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JA7. Roman Religion, Art, Architecture and Philosophy

Statement

There are two sections to this week’s assignment. Be sure to answer all questions.

Part A:

This week you learned about the various aspects of Roman art and architecture. You must have noticed there was a close relationship between art and architecture and Roman religion. Based on your analysis:

  • How do regional religious beliefs influence your country’s art and architecture? Please support your ideas with examples.
  • How do you explain this connection? Support your argument with examples and evidence (citation/sources).

Part B:

In Unit 1 of this course, we explored Classical Greek Philosophy. This week’s focus was on Roman Philosophy and the prominent schools that all fall under it. Based on your learnings and research, answer the following questions.

  • What is the relationship between Roman Philosophy and Greek Philosophy? Justify your answer.
  • What are the three main schools of Roman philosophy, and what do they emphasize?
  • Which idea from Roman philosophy appeals to you the most and why? What are some ways you can use it in your daily life?

Answer

How do regional religious beliefs influence your country’s art and architecture? Please support your ideas with examples

In the Middle East, Islam is the dominant religion, this religion has influenced many aspects of the region’s art and architecture. In art, Islamic art is characterized by its intricate geometric patterns and calligraphy, as opposed to humans, animals, or any living things which are almost nonexistent. The art in the area was largely affected by Persian and Byzantine art, which were geographically close; Mosaic was a common art that was borrowed from Byzantine art, but living things were removed or replaced with no-livings such as furniture or geometric shapes. Arabesque is a common pattern in Islamic art, it is a complex, repeating, and symmetrical design of intertwined floral, geometric, and calligraphic lines. Calligraphy is also a common feature of Islamic art, it is used to represent the divine without directly depicting it (Stupp, 2019).

In architecture, Mosques, just like churches in the Roman Empire, are the most important buildings in a city; it is characterized by large domes (borrowed from Byzantine architecture) and minarets. Inside the mosque, the walls are decorated with calligraphy reciting verses from the Quran, or Arabesque patterns (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). The Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, is a great example of Islamic architecture, it is characterized by its large dome and six minarets (Weisbin, 2023).

Sultan Ahmed Mosque
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey (Weisbin, 2023)

How do you explain this connection? Support your argument with examples and evidence (citation/sources)

Islam is very monotheistic, and it discourages thinking of anything as divine other than God. This is why Islamic art is aniconic, meaning it does not directly represent nature (Stupp, 2019), which explains the absence of sculptures or paintings depicting its history or religious figures. Islam as a religion is a way of life, that has rules for every small detail in life, from trivial things like how to eat, to important things like how to meditate and find inner peace.

Islam also encourages simplicity and humility as it encourages its followers not to look for material things in their first life, but to work hard in their afterlife which may explain the lesser importance of arts in Islamic countries. Islam also calls for equality, where people are equal despite their wealth or social status, this is really reflected in the humble and simple layout of most mosques, such as Friday Mosque of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, Egypt (Weisbin, 2023).

Friday Mosque of Sultan Hasan
Friday Mosque of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, Egypt (Weisbin, 2023)

What is the relationship between Roman Philosophy and Greek Philosophy? Justify your answer

Roman philosophy was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, just as they were influenced by Greek art and architecture. Romans were very interested in Greek philosophy, and their schools started teaching in the Greek language until they translated Greek texts into Latin, which helped spread Greek philosophy throughout the Roman Empire.

Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were very influential and respected among Roman philosophers. This is also clear in how the Roman religion was influenced by the Greek one. The three main schools of Roman philosophy, Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Skepticism seem to have originated from Greek philosophy (Tripp, 2024).

However, just like everything the Romans borrowed from the Greeks, they added their own touch to it. Roman philosophy started to specialize as opposed to Greek philosophy where the philosopher was also a scientist, a mathematician, and a poet; Romans had more philosophies (plural) rather than a single philosophy (Johnson & Ravenel, 2019). Roman philosophers seemed to be more realistic and practical as opposed to the Greeks who were more theoretical and idealistic (TED, 2017)

What are the three main schools of Roman philosophy, and what do they emphasize?

Roman philosophy was defined by a spectrum of competing schools, rather than a single dominant one. These schools included Epicureans, Stoics, skeptics, Cynics, Academics, Peripatetics, and others (Johnson & Ravenel, 2019). The three main schools of Roman philosophy were: Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Skepticism.

Epicureanism was founded by Epicurus (341-270 BCE), it emphasizes the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Its doctrine sees the devotion to pleasure, comfort, and high living as the greatest good; it had the idea of atomism which means everything is made up of atoms, and that humans dissolve into atoms after death (Diano & Duignan, 2024).

Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium (334-262 BCE), it emphasizes the tranquility of mind and the importance of moral virtues (Saunders, n.d.). It teaches that the path to happiness is through accepting the present moment as it is, and not being controlled by emotions. It also emphasizes tolerance and self-control, and that everything operates through a web of cause and effect resulting in a rational universe (TED, 2017).

Skepticism was founded by Pyrrho of Elis (360-270 BCE), it emphasizes the suspension of judgment and the idea that knowledge is impossible, and we should investigate to find the truth. Socrates and Plato were skeptics, they believed that we should question everything and not take anything without evidence (Vogt, 2022).

Which idea from Roman philosophy appeals to you the most and why? What are some ways you can use it in your daily life?

The most appealing idea to me is the Skepticism philosophy. I believe that questioning everything was the first principle that the scientific method was built on, and it is the only way to find the truth. I think that Skepticism has helped shape the world we know today; plus, the idea of not judging anything that you don’t have enough knowledge about seems very logical to me and necessary for today’s world, where people can talk about things they don’t know rather than leaving them to the experts.

References

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