The agenda of the emperor was dispersed and propagated throughout the Roman Empire through sculpture, literature, inscriptions, architecture, paintings, and coinage. This module uses the coinage from Trajan to Marcus Aurelius to discuss the general aims of imperial promotion, and invites student discussion on the meaning and associations behind the images chosen for each Emperor.
This material is suited for use in 200 and 300 level classes. It could easily fit into Roman History, Roman Art and Architecture, or a Roman Women course. The slide show and the following notes cover the broad bases of imperial promotion, touching on forms of promotion and political aims. A case study of Antonine coinage was included to emphasize the technique of visual association.
As this module was designed to work in a variety of courses it is unlikely all the material provided will fit into a 50 minute class. Please tailor this module to your needs. Depending on the level of assumed knowledge and emphasis on course specific information, alterations to the slideshow and notes may be required. There is a worksheet and suggested answer key that may call for more introduction than provided depending on students’ prior knowledge. Latin virtues such as castitas, pudicitia, and pietas, generally remain in Latin to allow for your translations.
Resources:
Visual_Association_Instructor_Notes
Visual_Association_Lesson_Plan