Treasures of Ancient Rome: Difference between revisions
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| country = [[United Kingdom]] |
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| language = [[English]] |
| language = [[English language|English]] |
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| num_episodes = 3 |
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Revision as of 20:41, 3 February 2013
| Treasures of Ancient Rome | |
|---|---|
 Title card of the documentary; Sooke standing in front of the Pantheon, Rome | |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Written by | Alastair Sooke |
| Directed by | Tim Dunn |
| Presented by | Alastair Sooke |
| Theme music composer | John Dutton |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jonty Claypole |
| Camera setup | Mark Hammond |
| Running time | 180 minutes |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Four |
| Release | September 3 – September 17, 2012 |
Treasures of Ancient Rome is a 2012 documentary written and presented by Alastair Sooke. The series was produced by the BBC and originally aired in September 2012 on BBC Four. In the documentary, Alastair sets out to "debunk the myth that Romans didn't do art and were unoriginal".[1]
Episode one: Warts 'n' All
In this episode, Sooke looks at the following major works of art: Capitoline Wolf, Capitoline Brutus at the Capitoline Museum in Rome. He informs us that through the process of carbon-dating, scientists have found the she-wolf to be a thousand years younger. He then looks at the Treu Head in the British Museum and learns that it must have been fully painted in antiquity. Scientists confirm this by the traces of pigment found on the bust. Other artworks that Sooke looks at in this episode include: Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus, Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker, Alexander Mosaic and Villa of the Mysteries of Pompeii, Head of Augustus and Blacas Cameo in British Museum and Ara Pacis in Rome.[2]
Episode two: Pomp and Perversion
In the second episode, Sooke explores the legacy of the Romans in places like France. He begins by introducing the well-preserved Roman temple in southern France Maison Carrée, which was dedicated to the grandsons of Augustus: Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar. He then looks at the Great Cameo of France in Bibiliotheque Nationale. In this episode, Sooke introduces the well-known Latin text The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius and references it throughout the episode. From France we again jump to Rome where he shows the grotto of Tiberius in Sperlonga and the sculpture Blinding of Polyphemus in Sperlonga Museum. The other major artworks in this episode include: Frescoed wall from the House of Livia, Hanging Marsyas in Louvre, Farnese Bull, Warren Cup in British Museum, Nero's Villa Poppaea, Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, Arch of Titus, Trajan's Column, Hadrian's mausoleum Castel Sant'Angelo, sculptures of the young boy Antinous including Antinous Mondragone and Hadrian's Villa. [3]
Episode three: The Empire Strikes Back
Sooke looks at the late-Roman art in this episode. He travels to Libya and discovers how late-Roman art took an African turn in the ancient city of Leptis Magna. He explores the Arch of Septimus Severus, the Roman emperor in AD 193 and the Villa Selene. Other important artworks that feature in this episode are: Portrait of Artemidorus, Mildenhall Dish, Portland Vase and Lycurgus Cup in British Museum, Roman Baths in Bath, Portonaccio sarcophagus in Rome, Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs in Venice, the famous mosaics of Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna.[4]
