Deck 12: Trajan, Optimus Princeps

Question 1

Nerva was said to have adopted Trajan as his successor according to the instructions of

A) the deified Augustus.
B) the god Jupiter.
C) Trajan's army.
D) Trajan's biological family.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Trajan's unique title, ____________, was regularly stamped on his coins.

A) deus et dominus
B) divi filius
C) optimus princeps
D) pontifex maximus

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In his portraits, Trajan was represented as all of the following EXCEPT

A) a wise and experienced senex.
B) a successful military leader.
C) imperator.
D) heroically nude.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In contrast to representations of Augustus, portraits of Trajan

A) portray him as having been deified before his death.
B) emphasize his receding hair line.
C) always portray him as a never-aging youth.
D) are "frozen" around age 40, instead of age 20.

Question 5

Portraits of the empress Plotina are similar to portraits of Trajan because

A) she was depicted as a mature woman who never aged.
B) she was always depicted as youthful.
C) she was depicted with ostentatious hairstyles and clothing.
D) her portraits depict an exact likeness.

Question 6

The Forum of Trajan differed from traditional Roman fora because the open square was dominated by a ____________ instead of a temple.

A) bath complex
B) theater
C) basilica
D) amphitheater

Question 7

Light was admitted into the Basilica Ulpia through the use of a(n)

A) oculus.
B) barrel vault.
C) groin vault.
D) clerestory.

Question 8

In addition to a commemoration of Trajan's military success in Dacia, the Column of Trajan also functioned as the emperor's

A) temple.
B) tomb.
C) library.
D) rostra.

Question 9

The narrative reliefs on the Column of Trajan depict all of the following EXCEPT

A) scenes of Trajan's apotheosis.
B) scenes of preparation for battle.
C) scenes of Trajan addressing his troops.
D) scenes of the heroism of the Dacians.

Question 10

The innovative architectural design of the Markets of Trajan was made possible by what building material?

A) tufa
B) concrete
C) limestone
D) marble

Question 11

The construction of the Baths of Trajan completed what project begun by Vespasian?

A) a new imperial forum complex that included the Templum Pacis
B) a new imperial palace complex on the Palatine Hill
C) the eradication of Nero's Domus Aurea
D) the construction of the Colosseum

Question 12

One of the structural advantages of the groin vault over the barrel vault is that the groin vault

A) can be made out of concrete, while the barrel vault can only be made out of brick.
B) is cheaper to produce than the barrel vault.
C) is more fireproof than the barrel vault.
D) needs less buttressing than the barrel vault, leaving the covered area open.

Question 13

What was the function of the Arch of Trajan at Benevento?

A) to announce the deification of Trajan
B) to advertise Trajan's achievements in every arena
C) to emphasize Trajan's relationship to Titus
D) to commemorate Nerva's formal adoption of Trajan in 97 CE

Question 14

Why do most scholars believe that the Arch of Trajan at Benevento was completed later than the date given in the dedicatory inscription (114 CE)?

A) Hadrian appears in some of the reliefs.
B) Trajan is represented as a deity.
C) A second, smaller inscription on the monument records a later date.
D) The dedicatory inscription was erased at a later date.

Question 15

What is the subject of the reliefs comprising the Great Trajanic Frieze?

A) the restoration of the Circus Maximus
B) the adoption of Trajan
C) the Dacian Wars
D) the adoption of Hadrian

Question 16

Describe the various roles in which Trajan was portrayed in his imperial portraiture.

Question 17

Discuss how women of the imperial family were depicted in portraiture compared to Trajan.

Question 18

Compare and contrast the design of the Forum of Trajan to that of the Forum of Augustus.

Question 19

Describe the layout and design features of the Basilica Ulpia.

Question 20

Describe how the pictorial friezes on the Column of Trajan were designed and produced.

Question 21

Discuss the various types of subject matter depicted on the Column of Trajan.

Question 22

Discuss the various ways in which Trajanic buildings admitted light into interior spaces.

Question 23

Describe the architectural advantages of the use of concrete and brick in Trajanic buildings.

Question 24

Discuss how the Arch of Trajan at Benevento served as an instrument of imperial propaganda.

Question 25

Discuss some of the problems surrounding the surviving slabs of the Great Trajanic Frieze.

Question 26

Discuss the different forms of narration that appear in relief sculpture from the Trajanic period.

Question 27

Explain how Trajan commemorated his victory against the Dacians in monumental art and architecture.

Question 28

The bearded man who appears in the reliefs on Arch of Trajan at Benevento is a representation of Hadrian.

Question 29

The Column of Trajan presents a reliable, chronological account of the Dacian Wars.

Question 30

Trajan was the last Italian-born emperor to rule Rome.