Consider the mummy case of Artemidorus and the wall painting from Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii. Identify the materials and techniques with which each was made and the purposes of each. Indicate how each work presents information relating to the Roman Empire and its history

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The mummy case of Artemidorus gives us a glimpse of the multicultural world of late Rome. It holds the mummy of a young Roman subject, Artemidorus, a Greek name, from Egypt, which was part of the Roman Empire in the second century. The exterior case is stucco, with an encaustic portrait painting of the inhabitant. The mummified body of Artemidorus reflects the Egyptian religious practice, and on his mummy are representations of ancient Egyptian gods including Anubis, the god of the dead. The Villa of Mysteries fresco is an example of the mastery of Roman wall painting. Located in a house of the same name, the fresco depicts a scene believed to represent secret cult rituals associated with the wine god Dionysus. The figures stand as though on a ledge, in shallow but convincing space, interacting only slightly with one another. The artist segmented the mural into panels separated by black bands. The figures overlap these panels freely, and there is no strong sense of individual episodes, or compartments, offering rhythm and design unity.