be visited
- tombs not inside city to avoid religious pollution or miasma
- often, these roads would have been dangerous at night due to crime
- inscriptions on many tombs offer travellers the opportunity to stop and learn about the dead
- most citizen’s/freedmen invested in these to preserve their legacies
- offerings may be left to prevent hauntings
- the festival of ‘Parentalia’ involved dining with the dead in their tombs
Picture 2 - info
- found in the sacred spring at Aquae Sulis
- written on lead to ensure a powerful curse
- often involved symbols or magic words to enhance the curse - pictures were used by the less literate
- believed to be commonplace practice through different levels of society
- normalised custom and part of Roman life
- often requested dire punishments, written in vengeful and explicit ways
Picture 3 - info
- priests would have head coverings
- various sacrificial bits and pieces were used including mola salsa to enhance the magic
- the animal must be unblemished and willing (consent was obtained through dripping water on its head)
- thigh bones and fat would be burnt as offerings to the Gods
- (not in picture) haruspex would read and interpret the entrails for good/bad omens
Picture 4 - info
- model of a sheep’s liver, used as a guide for haruspex when reading entrails
- inscribed with instructions for reading good/bad omens
- part of religious custom, though there was scepticism over the haruspex’s claims
- bronze believed to have magical properties
Picture 5 - info
- Romulus and Remus deciding who should become the leader of Rome through augury
- Remus saw 6 vultures, while Romulus claimed to see 12
- further stories include a fight, resulting in Romulus’ killing of Remus
- foundation story of Rome - Palatine hill became the centre of Rome
Picture 6 - info
- emperor Augustus seen holding a litus
- litus: augury instrument used for divining messages from the sky, mainly birds, but also included lightning and weather
- priests present with covered head
- sacred chicken often consulted on military matters
- augurs form a college of priests
