Commemoration and Decoration Answers

The Column of Trajan is a tall marble monument in Rome decorated with a continuous spiral relief showing scenes from Emperor Trajan’s wars against the Dacians. The detailed carvings document Roman soldiers, battles, engineering, and the defeat of Dacia. At the same time, its great height and placement in Trajan’s Forum commemorate Trajan’s military victories and glorify his leadership. A statue of Trajan originally stood at the top, emphasizing the monument’s connection to the emperor.

Egyptians commemorated wealthy and royal dead with elaborate mummification, decorated sarcophagi, richly furnished tombs, and monuments such as pyramids and temples. They included jewelry, clothing, food, and other goods, along with paintings and inscriptions, to honor the deceased and support them in the afterlife. These practices reflected the belief that preserving the body and providing necessities would help the person live forever. The grandeur of the burial also displayed the ruler’s wealth, power, and importance.

Tapestry: A heavy hand-woven textile used for depicting a story. Monument: A memorial, a lasting remembrance, evidence. Most often a statue or other physical three-dimensional structure. Portrait: A likeness of someone,usually painted or sculpted.

Please provide the full text of Question 9.

A piece of art intended for documentation is a historical, factual account of a person, place, or event. A piece of art intended for commemoration is also a documentation, however its main purpose is to serve as a form of remembrance, or a memorial, rather than a historical documentation. Sometimes as time passes, historical events and/or people become increasingly appreciated by current cultures and/or generations, and therefore a piece that was originally a documentation, can become a memorial or visual remembrance as well.

This photograph symbolizes the event by displaying the sorrow and pain of the soldiers atop the rubble and death of battle, while at the same time commemorating their courage and strength as they place an American flag at the scene of the battle. It serves as a reminder of their courage and the strength America has as a nation. It documents history for ever more and narrates the final scene of the battle.

The work is the **Bayeux Tapestry**, an embroidered linen cloth depicting the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Historically, it records William the Conqueror’s victory and provides valuable information about medieval warfare, clothing, and daily life. Practically, it served as a decorative wall hanging that commemorated the conquest and communicated its story to viewers, including those who could not read.

The photograph commemorates and documents the destruction of Richmond, Virginia, after the city was evacuated and burned at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. The ruined buildings and people standing among them show the immense physical damage caused by the conflict. It preserves visual evidence of the war’s devastating impact on the city and its residents.

The statue is Augustus of Prima Porta. The reliefs on his breastplate symbolize Roman military victory and the recovery of the Roman standards from the Parthians. The small Cupid at his feet represents Augustus’s claimed descent from Venus through Aeneas, giving his rule a divine connection. His raised arm shows authority, while his youthful idealized appearance and bare feet suggest heroic or divine status.

Opinions for both questions will vary, but should include details and an explanation for each opinion, along with concepts/details discussed in the lecture.