ARCH1 C Theme Essay Plans

Artefacts

Grave Goods

- define key term and why they were used

- explain different functions

- from furnishing afterlife to paying the ferryman

- sites to use

- Roman Lady of Spitalfields

- gold thread

- jet hair pin

- glass vial

- cloth

- bay leaf pillow

- lead coffin

- stone sarcophagus

- Gladiator Girl, Londinium

- lamp

- stone pine cones

- Winchester Man

- coin in hand

- Catterick Man

- jet bracelet

- jet necklace

- bronze anklet

- 2 stones placed in mouth

Curse tablets/Defixiones

- identify nature and way they were used

- explain human-god interface as contract

- sites to use to explain how they were used to enhance evil

- Temple of Mercury, Uley

- Temple of Sulis-Minerva, Bath

- link to concept of magic with use of nonsense words written backwards and then screwed up

- symbolic nature of

- rolling them up and nailing them

- meaning of special contract between person and god

Frescos/Mosaics

- explain fresco - wall painting

- explain mosaic - image created with lots of tesserae

- fresco site

- Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii

- rites of passage 

- female coming of age

- mosaic sites

- Hinton St Mary

- image of Christ

- pomegranate

- Cirencester

- depicts the four seasons

- different gods/goddesses

- Roman Palace, Chichester

- cupid riding a dolphin

- original function to show status, then became dedications to gods/goddesses without need for a cult statue

Statues/Statuettes

- identify what considered a statue and why they were used by Romans

- consider impact of using statues  to represent gods

- Mercury, Uley

- cult statues

- Apollo, Pompeii

- use of focus of attention

- Claudius, Colchester

- Sulis-Minerva, Bath

- encourages mixtures of different religious beliefs

- keeping memory of ancestors alive

- Barbarini Statue, Rome

- smaller local deities

- Lararium at House of Vetti, Pompeii

Votive altars

- consider why Romans would use votibe altars with temples

- use of quid pro quo arrangement for worship of certain gods/goddesses

- Temple Complex, Bath

- Mithraic votive altars, Carrawburgh or Ostia

- can be used to explain a perilous journey or a great battle

- sites to use

- Coventina's Well and Antenociticus

- Roman soldiers creating sacred altars as thanks to god/goddess for their sucess

- Temple of Sulis-Minerva, Bath

- multiple altars including sacrificial

- Temple of Mithras, Carrawburgh or Ostia

Belief

Gods & Goddesses and Local Gods & Deities

- explain principle gods/goddesses of Roman religion and explain the role played

- main gods/goddesses

- Mercury - messenger of the gods - Uley

- Apollo - god of sun - Pompeii

- Mars - god of war

- Minerva - goddess of wisdom - Bath

- Vesta - goddess of home - Pompeii

- each represents an important aspect of Roman understanding of the world and helps maintain the world

- local gods/goddesses

- Nodens - Lydney

- Antenociticus - Benwell

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