ARTH 110 Written lang Anc Rome
Summary
TLDRThis educational video explores the evolution of alphabets and their impact on written language, with a focus on Ancient Rome. It discusses how inscriptions on city monuments served political purposes, reinforcing the emperor's power. The video also delves into unofficial written text, such as graffiti, showcasing the contrast between official and personal written communication. It highlights the significance of public spaces and monuments like the Coliseum and Circus Maximus, and the use of inscriptions to honor emperors and convey power dynamics. The discussion includes the physical aspects of inscriptions, the use of chisels, and the emergence of Trajan font, which influenced modern typography. The video concludes with a look at literacy rates and the unofficial voice of the people through graffiti, providing a comprehensive view of written language in ancient Rome.
Takeaways
- 📜 The alphabet's roots can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, with the Phoenicians playing a key role in its spread via the Mediterranean trade routes.
- 🏛 In Ancient Rome, written inscriptions on city monuments served a significant political function, reinforcing the power of the emperor and the continuity of imperial authority.
- 🗿 The obelisk in Rome, brought from Egypt, exemplifies how inscriptions were used to commemorate Augustus's power and divinity, marking the beginning of Rome's first emperor.
- 🏟️ The Circus Maximus and other public spaces were as important as the monuments themselves, symbolizing the connection between official public space and the emperor's power.
- 📝 The Trajan's Column, with its narrative scenes, chronicles the emperor's military victories and sits on a base inscribed with details about its construction and purpose.
- 🔠 Roman inscriptions were always in capital letters, a style known as 'majuscule,' which was carved using various chisels to create a permanent and official impression on stone.
- 📰 The presence and pattern of inscriptions were more about asserting power than legibility, as they were a constant visual reminder of the emperor's authority in public spaces.
- 🖋️ The style of lettering used in Roman inscriptions has influenced modern typography, such as the 'Trajan' font, which is characterized by its serifs and all-caps design.
- 📝 Despite the use of inscriptions, literacy rates in ancient Rome were likely low, with public education nonexistent and a significant portion of the population being slaves.
- 🏷️ Graffiti in ancient Rome, like the 'Alexamenos graffito,' served as an unofficial and personal form of communication, allowing ordinary people to express their opinions and challenge authority.
Q & A
What is the significance of alphabets in ancient Rome and how did they impact written language?
-In ancient Rome, alphabets played a crucial role in written language, particularly in the form of inscriptions on city monuments. These inscriptions served as a political tool to reinforce the power of the emperor and were part of the official public space. They also facilitated the spread of ideas and the alphabet itself through trade routes.
How did the Mediterranean Sea contribute to the spread of alphabets?
-The Mediterranean Sea acted as a 'super highway' for the spread of ideas, people, and alphabets. It facilitated the exchange of cultural elements, including the concept of alphabets, from one region to another, particularly from the Phoenicians to other parts of the Mediterranean.
What is the role of the Coliseum in ancient Rome and how does it relate to written inscriptions?
-The Coliseum was a large arena in ancient Rome where gladiatorial contests took place. It was one of the city's most recognizable monuments. While the script does not detail specific inscriptions on the Coliseum, it emphasizes the importance of monuments and their surrounding spaces in reinforcing the emperor's power, suggesting that inscriptions would have been present to serve this purpose.
What is the significance of the obelisk in the city of Rome and its inscription?
-The obelisk in Rome, originally from Egypt, was a symbol of Augustus's power and his divine status. The inscription on its base in Latin detailed Augustus's conquests and his divine nature, reinforcing the idea of the emperor's authority and the continuity of power from one emperor to the next.
How did the inscriptions on Roman monuments function as a political tool?
-Roman monument inscriptions functioned as a political tool by commemorating the achievements of emperors and reinforcing the idea of a continuous line of power. They were a public display of the emperor's authority and often included phrases like 'senatus populusque Romanus' (the Senate and people of Rome), indicating that the monument was erected in honor of a past emperor by a current one.
What is the term for the style of lettering used in Roman inscriptions and why was it used?
-The term for the style of lettering used in Roman inscriptions is 'majuscule'. It was used because it was an official and formal way of communication. The letters were always in capital letters, which was a way to make the inscriptions more permanent and visible, even if they were not always easily legible due to the lack of spaces between words.
How did the physical aspects of Roman inscriptions contribute to their impact?
-The physical aspects of Roman inscriptions, such as being carved in stone with chisels, contributed to their permanence and visibility. The use of all capital letters and serifs at the end of the letters was a result of the tools used, which also gave the inscriptions a formal and official appearance.
What is the connection between Roman inscriptions and modern typography?
-The connection between Roman inscriptions and modern typography is seen in fonts like Trajan and Times New Roman, which are inspired by the formal and official lettering styles of Roman inscriptions. These fonts maintain the all-caps style and serifs, reflecting the association with authority and formality.
What was the literacy rate in ancient Rome and how did it affect the use of inscriptions?
-The exact literacy rate in ancient Rome is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 15 to 20 percent. Despite this, inscriptions were used by those in power to remind people of the emperor's authority, not necessarily because the entire population could read them word for word, but to reinforce the power structure through their presence.
How did unofficial written text, such as graffiti, emerge in ancient Rome and what was its purpose?
-Unofficial written text, or graffiti, emerged in ancient Rome as a form of personal expression and a way to speak truth to power. It was a means for regular people to communicate, often in a critical or mocking tone, and was distinct from the official inscriptions that were part of the city's monuments and public spaces.
Outlines
📜 The Emergence of Alphabets and Their Political Impact in Ancient Rome
The paragraph discusses the origins of the alphabet and its spread through trade routes in the Mediterranean. It emphasizes the political role of written language in Ancient Rome, particularly through inscriptions on city monuments that reinforced the emperor's power. The script also mentions unofficial written text in the form of graffiti that emerged in the city. The Coliseum and Circus Maximus are highlighted as examples of monuments where such inscriptions were significant. The script explains that the alphabet we use today can be traced back to the Phoenicians and that the Mediterranean was a 'superhighway' for the spread of ideas, including alphabets.
🏛️ Monumental Inscriptions and the Continuity of Power in Roman Empire
This paragraph focuses on the inscriptions found on Roman monuments, such as the obelisk in the Circus Maximus, which was brought from Egypt and inscribed to commemorate Augustus, Rome's first emperor. The inscriptions served to reinforce the idea of divine emperorship and the continuity of power from one emperor to the next. The physical aspects of the inscriptions, such as being in all capital letters known as 'majuscule', are discussed, along with the tools used to create them. The paragraph also touches on the Trajans Column, which narrates a military victory and its inscription that follows a similar pattern to other Roman monuments, emphasizing the Senate and people of Rome's role in erecting the monument.
📝 Typography and the Evolution of Official Communication in Rome
The paragraph delves into the physical characteristics of Roman inscriptions, such as the use of capital letters and the presence of 'serifs', which were a result of the chiseling process. It discusses how these inscriptions served as a form of official communication, reminding people of the emperor's power without necessarily requiring them to read the text word for word. The paragraph also connects ancient Roman lettering to modern typography, specifically mentioning 'Times New Roman' as an example of a font that references Roman forms. It contrasts the official use of inscriptions with the more personal and unofficial nature of graffiti, which allowed regular people to communicate in a way that was not controlled by the power structure.
🗝️ The Role of Literacy and Graffiti in Ancient Rome
The final paragraph provides an overview of the role of literacy in ancient Rome, suggesting that while there was a level of literacy among the population, it was not high due to the lack of public education and the presence of slaves. It highlights examples of unofficial writing, such as graffiti, which served as a way for individuals to express personal opinions or to speak 'truth to power'. The paragraph contrasts the formal, official inscriptions with the more personal and unofficial nature of graffiti, which allowed for a different form of written communication that was accessible to the general public.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Alphabets
💡Ancient Rome
💡Written Language
💡Inscriptions
💡Graffiti
💡Mediterranean
💡Phoenicians
💡Public Space
💡Emperor Augustus
💡Trajan
💡Typography
Highlights
Alphabets can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and their use in Ancient Rome had significant political implications.
The Mediterranean Sea served as a 'superhighway' for the spread of ideas, people, and alphabets.
The Phoenicians are credited with the development of the alphabet that we use today.
Ancient Rome's public spaces and monuments were designed to reinforce the emperor's power.
The Coliseum and Circus Maximus were not only monuments but also spaces that played a role in Rome's political narrative.
Obelisks, like the one in Rome, were covered in hieroglyphics and used to tell the story of Augustus's conquests.
Inscriptions on monuments often started with 'Senatus Populusque Romanus' to signify the Senate and people of Rome.
Emperors used inscriptions to honor their predecessors, reinforcing the continuity of imperial power.
The physical aspects of inscriptions, such as the use of all capital letters known as 'majuscule', had a significant impact on typography.
The Trajan font, still in use today, is inspired by Roman inscriptions and signifies official or formal communication.
Despite the presence of inscriptions, literacy rates in Ancient Rome were not high due to the lack of public education.
Graffiti in Ancient Rome served as an unofficial form of communication, allowing personal expression and criticism.
An example of Roman graffiti includes a depiction of a gladiator with disparaging comments, showing a personal and unofficial use of writing.
Another example of graffiti is the 'Alexamenos graffito', which mocks the belief in Jesus by depicting a figure with a donkey's head on a cross.
Graffiti has historically been a way for regular people to speak truth to power and express personal opinions.
The development of the alphabet and its use in Ancient Rome had both official and unofficial impacts on society and communication.
Transcripts
okay class so following up from that
last video that kind of laid out for us
the ultimate emergence of alphabets from
previous earlier sign systems in ancient
Egypt and in Mesopotamia now we're going
to talk about alphabets and the impact
of written language and we're going to
focus our attention on Ancient Rome
and specifically how these written
inscriptions on City monuments played a
very important political role in the
city
and
also unofficial examples of written text
in the form of graffiti also
have emerged in the kind of remains of
the ancient city of Rome okay so just
again to bring up that the alphabet that
we have today is we can sort of
attribute to the Phoenicians and that
the Mediterranean was a way for
alphabets and the idea of alphabets to
spread through trade routes the
Mediterranean Sea from really very
earliest eras was kind of like a super
highway big old interstate and along
this body of water traveled ideas people
and yes alphabets as well
okay in ancient Rome boom I give you a
model a fabulous model of the city of
Rome during the Empire and you might
immediately recognize here the Coliseum
which was that large Arena where there
would be uh
fights between you know gladiatorial
contests between men and animals and men
and men and various temples and over
here the circus maximus in the lower
corner lower right corner another very
noticeable Monument but
in addition to the monuments were spaces
around these monuments a model like this
is incredibly useful because Rome has
been continuously lived in
for centuries and centuries and so going
to Rome you would not necessarily see
much of this anymore except you know
this right here in kind of ruins and
little bits and pieces of this but
obviously continuous habitation meant
much of this got either
taken down disassembled or just built on
top of but what we know from
contemporary writings of the time and
and that's where we get this model
structures temples Arenas athletic
spaces
were as important as the spaces around
them and in them that all of the fabric
of ancient the city of ancient Rome was
tightly connected to the idea of
official public space as a way of
reinforcing the power of the emperor so
circus Maximus the thing in the lower
right corner I was just showing you here
is a kind of reconstruction kind of
adorable what with this little horse
race going on I want to draw your
attention to this thing though this big
thing right here is an obelisk and it
was an obelisk actually taken right out
of Egypt because that's where one would
find obelisks and obelisks were covered
in hieroglyphics so we just heard about
that in that last video here it is today
in the city of Rome it sits on a base
the base is detailed here on the right
the base on the right tells Us in Latin
the language of ancient Rome hey
Augustus the first emperor Rome took
this thing right out of Egypt when he
went down there to conquer
Mark Anthony and basically gained power
and and laid the foundation of being
Rome's first emperor and it is very much
about
not really so much Egypt or
hieroglyphics but rather Augustus and so
this inscription here basically talks
about Augustus is both an emperor Kaiser
you might be able to see that right
there and devia that means divine
because Augustus introduced the idea
that when Emperor her Emperors die they
became Gods how convenient and it goes
on to down here to just talk about you
know what an awesome Emperor he was okay
so the other monument that we're going
to focus on where the inscription is a
little clear is again erected uh
sometime later by another Emperor this
one trajan who is known for his victory
over various
uh peoples as you know the Roman Empire
was growing and this particular column
here again in a public space in Rome
these are later the Dome structures are
later but this column dates from the
Roman Empire and it Chronicles a
particular military Victor on the part
of trajan one over the dacians so this
column has this kind of spiral of
narrative scenes and here is trajan and
he he kind of reappears in various
places usually he's kind of standing in
taller than people nearby and so in
addition to this this kind of endless
Narrative of trajan's Victory yes you
guessed it the carved column sits on a
base here it is and here is a kind of
drawing of the base and here is the
inscription a little cropped of what
when this column was kind of unveiled in
114 there was accompanying it this
inscription and it follows the model of
most inscriptions
after a certain point sort of after
Augustus and in most inscriptions on
Roman buildings on Roman monuments on
various memorials it's cenatus populous
cue Romanus
that is again in Latin that the Senate
and the people of Rome and then the idea
is have erected this monument in honor
of and so you'll see trajan's name here
and this inscription basically talks
about how this thing was built this
column was carved and the base is kind
of giving you that background
and it was unveiled under
the
emperorship of nerva in honor of trajan
so why am I bringing this up because
that is often how these inscriptions in
the city of Rome worked which is an
emperor would erect or inscribe on an
existing building or monument hey this
is in honor of the Emperor who came
before me so why is that important well
it you know it's like a nice thing to do
right but it also reinforces the idea of
a kind of line of power of command over
the Roman Empire that connects one
emperor of one generation to the next to
the next to the next to the next
generally they came more than one a
generation but you get the idea so okay
so that's the function of this thing but
let's talk about the physical aspects of
this thing first of all as you see here
everything's in a capital letter and we
have a term for that magiscule and sure
enough inscriptions on Roman monuments
buildings Etc
were uh were I believe always in all
capitals and and you might notice too we
don't have a lot of space here so the
fact that there was a kind of pattern to
the inscription as I said that always
starts sinatus populist cue romanum
Romanus means that you know that
typically was on everything so you
didn't you weren't necessarily reading
reading it right
so we get here because originally we
would just paint letters on a stone wall
of a monument and then we were like hey
why don't we make it more permanent and
so we started using chisels and here are
some actual chisels from the ancient
Roman period to give us a sense and
notice like some have little pointy ends
and some have more blunt ends and some
are like wedge shaped and using tools
like this
these inscriptions would in fact be made
permanent on these stone walls it also
was a very official way of kind of
communicating to the Roman public hey
everybody the emperor is in control let
me go back here for just a second all
the way back here so yeah so they were
always in all caps we weren't so
concerned with legibility in other words
there were not really exactly a lot of
uh spaces between words because in a
sense their very presence was enough you
saw them all the time like in your
day-to-day life and you're like oh yeah
yeah there's a monument oh it's
referencing the past Emperor it's
referencing the current Emperor yeah
yeah yeah Emperor's power yeah I get it
and so in any case
that same approach to lettering comes
down to us in something called a trajan
font so
you will notice here that we see it in
uh all caps what we would call all caps
now and you notice that the letters
themselves have these little bits we are
going to call them serifs at their end
and if you think about it makes sense if
you're starting a letter by
creating a kind of line with one of
these chisels that is how we get these
little tiny lines at the top of for
example the J or the top of the end
so we're going to talk more about
typography and type forms but just keep
in mind that the association
with this kind of lettering and kind of
official or formal
uh communication
is still ongoing if you've ever looked
at your fonts in your computer and you
see Times New Roman that is both the
font of the New York Times but it's
referencing Roman forms such as these
and just quickly to compare to our
hieroglyphics which we learned in that
video hieroglyphics were really for only
the Priestly class you know the the
highest levels of Egyptian power
understood and could read these that
lettering and the commonality of a given
alphabet used here I don't want to
suggest that oh this means that there
were high literacy rates in Rome because
there weren't not really because there
was no public education and there were
slaves that said there was a recognition
a level of literacy where obviously
those in power used inscriptions like
this to remind people not necessarily
because people are going to read it word
for word but to remind people of the
power of the emperor so yeah the
literacy question is a good one nobody
can absolutely ascertain a level of
literacy because that just wasn't a data
point in ancient Rome though some have
said anywhere from 15 to 20 percent what
is interesting is there is this sign
this was a shop-side little relief and
it's a butcher look at him he's going to
town doing his job and here's a lady
over here and she is actually holding
um what appears to be some kind of
equipment for writing and we do know we
do know that Romans used papyrus Scrolls
here on the right and they used wax
tablets this is a kind of reconstruction
of what we know the wax tablet as you
can imagine there were these panels of
wax that you could inscribe with a sharp
instrument like a stylus but this was
kind of like a little talk well we don't
even have chalkboards anymore but like
little white boards like it was always
meant to be a contemporary writing
surface because you could wipe it and
reuse it
finally within the fabric of the city of
ancient Rome and I would extend this to
cities all over the Roman Empire there
was The Unofficial writing on the walls
of buildings monuments what we call
graffiti so graffiti
means scratched or scratched that's the
19th century Italian word but the base
of that word is from the Latin to write
that is what that word means and here
example here is an example of Roman
graffiti so I set it up in contrast to
you know the Chisel and the official
written out this was erected in honor of
trade and blah blah blah blah on the
right compared to this here where this
is
um there's a picture of a gladiator and
the phrases that have been translated
around this basically are talking smack
about him and saying he was really
crappy so there's there's that element
of graffiti that is always unofficial
and kind of personal like ah get get a
load of him he thinks he's all that
there is another example known as the
Alexa Manos graffito meaning a single
example of graffiti in which somebody is
basically despairing uh being excuse me
disparaging of their friend who follows
Jesus of Nazareth and in order to kind
of mock that belief has created a figure
on a cross but rather than it be Jesus
it's sort of a human form with a
donkey's head on it so
then as now graffiti was considered
a way of kind of speaking truth to power
or a way of calling out somebody that
you don't like personally and it was
always then as now a way of allowing the
the power of written communication to be
in the hands of regular people not just
the power structure okay so this was a
brief kind of overview of the role of
you know the development of alphabet in
written form in ancient Rome stay tuned
we're going to talk about the Middle
Ages bye
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