Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome

What can you remember about ancient Greek art and architecture?

Where is Rome?

This is where it used to be.

Rome the Republic

• Period of ancient Rome when it operated as a Republic (the type of government we have in the U.S.)

• This facet of Roman history began circa 509 BCE.

• Republic - Type of government where the public governs.

• Verism- The preference of the truthful representation of an image over an idealized version.

Head of a Roman patrician

ca. 75-50 B.C.E.marbleapproximately 1 ft. 2 in. high

• Portrait of a Roman General

• Tivoli, Italy

• ca. 75 - 50 B.C.E.marble6 ft. 2 in. high

• First Style wall painting

• fauces of the Samnite House, Herculaneum, Italy

• late 2nd century B.C.E.fresco

Pompeii

• Pompeii was a city in Rome which was “destroyed” by the volcano Mt. Vesuvius.

• The destruction of this city also solidified it’s place in history.

Pompeii forum, or city center

• Dionysiac mystery frieze

• Room 5, Pompeii, Italy

• ca. 60-50 B.C.E.frescofrieze approximately 64 in. high

• Like the roman mixture for concrete, we also have not yet found the recipe for Pompeiian red.

The Roman Empire

• Where the Roman Republic was a republic government,

• The Roman Empire is an autocratic system of government.

• Autocratic – System of government where one person holds all political power.

Portrait of Augustus as general

from Primaporta, Italy

ca. 20 B.C.E.marble80 in. high

Head of Caesar Augustus

ca. 100 C.E.marble with traces of polychrome

Ara Pacis Augustae

Rome, Italy

ca. 13-9 B.C.E.marble63 in. high

Pont-du-Gard

Nimes, France

ca. 16 B.C.E.

Pont-du-Gard

Nimes, France

ca. 16 B.C.E.

Colosseum

Rome, Italy

ca. 70-80 C.E.

Colosseum

Rome, Italy

ca. 70-80 C.E.

Arch of Titus

Rome, Italy

81 C.E.

Arches• Arches have a long history beginning in the second century

BCE, and ending in the era of Christian Roman emperors.• Early triumphal arches contained only one passage way.• Squandrels (Area between framing and arch) contain reliefs.• Usually contain inscription at top.• Triumphal arches are dedicated to emperors who have been

deified. If an emperor goes against the senate he is not deified, his statues are all destroyed, and he is erased from public inscriptions. This is known as Damnatio Memoriae

Arch of Titus• Dimensions: 15.4 meters high by 13.5 meters

wide.• The inscription reads: The Roman Senate and

People to Deified Titus, Vespasian Augustus, son of Deified Vespasian.

• The reliefs in the Arch of Titus represent the triumphal parade of Titus after the conquest of Judea at end of Jewish wars.

Titus Reliefs and Inscription

Inscription.

Relief: Spoils of Jerusalem

Relief: Triumph of Titus

Arch of Titus

Portrait bust of a Flavian woman

from Rome, Italy

ca. 90 C.E.marble25 in. high

Pantheon

Rome, Italy

ca. 118-125 C.E.

Pantheon

Rome, Italy

ca. 118-125 C.E.

Pantheon

Rome, Italy

ca. 118-125 C.E.

Al-Khazneh

Petra, Jordan

2nd century C.E.

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius

from Rome, Italy

ca. 175 C.E.bronze11 ft. 6 in. high

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius

from Rome, Italy

ca. 175 C.E.bronze11 ft. 6 in. high

Portraits of the four tetrarchs

St. Mark’s, Venice

ca. 305 C.E.porphyry51 in. high

Arch of Constantine

Rome, Italy

ca. 312-315 C.E.

Portrait of Constantine

from the Basilica Nova, Rome, Italy

ca. 315-330 C.E.marblehead approximately 8 ft. 6 in. high

Basilica Nova reconstruction drawing

Rome, Italy

306-312 C.E.

Aula Palatina (Basilica)

Trier, Germany

early 4th century C.E.