1. Age of the Conquerors:
Roman Art

2. The Etruscans
• lived in Italy long before the Roman Empire
rose to greatness
• Most civilized and powerful of all the peoples
in Italy; conquered much of Italy north of the
Tiber River
• Rome became the largest and richest city in
Italy by the end of the 6th century BC
• Romans drove the Etruscans from the city in
509 BC and established a republic

3. The Rising Power of Rome
• Rome was always surrounded by enemies;
distant foes would follow after defeat of
nearby enemies
• Rome managed to defend itself against these
threats and extended its power until all of
Italy was under control
• Early victory at Carthage= first overseas
province--Sicily

4. • Before it was finished, Rome ruled over every
civilized land in Europe and Africa
• Eventually, it controlled territory from Britain
in the west to Mesopotamia in the East
• So extensive was its rule that the Romans
referred to the Mediterranean as “mare
nostrum –our sea”

5. Map of Ancient Rome

6. Roman Architecture
• It is difficult to talk about ‘Roman Art’ because
much of it was copied from the Greeks
• Except for architecture, the made few original
contributions to their own art
• Romans were excellent planners and
Engineers

7. Temple of Fortuna Virilis

8. The Temples
• Roman temples made use of features
developed earlier by others, especially the
Greeks, but to satisfy their own needs and
tastes
• While Greeks used columns as structural
supports, the Romans added them to their
buildings as decoration without structural
purpose

9. • The Roman temple is placed on a podium or
platform which raises it above eye level; this
feature was borrowed from the Etruscans

10. Features of Roman Architecture
• To span openings, Roman builders made use of
the arch
• The Roman arch is an improvement of the post-
and-lintel system of the Greeks
• Post and lintel limited builders in terms of the
space it could bridge
• Unlike a lintel, an arch is made of a number of
bricks or cut stones, these are held in place by a
wooden form until the top stone, called a
keystone is fit into place

11. • However, an arch needs the support of
another arch or a wall
• If the support is not provide, the outward
force of the arch will cause it to collapse
• For this reason, Romans created a series of
smaller arches to replace the single large arch

12. Use of concrete
• Although it had been used in the Near East for
some time, the Romans were the first to make
extensive use of the material
• Wherever the Roman legions went they
introduced the arch and the use of concrete in
architecture

13. Roman Aqueduct

14. The Aqueducts
• Demonstrate combination of architectural and
engineering skills
• Constructed by placing series of arches next to
each other
• Designed to carry water from mountain
streams into cities using gravitational flow
• Eleven were built in and around Rome.
Ranged from 16km to 96.6km in length

15. Public Buildings
• Baths, circuses, forums, and amphitheaters
constructed for the enjoyment of the people
• Maintained the popularity of the emperor
• Ancient guidebook to Rome, published in the
4th century A.D. claims there were 424
temples, 304 shrines, 80 statues of gods made
from precious metals, 64 of ivory, and 3,700
bronze statues scattered throughout the city

16. Central hall of the Baths of Caracalla

17. The Baths
• Among the most popular Roman buildings
• Much more than just municipal swimming
pools; they were vast enclosed structures that
contained libraries, lecture
rooms, gymnasiums, shops, restaurants and
pleasant walkways
• These made the baths a social and cultural
center as well as place for hygiene

18. • Contained series of rooms that were
progressively cooler
• The ‘calidarium’ with its hot water pool was
entered first; from there one walked to the
‘tepidarium’ where a warm bath awaited. The
last room was the ‘frigidarium’ and there a
cool bath was provided

19. Buildings for Sports
• Chariot races were the Roman’s favorite sport
• As many as 150,000 spectators gather at the
Circus Maximus to cheer on their favorite
teams
• As popular, were armed contests held in large
arenas and amphitheaters such as the
Colosseum

20. The Colosseum

21. The Colosseum
• Built on the second half of the first century AD
• Owes its name to a colossal statue of Roman
Emperor Nero which once stood nearby
• The huge structure covers 2.4 ha (6 acres). It
forms an oval measuring 187.4 m (615 feet) by
155.4 m (510 feet)
• The structure is so large that during the
Middle Ages people built a small city within it

22. The Pantheon

23. The Pantheon: A Marvel of Design
• Designed as a temple dedicated to all the
Roman gods; later converted into a Christian
church
• Looks like a low, gently curving dome resting
on a cylinder from the outside;
• lost much of its original impact because level
of the streets much higher now

24. Interior of the Pantheon

25. • Passing through the entrance, you step into
the great domed space of the interior
• Made of brick and concrete, the dome is a
true hemisphere

26. • Inside of Pantheon is divided into 3 zones:
- Lower zone: seven niches which may have
contained statues or altars dedicated to the
Roman gods of the heavens: Sol (sun); Luna
(moon), and gods of the five known planets
- above this: zone containing 12 signs of the
Zodiac
- finally, rising above all, is the dome representing
the heavens. Surface is covered with coffers, or
indented panels which lessen the weight of the
dome

27. Plan of a Roman Basilica

28. The Basilicas
• Rectangular buildings designed as public
meeting halls; often part of the forum or
public square
• To serve later as models for generations of
Christian church builders
• On the inside, slender columns divided the
space into a long wide center aisle called a
nave and two or more narrower side aisles.

29. • Roof over the center aisle usually higher than
the side aisles
• Allowed builders to install windows to let the
sunlight in
• Roman basilica ha a side entrance and one or
more apses, or semicircular areas, at the end
of the nave

30. The Arch of Constantine

31. Triumphal Arches
• Marked successful military campaigns
• After victory, the general and his troops would
pass through a heavily decorated arch to the
cheers of thousands.

32. Roman Sculpture and Painting
• Realism was preferred in sculpture and
painting; especially true in the case of
sculpted portraits
• Desire for lifelike portraits traced to earliest
periods of Roman history:
wax masks- of the deceased, carried in funeral
processions
eventually stone and marble was used to
make it more durable

33. Portrait of a Roman

34. Portrait Sculpture
• Mostly made by Greek sculptors working in
Rome
• Greek tradition adapted to Roman demands
• Meant to serve private needs
• Commissioned portrait heads/busts rather
than entire figures
• Like looking at a real person

35. Mosaic floor from a Roman villa

36. Wall painting from villa at Boscoreale

37. Mural Painting
• Wealthy Roman families lived in luxurious
homes with courts, gardens with elaborate
fountains, rooms furnished with marble walls
and mosaics on the floors
• Entire walls were painted with murals that
tried to reproduce accurately the world
around them; scenes create the impression of
looking out a window or gazing over a city

38. Maiden Gathering Flowers.
1st century AD.