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Quiz about Ravenna Last Capital of the Western Roman Empire
Quiz about Ravenna Last Capital of the Western Roman Empire

Ravenna, Last Capital of the Western Roman Empire Quiz

Art and Architecture in 5th/6th Century Ravenna

In 408 CE Emperor Honorius moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Ravenna. Over the next 150 years the city was rebuilt, with many ecclesiastical buildings housing awe-inspiring mosaics. Eight are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

A photo quiz by Southendboy. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Southendboy
Time
4 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
413,879
Updated
Jan 25 24
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
169
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: 1995Tarpon (9/10), Nala2 (3/10), Joepetz (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The Roman Empress Regent Galla Placidia (circa 389 - 450) was the daughter of one emperor and the mother of another. This small building, one of the eight World Heritage sites in Ravenna, was built by her in around 430. What is the name of this building?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In the south transept of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia there is a mosaic of an early Christian martyr who is standing beside a gridiron with hot coals underneath. He's now known as the patron saint of cooks, chefs, and comedians! Who is this martyr? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In 476 the Ostrogoths took control of Italy and made Ravenna the capital of their Kingdom. The next major monument, the Basilica of Sant'Appolinare Nuovo, was built by King Theoderic the Great in about 500 as part of his new palace. The Ostrogoths subscribed to a Christian doctrine dating to about 300 that was regarded as heretical - what was this belief? Don't confuse it with a racial theory promulgated by the Nazis! Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The interior of the Basilica of Sant'Appolinare is covered with mosaics illustrating scenes from the life of Christ, the martyrs, and the saints. One mosaic in particular depicts three men - what are their names? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The next major monument was built by King Theoderic in about 520 and lies just outside the city walls. What is it called? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. King Theoderic was interred in this stone tomb when he died in 526. The purple-red stone from which it is made was very rare and highly prized in the ancient world as a symbol of royalty. What is the name of this rock? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The Byzantine general Belisarius invaded Italy in 535 and by 540 had taken Ravenna. Local bishops immediately embarked upon a building program of churches in the city, the greatest of which is the one pictured here. It boasts the largest and best-preserved mosaics outside of Istanbul. What is the name of this spectacular, awe-inspiring church? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. On the right-hand side of the apse in San Vitali is a large mosaic panel completed in 547. In the middle of the panel is shown a man wearing an imperial purple cloak who was the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire at that time. Who was he? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. On the left-hand side of the apse in San Vitali is another large mosaic panel completed in 547. Who was the woman with the halo and the purple imperial cloak? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The Chapel in the Bishop's Palace dates to about 495, and in the small museum beside it is this wonderful object: a full-sized Bishop's throne. From what material is it made? Hint



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Oct 29 2024 : 1995Tarpon: 9/10
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Roman Empress Regent Galla Placidia (circa 389 - 450) was the daughter of one emperor and the mother of another. This small building, one of the eight World Heritage sites in Ravenna, was built by her in around 430. What is the name of this building?

Answer: The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

The building is generally referred to as The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, although in fact it's not a mausoleum at all - rather, it's a chapel that was built as part of the former Church of Santa Croce, nothing else of which survives. The building does contain a number of empty sarcophagi, but Galla Placidia herself is probably buried in the Mausoleum of the Emperor Honorius in Rome. The mosaic decoration is beautiful, featuring pictures of the Four Evangelists and of Christ the Good Shepherd among his flock.
Galla Placidia (circa 389 - 450) was an immensely powerful and influential woman.

In addition to ruling the Empire as Regent for her young son in the early 400s, she built or renovated churches in Rome and Jerusalem. She also built the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Ravenna, in thanks for her surviving a shipwreck in the Adriatic. Sadly the church was bombed during WWII and the mosaics inside were destroyed.
2. In the south transept of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia there is a mosaic of an early Christian martyr who is standing beside a gridiron with hot coals underneath. He's now known as the patron saint of cooks, chefs, and comedians! Who is this martyr?

Answer: Saint Lawrence

Saint Lawrence was a deacon in Rome until he was martyred during the persecution of Christians by Valerian in 258. It is said that he was placed on a red-hot grill, and that after he'd suffered for a long time he said "I'm well-done on this side. Turn me over!" - a remark that made him being judged worthy of being associated with comedians.

Sadly, this story is disputed and is now thought to have stemmed from a mistake in transcription in early times. Rather than his death being recorded as "passus est" ("he was martyred", the most common way of recording such a death), Lawrence's death was recorded as "assus est" ("he was roasted"). It's possible that the story of his death thus arises from a missing "p". It is thought that the Church of Santa Croce that once stood on the site, but which no longer survives, was dedicated to him.
3. In 476 the Ostrogoths took control of Italy and made Ravenna the capital of their Kingdom. The next major monument, the Basilica of Sant'Appolinare Nuovo, was built by King Theoderic the Great in about 500 as part of his new palace. The Ostrogoths subscribed to a Christian doctrine dating to about 300 that was regarded as heretical - what was this belief? Don't confuse it with a racial theory promulgated by the Nazis!

Answer: Arianism

The Ostrogoths were Arian Christians, believing that, as Jesus Christ was begotten by God, he was thus separate from God and subordinate to him. These arguments within early Christianity may sound like debating about the number of angels on a pinhead, but they were massively important to people at that time.

The picture is of a detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of Sant'Appolinare showing Theoderic's Palace ("Palatium"). When these were created they would have shown various important people of the time, with King Theoderic in the middle. However, after the fall of the Gothic Kingdom and the taking of Ravenna by the (Greek Orthodox) Byzantines in 540, the church was reconsecrated and these images were all removed. It's still possible to see the hands and arms of some of the "deleted" people.
4. The interior of the Basilica of Sant'Appolinare is covered with mosaics illustrating scenes from the life of Christ, the martyrs, and the saints. One mosaic in particular depicts three men - what are their names?

Answer: Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar

The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of the Three Wise Men - or the Three Kings or the Three Magi - who visited Jesus after his birth to present him with gifts. The mosaic depicts them and gives their names: Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. Reading from left to right on the mosaic, Balthazar is a young black man giving myrrh from Yemen, Melchior is middle-aged and gives frankincense from Arabia, and the elderly Caspar gives gold.

Balthazar is shown wearing some very fashionable leopard-skin leggings. Perhaps these would have helped ameliorate the backache that the Magis' peculiar crouching posture would have brought on!
5. The next major monument was built by King Theoderic in about 520 and lies just outside the city walls. What is it called?

Answer: The Mausoleum of Theoderic

The building is known as the Mausoleum of Theoderic, and, unlike the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, it is an actual mausoleum. The building has two floors: a downstairs chapel and an upstairs room housing Theoderic's tomb. It's built of stone from Istria, about 250 miles away; the roof is one solid piece of stone that's 10 metres (33 feet) in diameter and weighs about 230 tonnes. Sadly, the roof stone cracked on the day it was installed - not a day to have been one of the builders!

The building is notable in particular because of its Gothic-style architecture and decoration, owing nothing to either late Roman or Byzantine art. Theoderic's remains were originally housed there after he died, but after the city was taken by the Byzantines in 540 they were removed and thrown away.
6. King Theoderic was interred in this stone tomb when he died in 526. The purple-red stone from which it is made was very rare and highly prized in the ancient world as a symbol of royalty. What is the name of this rock?

Answer: Porphyry

The tomb is carved out of porphyry, the imperial stone that was widely used for buildings and monuments in imperial Rome and Byzantium, and is used for decorative effect in all the royal buildings in Ravenna. It's a very rare rock, found only in one quarry in the Eastern Egyptian desert that was discovered during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius.

Keen-eyed quizzers will have noticed that the tomb wasn't originally meant to be a tomb; rather it was a bathtub, probably from a luxurious Roman bath complex.
7. The Byzantine general Belisarius invaded Italy in 535 and by 540 had taken Ravenna. Local bishops immediately embarked upon a building program of churches in the city, the greatest of which is the one pictured here. It boasts the largest and best-preserved mosaics outside of Istanbul. What is the name of this spectacular, awe-inspiring church?

Answer: The Basilica of San Vitale

The wonderful Basilica of San Vitale was started in 526 and finished in 547 by the Bishop Maximian. It's a large octagonal building, similar to Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, and holds up to 2,000 people. The apse holding the altar is covered in the most beautiful, richly-coloured mosaics depicting scenes from the Bible set amidst landscape pictures, plants and birds.

It is truly awe-inspiring.
8. On the right-hand side of the apse in San Vitali is a large mosaic panel completed in 547. In the middle of the panel is shown a man wearing an imperial purple cloak who was the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire at that time. Who was he?

Answer: Emperor Justinian I

The central figure of the panel is the Emperor Justinian I, known as Justinian the Great (482 - 565, reigned 527-565). He is shown with his two most prominent generals (Belisarius and Narses), Bishop Maximian, court officials, soldiers, and clergy.

During Justinian's reign the Eastern Empire regained control over North Africa, Southern Spain, Sicily and Italy; Justinian also re-wrote the Roman legal code and built Haghia Sophia. He was a man of his times: a series of riots in Constantinople (the Nika Riots) ended when he ordered his troops to kill about 30,000 rioters in the Hippodrome.

Note that the halo around Justinian's head is not intended as an attribute of divinity; rather, it was traditional to portray the imperial family with halos.
9. On the left-hand side of the apse in San Vitali is another large mosaic panel completed in 547. Who was the woman with the halo and the purple imperial cloak?

Answer: Empress Theodora

The figure in the panel is the Empress Theodora (circa 500 - 548, reigned 527-548). She's shown with her court women and eunuchs; she holds a Eucharistic vessel for the sacramental wine.
Theodora was from a humble background, but the almost pornographic stories about her behaviour related in the "Secret History by Procopius in around 550 are almost certainly slanderous and unreliable. She was a strong supporter of her husband's policies, especially in relation to the Nika Riots and the reconquest of the western Mediterranean areas lost by the Western Roman Empire.

This mosaic is arguably superior to the one depicting Justinian, with more elaborate design in the silks and textiles and a more complex background.
10. The Chapel in the Bishop's Palace dates to about 495, and in the small museum beside it is this wonderful object: a full-sized Bishop's throne. From what material is it made?

Answer: Carved elephant ivory

The throne is made of panels of carved elephant ivory, with the great majority surviving. It was constructed in about 545, as a gift from the Emperor Justinian to Bishop Maximian. The carving is very detailed and precise.

The Chapel itself is small, but it has a wonderful mosaic of Christ dressed as a Byzantine army general. The iconography is strongly anti-Arian.
Source: Author Southendboy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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