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History of Ancient Rome
THE ART OF ANCIENT
ROME
• Rome founded by Romulus - 753 BCE
• Monarchy (753-509 BCE): period of rule by
Etruscan and Latin kings
• 509 BCE- Last Etruscan king, Tarquinius
Superbus, is thrown out of Rome
• Republic (509- 27 BCE):
– Senate with elected consuls
– Constitutional government
– Leaders mainly from patrician class
Legacy of Roman art:
Temple of “Fortuna Virilis” (Temple of
Portunus), Rome, Italy, ca. 75 BCE
– Roman invention of concrete
– Ancient Roman buildings still in
existence today
– Roman aqueducts are still used to supply
water
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Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, Palestrina,
Italy, late second cent. BCE
• Use of concrete: barrel
vaults, cover large ramps,
shapes buildings
• Transforms natural
hillside
• Symbol of Roman
power
CONCRETE FORMS:
Pompeii, 79 AD
CONCRETE:
Advantages:
• Cost less
• Make shapes impossible before with stone
blocks
Its use changed views on architecture:
*Architecture of space vs. sheer mass
Head of Roman Patrician, Otricoli, Italy,
ca. 75-50 BCE, marble
• 79 AD, Pompeii is buried
by volcanic eruption
• Forum- public square
• Temple of Jupiternorthern end
• Daily commerce and
festivities occurred inside
open forum
• Basilica- law court of
Pompeii
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Amphitheater, Pompeii, Italy, ca. 80 BC
First Style wall painting in the fauces of
Samnite House, Herculaneum, Italy. Late 2nd
cent. BCE
Plan of Atrium style house:
Second Style wall painting, Dion ysiac
mystery frieze, Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii,
Italy, ca. 60-50 BCE
Second Style wall painting from Cubiculum
of the Villa of Publius Fannius Synistor,
Boscoreale, Italy, ca. 50-40 BCE
Third Style wall painting, detail
from Villa of Agrippa
Postumus, Boscotrecase, Italy,
ca. 10 BCE
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Fourth Style wall paintings in Room 78 at
Domus Aurea (Golden House) of Nero,
Rome, Italy, AD 64-68
Fourth Style wall paintings
in the Ixion Room of the
House of the Vettii,
Pompeii, Italy, ca. AD 7079
Still life with Peaches, detail of wall painting
from Herculaneum, Italy, ca. AD 62-79
Early Empire (27 BCE- AD 96)
• Ides of March, 44 BCE- Julius Caesar
assassinated, civil war lasts 13 years
• 30 BCE- Octavian defeats Marc Anthony and
Cleopatra
• 27 BCE- senate confers Octavian as Augustus;
end of Roman Republic
– “first citizen”, consul and emperor, chief priest
• Pax Romana- Roman Peace
Portrait of Augustus as
General, Primaporta,
Italy, ca. 20 BCE
• Idealized youthful
appearance
• Son of a God
• Contro-posto stance
and x- diagonal
Ara Pacis Augustae, Rome, Italy, 13-9 BCE,
marble
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Procession of Imperial family, detail of south
frieze from Ara Pacis, 5’x 3” high
Pont-du- Gard, Nimes, France, ca. 160 BCE
Section of Domus Aurea (Golden House) of
Nero, SEVERUS and CELER, Rome, Italy,
AD 64-68
Female personification (Tellus?). Panel from
Ara Pacis east façade, 5’x 3” high
Plan of Domus Aurea (Golden House) of
Nero, SEVERUS and CELER, Rome, Italy,
AD 64-68
Flauvians
• Vespasian comes to power after Nero
• AD 69-76
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Portrait of Vespasian, Ostia, Italy,
ca. AD 69-79, marble
Interior view of Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Colosseum, Rome, Italy, ca. AD 70-80
Arch of Titus, Rome, Italy, after AD 81
Spoils of Jerusalem, detail of relief panel from Arch
of Titus, Rome, Italy
High Empire: AD 96-192
• Second cent AD- Rome reaches its greatest size
geographically and its height of power
• “Five Good Rulers”
–
–
–
–
–
Nerva r. 96-98
Trajan r. 98-117
Hadrian r. 117-138
Antonius Pius r. 138-161
Marcus Aurelius r. 161-180
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Forum of Trajan, APOLLODORUS of
DAMASCUS, Rome, Italy, ded. AD 112
Column of Trajan, Forum of Trajan, Rome,
Italy, ded. AD 112
Frieze on Column of Trajan, Forum of Trajan,
Rome, Italy
Arch of Trajan, Benevento, Italy, ca.
AD 114-118
Detail of Arch of Trajan, Benevento, Italy, ca.
AD 114-118
Detail of Arch of Trajan, Benevento, Italy, ca.
AD 114-118
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Portrait Bust of Hadrian as general, from
Tel Shalem, Israel, ca. AD 130-138, bronze
Frontal porch to Pantheon, Rome, Italy
Apotheosis of Antonius Pius and Faustina,
pedestal of the Column of Antonius Pius,
Rome, Italy, ca. AD. 161, Marble
Aerial view of Pantheon, Rome, Italy, AD
118-125
Interior Pantheon, Rome, Italy
Decursio, pedestal of the Column of Antonius
Pius, Rome, Italy, ca. AD. 161, marble
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Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, from Rome.
Italy, ca. AD. 175, bronze, approx. 11’ 6” high
Late Empire
• Third cent.- Roman power begins to fade
– Economy in decline
– State religion was being challenged (Eastern
cults, Christianity)
– Pagan ancient world-> Christian Middle Ages
– AD 192-337
Portrait of Caracalla, ca. AD 211-217,
marble
Portrait bust of Trajan Decius, AD. 249-251,
marble,
Plan of central section of Baths of Caracalla,
Rome, Italy, AD 212-216
Portraits of the Four Tetrarchs, ca. AD 305,
porphyry, approx. 4’3”
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Arch of Constantine, Rome, Italy,
A.D. 312-315
Distribution of largess, detail of the north
frieze of the Arch of Constantine
Portrait of Constantine, from Basilica Nova,
Rome, Italy, ca. AD 315-330, approx. 8’ 6”
Pragmatic Romans
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