Jeffrey Luong

Professor Goux
AHS-007
8/22/14
ROME MOVIE NOTES
Julius Caesar, assassinated in rome 44B.C.
- wanted so much power to himself, leading to assassination
- wanted to be like alexander the great, go above and beyond
- Tried to cross niles river
- (almost 1000 ft wide, with unknown current)
Made engineers to create a bridge. Sustain weight of 40,000 soldiers
Foundation wooden pile, foot In ahalf thick 30 ft tall from surface to
bottom
Caesars engineers added extra stablility , drove the pilings in at an
angle
Very difficult to drive it into the wooden bed at an angle.
Connected to a 2ft beam
Surface finshed with tightly bundled sticks
- 10 days after ordering construction, Caesar marched across
bridge towards his destiny
- terrorize the germans and beyond
- Caestar estimated the force to be 10x his army
Germans fled to higher ground after seeing Caesars army
Caesar explored freely, and crossed back onto his bridge and
dismantled it.
Symbollically nothing can hold rome back, can go anywhere
especially Caesar.
Age 55, dictator for life, = whispers of assassinations within roman
senate.
Death embodied absolute power
When Caesar was assassinated, showed Rome may dismantle
Rome would be the most technological place
Today in Rome, --- ancient and modern collide . Great history
Rumors 753 BC. Founded by two brothers, Remus was killed by
Romeous

Rome was a safe haven for ambitious outcasts homeless, open..

Free exchange of ideas, engineering methods from other cultures
Rome expanded into regional power, technological past , take methods
from there neighbors atruskins,
Kalika maxima, extensive sewer system still functioning today.
Underground pipeline,
Built the forum, ancient downtown district.
312 B.c. Via Appia built, first national highway.
Specializing instrument align dead straight.
Challenge was over hills and mountains because so straight.
Trench with boulders and sand were the foundation
Augustus- roman emperor. 31B.C. 14 A.D.
Equipped with many roman ammentities, theatre, forum, ampitheatre,
etc.
Symbols of civilization, higher standards of living, where the money
resided.
London, paris were testaments to rome
Waterproof concrete, mixed with volcanic sand (Pozulan sand?) ,
specially designed by roman engineers. Can build underwater.
Can build enormous piers within the water, revolutionizing bridges.
200 gallons water aquaducts everyday in the city of Rome.
Million of people could live cleanly and comfortably.
Thats why romans think they are superior, they are cleaner
Aquaducts built over centuries
Claudius main attribute to Romes water
Used to be laughing stock, limp, hard of hearing,
Ceased power when unlikely opportunity, most of the royal family
murdered.
Claudius was spared after cowering behind a curtain.
Bribed the family, then became emperor.
Empire took steps forward with Claudius under reign.

Build two major aquaducts, dramatically increased the flow of water

into Rome
Roman engineered aquaducts at a gradual gradient, several inches ,
had to be consistent.
Roman engineers dug perfectly angled through the mountains
Perfecting ancient engineering concept- the arch
Built through a temporary wood architecture, with stone.
Aquaduct emptied into 3 things
Public fountains, reserves, and private fountains wealthy parts for the
wealthy
Claudius loved his women and wives too much. Married his own niece.
(Cleopatra of her age) Ambitious and kaniveal, Hungry for power.
Phyiscal and political charm to achieve power.
Seduced Claudius to make sure her son claudiuss heir.
Claudius died Poisoned by mushroom
Her son ,Nero, was bad, suspect of arson fire.
Rome had a major fire, 10 of 14 regions attacked. Many died from
smoke or fire itself. Apparently, he was fiddling watching the fire.
Rumor was he set the fire himself so he could build a palace.
Nero blamed Christian, a new religious cult. And killed many.
Nero was relentless, served his old wifes head to his new wife.
Anthropenas thirst for power
Nero sent his guards to kill his mother anthropena
Anthropena told the guards to strike her in the womb where nero was
born
Nero developed illusions and ghosts of his mother.
Then nero created a pleasure palace, in the heart of the city, where the
rich once had their homes.
Nero bled the provinces dry, demanded money from the rich, to build
this palace.
Neros golden house was built by the sweat and blood of forced labours
from slaves.
Slave labour was significant in building of grand projects that define
the essence of the imperial world.
Exploited roman architecture for his own self , his palace.

Huge villa, pastures with animals, gardens, center would be a

manmade lake, vast 100 foot wing still survives today buried in rome.
The vaulted ceiling, was basically like an arch
Neros behavior was so far off the scale, he ultimately paid the price
months after moving into his new palace, overthrown by oppositions.
Hunted by his own guards
Nero slit his throat -69 A.D.
Tried to get rid of any memories Of nero
104 AD- Neros golden house was covered with dirt and rumble
Sinkhole then lead it back into history.
Rome was up for grabs. No heir to the thrown.
Power struggle between the high generals
Vespasian became the winner. Not of royal blood. 69-79 a.D
Vision of Anti-Nero. Practical
Used engineers for the people.
Draining the massive lake from Nero
Made The colleseum transforming into a public space for the
enjoyment of the public. Gladiators, spilling blood
12000 jewish were brought back to build the ampitheatre.
8 yrs, to 160 ft tall.
Tallest roman structure ever built. Center of rome
Symbolize the power, wealth of ancient Rome
Encorporating two theatres into one,360 theatre.
70,000 romans shuffled in record time because of the many stairs and
corridors.
Complex was created to control the crowds and also the
comfortableness
110 drinking fountains
Retractable roof for when it was hot
80 A.D. collesum finished. Vespasian died a year before of natural
causes
Titus , son led the inaugural celebration.

For 100 days, they would go everyday, morning they would watch
animals killed or people killed by animals, then exeecutions, then
prime time evening gladiator fights.
Main events- live naval battles with battle ships
Possible to flood the stadium with a shadow depth of arena for naval
battles. From an aquaduct to the arena
Drain pipes into the tiger river.
Cages for wild animals, condemned crimals,
Trap doors into the arena, bathed in light and hear the yells and
screams.
Games were the ultimate spectacle.
Trajan - new emperor he was adopted 98-117 A.D.
launched building campaign., built new public baths, fixed roads,
He needed money to do so, launched military offensive to raise
money .
Set off to conquer oacia, They surrended and they got tons of silver
and gold.
Alleviate space for the congestion of the city.
Trajan Commissioned his own forum, bigger than all his predecessors,
he had so much money. + engineers
APollodorus of damascus, greek architect desgined military bridges for
Trajan during battles of Dacia
Architectural mastermind,
Appaladorius ordered his workers to Carve out piece of a hill adjacent
to the forum
Chipping away of 125 ft of elevation,
Spanish emperorer and greek Architect remade the capital.
112 A.D finished
Marble greek and Latin libraries, statues, cases tried,
Monument, statues of Trajan.
125 ft marble column towered above the new construction still
survives today.
Spiraling relief story of trajans invasion of Dacia.
TRAJANS COLUMN FReize
Height of the hill

Tomb on the base, with column

Today statue of Trajan replaced with the pope from the Renassiance
Spiraling from left to right, Continuous.
Narrative from beginning to end.
Represented 75 times, in every episode and scene, cant glorify Trajan
more than this, his entire narration of his conquest depicting roman
conqueror.
Some say Cartoon
Point of view told by the victors (The romans)
-Composition
A new victor emerging from the waters
Used technique during the war with Greece. Built a bridge by boats
aligned floating , on top of the boats are the boards making a bridge.
Pontoon bridge.
They think the god of the river is holding the boats so the troops can
pass ( Bottom piece)
Porportion, tools, naturalism, weaponry, design in relief. Stunning work.
Stood for 700 yrs, earthquakes destroyed most
Trjanas market still stands today, 125 ft foot hill, Concave hemisicle,
roman market. . 106-113 C.E.
Reinforced the hillside. 3 more levels above hemiscles, small shops to
huge walls
Footwear to fine art sold in the markets.
Enormouse materials from all over the roman world and possibly
beyond
Market engineered for main street for the masses.
By 117 A.D. , emperor gained its biggest size.
Romes next emperor would build a barricade around rome.
Trajan no biological sons, adopted son Hadrian (accomplished
military man)
He knew they couldnt maintain there expanded borders.
Looking towards how to defend rather than take over new cities.
117 A.D. northern hemisphere freezing temperature and barbarian
incursions
Hadrian visited front lines, and started to tame them
Ambitious fortification
Defensive wall across the entire country.

Once towered 15 ft high, parapets additional 6 ft.

9 ft ditch, 30 ft climb in order to go face to face with roman soldiers
Valum 125 ft wide ditch ran behind the wall. After the soldiers.
Monstrous , reminding the world Romes superiority.
Romans largest stone fortification.
3 legions 15-25,000 men, for carrying stone blocks to constructionsite.
every mile had a castle housed 60 troops, with 2 century towers.
Along length of the walls , 17 super forts that could house 1000
soldiers.
3-5 acres, assembly hall. Barracks, temple. Hospital, everything
needed to sustain army.
Towns built around the forts to supply the roman troops.
5 yrs to complete the walls and improve discipline, for northern part.
126 a.d Hadrian returned to rome after 5 yr inspection on roman
frontier, commission, and eliminate the most celebrated engineer
Hadrian wanted to leave his print in Rome. Like Augustus. Wanted his
own
Commissoned Pantheon, structure to the roman gods. 12 Deities
Rotanda, capped by dome ceiling, was the heart of the pAntheon
150 ft spand with no poles or support in the middle.
18 centuries without support.
Had to figure out how to transfer the weight from the middle to the
sides.
Solid base of walls 20ft thick for foundation for the ceilings.
Lighter materials with cement, progressive lighter layer.
Molded recess panels called coffers anesthetic purpose,, allow
surface of the dome to be decorated and reduce amount of concrete.
Not one crack in the structure.
Oculus. 30 ft hole in the center of the dome. Lights up the interior like
the sun does the earth. Removes much stress from the unsupported
ceiling.
Drove for perfection, almost achieved with still 1 thing
10 ft too short front.
Mystery of who built the structure, the architect.
Some say it was Hadrian himself, but no evidence.
Another candidate could be apollodorus of Damascus

Hadrian ordered appolordious to die, died later of natural causes.

Roman empire remained dominant force, emperors and armies
remained invincible with its draw dropping architecture.
Corrupt Garacalla, came up through murder.
Garacalla and his brother, Galla hated each other, garacalla killed him
first in front of their mother as well.
They erased his name .
Empire was back in the hands of a tyrant who ruled by fear. Places
himself above man.
Garacalla wanted to leave his legacy, prove himself worth of imperior
power.
Built a bath complex to cleanse his past sins. ~5 years
Workers worked overtime.
Centered around hot and cold pools, country clubs open to people of
every class.
Listen to politics, unwind, workout, wrestle,
Hot rooms, surrounded by magnificient structures and marble, .
Were for the average roman citizens not just for the richest.
Garacalla determined to build most massive bath complex.
Trimmed in gold and marble, floors covered with intricate mozaics.
Open spaces had outdoor activities like sports.
Can hold 2000 romans at a time
Garacallas bath were an amazing success however his ruling was not.
Hoped to leave his legacy through conquest.
6 yr reign, stabbed to death by his own guards during an eastern
campaign.
A Fire gutted the coliseum, but 20 yrs built again.
Capitol crumbled because the aquaducts were destroyed
12 milion to 12,000 population.