RR5: Continued Traditions- Stroking the Ego

Tomb of Theodoric the Great

      The Tomb of Theodoric the Great is located in Ravenna, Italy for, as the name suggests, Theodoric, the king of the Ostrogoths.  The Ostrogoths are a Russian tribe that settled in what is today's Italy.  Theodoric was approached by the emperor, Zeno, to reconquer Italy in the name of Byzantium.  However, rather than handing the lands over to Zeno, he set out to reinstate Roman culture.  His introduction of Arianism further deepened the schism between his Ostrogoths and Byzantine society.

 

     

     Around the year 520 CE, the Great Theodoric built his own tomb in an area designated as the burial site for the Ostrogoths.  Based on the immense stones and arches used in its construction, it is quite likely that he had access to Syrian stone masons.  As a simple interpretation, it is important to point out that this structure predominantly employs circular and stacking formations.  The circle is an easy way to give importance to the space it encloses.  The stacking takes this circular form off the ground, giving it dominance over the surrounding area which it will overshadow.  Really, both of these techniques serve the purpose of stroking Theo's ego.

 

      The foundation of the tomb was constructed without the use of mortar or any wet cement.  The builiding rises up off of this platform in a decagon.  On four of these adjoining sides, rectangular cutouts were built with domed ceilings.  The interior of the building has a shape of a plus-sign.  The entire second floor opens up as a balcony.  Interestingly enough, there is no evidence of an access ladder or stairway leading up to this area.  This suggests that the second floor was the final resting place of the ol' king Theo.  The dome above this balcony is made of a massive, single limestone form. 

Scaled rendering.

Theodoric's Sarcophagus