Death in Motion: Funeral Processions in the Roman Forum

Abstract

Scientifically accurate, three-dimensional digital representations of historical environments allow architectural historians to explore viewsheds, movement, sequencing, and other factors. Using real-time interactive simulations of the Roman Forum during the mid-Republic and the early third century CE, Diane Favro and Christopher Johanson examine the visual and sequential interrelationships among audience, actors, and monuments during funeral rituals. Death in Motion: Funeral Processions in the Roman Forum presents a hypothetical reconstruction of the funeral of the Cornelii family in the early second century BCE and argues that the conventional understanding of the staging of the funeral oration may be incorrect. It then reviews the imperial funerals of the emperors Pertinax and Septimius Severus to compare the ways that later building in the Roman Forum altered the ritual experience, controlled participant motion, and compelled the audience to submit to an imperial program of viewing.

To serve the Empire: Roman eagle as a divine messenger and guardian of majesty of the first Roman Emperor, Octavianus Augustus (63 BC- 14 AD). Politics — culture — belief

“…The above concept has possibly been signiÞ cantly expanded in the event of the ba le of Philippi 49 . In autumn of 42 B.C., Macedonian steppes between Pangeum and Symbolon 50 witnessed a great tragedy, nota bene preceeded by numerous and highly disturbing portents 51 . By dawn of one fateful day in October, legionaires formed lines in their designated positions, speeches of both parties' leaders took place, and soon therea erthe two armies clashed in a desperate struggle for victory.…”

Future City in the Heroic Past: Rome, Romans, and Roman Landscapes in Aeneid 6–8

“…8 Skard 1965 56 rejects Norden's teichoscopia theory in favor of his own pompa funebris theory (Skard 1965 53-65). On Roman aristocratic funerals in general: Flower 1997 91-127;Favro and Johanson 2010 recreate the topographic and sensorial context(s) of Roman aristocratic funeral processions. 9 Novara 1987;Flower 1996 109-110;cf.…”

Experimental archaeology and games

“…The handling of water in the re-enactment led to numerous discussions about whether water would have been stored in the building, fetched from a well or other source, how it was carried, how it was used, etc. Conjectures about daily activities had been published (Farvo, 2010), but the lack of available information highlighted how much undocumented interpretation had been used in earlier captures of movement for virtual environments. For capture sessions, the MiPP team followed the norms used for film and video game motion capture and used a CAVE-like setup (Cruz-Neira 1992) projecting elements of the of the virtual environments on the walls of the capture space.…”