Comparative Arts
Roman Civilization
October, 2010
The Roman Empire
•Inherited its art, literature, philosophy, religious life from the Greek Empire
“ Although the Romans conquered the Greeks militarily and politically, the
Greeks conquered the Romans artistically and culturally.” (p. 100, text book)
•Roman writers rarely made reference to Roman artists, but instead wrote
about the Greek masters.
•Greeks colonized the southern coastal regions of the Italian peninsula and
Sicily – the Romans then adopted this Hellenistic culture
•Romans referred to the Greeks as the ‘ancients’, as Greek art already had the
authority of antiquity for the Romans. They imported Greek art (marbles, vases
and bronzes), Greek artists, and commissioned copies of Greek art.
•Romans were even more ambitious than the Greeks in spreading their culture
around their massive empire
•Produced remarkable achievements: advanced politics, law, engineering,
architecture
Why did Rome – one city among many – become one of the most
powerful cities in the ancient world?
Early Rome, 200 BC
Why did Rome – one city among many – become one of the most
powerful cities in the ancient world?
Early Rome, 200 BC
-strategic location
on the banks of the
Tiber River in
central Italy,
between Etruscan
settlements in the
north and Greek
colonies in the
south – trade
route between
civilizations
Ancient Rome’s
Etruscan roots
-Etruscans occupied part of
Italy now called Tuscany
-they had a strong influence
on Roman culture
-most of what we know about
Etruscans comes from what
we have found in their tombs
Cerveteri tombs
-tombs of Etruscan families that
replicate a Etruscan home in stone
(even pillows and pets)
Wife and Husband tomb, Cerveteri (Etruscan), terra cotta
-once painted in bright colors
-indicates equality between genders: husband and wife reclining together, smiling, animated
hands, reminiscent in style of archaic (pre-classical Greek sculptures)
Capitoline She-Wolf, 500 BCE, bronze
-classic Etruscan metalwork, a popular export item
-this sculpture has become the symbol of Rome, depicting the founders, Romulus and
Remus
Romans made Doric columns
taller and slimmer and gave
them a base. The leaves of the
Corinthian columns were
combined with the volutes of
the Ionic columns to create the
composite order.
Romans mixed styles freely,
even on the same building and
used the elaborate Corinthian
style the most and the Doric the
least – the opposite of the
Greeks.
While Romans greatly admired Greek art, there are many
differences. Some of the divergences between Greek and
Roman art include:
-scale – Romans were impressed by size
-modified the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns
-Romans developed the use of concrete
-did not entirely copy Greek architecture, but blended it with
Etruscan
The Roman temple ‘Fortuna
Virilis’, 1st century BCE
-Etruscan elements: raised
platform or podium, entry at one
end only by ascending a flight of
stairs, a front porch taking up 1/3
of the podium
Model of an Etruscan temple
-mud-brick walls and wood columns
– nothing has survived of Etruscan
temples except the foundations
-to some extent a modification of a
Greek temple, except for the high
flight of stairs on one side only,
deeper porch, wider roof
Greek Parthenon
Rectangular plan, raised
podium, peeked roof, steps
on all four sides, small
porch
Temple of Vesta, 80 BCE
Unlike Greeks, Romans built many circular
temples, which were built of concrete and
faced with stone or brick. Note the tall
and slender columns.
Pont du Gard, Nimes, France, 100 BCE – 100CE
-The most famous and best preserved Roman aqueduct
-once carried 44 million gallons of water / day
The water travelled 50 km for use
in homes, fountains, public baths
No mortar or clamps used!
Ancient Romans commissioned much sculpture for
public places, homes, temples, tombs, etc.
Unlike Greeks, they did not focus on gods, goddesses
and heroes, but on individual people, especially political
figures.
This sculpture indicates the emphasis ancient Romans
placed on lineage and on capturing the likeness of
actual people, rather than indicating an ideal or type.
In fact, Romans loved realism so much that wax masks
were made of the recently dead to aid in the making of
realistic sculptures.
A Roman Patrician with Busts of
his Ancestors, 1st century BCE
Portrait bust of Julius Caesar
The Colosseum, Rome, 80 CE
-type of building developed by Romans
-accommodated 50,000 people – no bad seats!
-an awning would have been stretched out over
much of the seating
-supporting structure made of concrete, exterior
stone was travertine (limestone)
Describe the columns used
How do Roman Colosseums differ from Greek amphitheatres?
Arles, France
Built after Colosseum
in Rome
Pantheon, Rome 118-25 CE
-dedicated to ‘all the gods’ (literally, pantheon)
How does this temple differ from Greek
temples?
The Forum, Rome – a forum was a public area around which the most important
structures were located: royal residence, temples and shrines, markets, the Senate
House, government offices, memorials, statues
-the Forum became the economic hub of the city of Rome and the center of the
Roman Empire
-the area was expanded and renovated during the peak of the Roman Empire and
transformed in the subsequent centuries: 5th- 8th century CE – old government
buildings and temples transformed into Christian churches, after the 8th century many
buildings dismantled to be used as building materials in nearby castles, 13th century
the Forum was a dumping ground
The Forum, 1742
Artists in the 15th century were drawn to painting
the Forum and copying ancient inscriptions.
In the early 1800s the Forum began to be
excavated and what we see today is a mix of
architectural remnants from various ages.
War: what is it good for?
• Caesar Augustus gained control of the Roman Empire in 27 BCE.
Together with his wife, Livia, he created the conditions for a long
period of peace and stability in the empire that lasted 200 years.
– An active builder, restored 82 temples in a year and boasted: “I found
Rome a city of brick, and left it a city of marble.”
• Roman armies were dispatched across the empire, but did not need
to fight wars because of the Roman Peace, or Pax Romana.
• Instead of fighting, the armies built incredible public works:
aqueducts, theatres, libraries, marketplaces, colosseums, and
roads.
• Trade increased and economic prosperity spread = Rome’s Golden
Age and pinnacle of Roman cultural accomplishment.
Rome: spreading itself thin?
• By 180 CE, the Roman Empire had grown to enormous
proportions: included Spain, the Persian Gulf in the Middle
East, Britain, the Rhine River, Egypt, the Sahara Desert
– 1,750,000 square miles!
– 50 million people!
Instability and decline
• The Roman Republic, which lasted 500 years, was weakened by wars
and transformed into the Roman Empire
– Julius Caesar appointed himself as ‘Perpetual Dictator’ in 44 BCE
• Between 235 and 284 CE, 25/26 emperors were murdered!
• Extremely unstable time, constant wars, a plague ravaged Rome
• Constantine seized control of the empire in 324, and moved the
capital from Rome to the port city of Byzantium, which he renamed
Constantinople
• Rome no longer Europe’s cultural center
• Due to the Roman Empire’s vast territory and longevity, there are
lasting influences on many cultures even today, especially in the
areas of language (Latin is the root for Italian, Spanish and French),
architecture, law, philosophy, and government
(Roman Civilization continued)
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Pompeii
The city of Pompeii provides us with rich insights into everyday Roman culture and
society because of its preservation after volcanic eruption in 79 CE.
Pompeii was a seaside Roman town on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.
The harden lava covering the city perfectly preserved Pompeii, not only preserving the
urban fabric of the city, buildings, and homes but also food and paintings, furniture,
garden statuary, even pornography and graffiti. (e.g. “Successes was here”, “Marcus
loves Spendusa”, “I am amazed, O wall, that you have not collapsed and fallen since you
must bear the tedious stupidities of so many scrawlers”)
The lava also preserved the form of bodies, which had decomposed.
As you watch the following videos, take notes on:
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Architecture (both domestic and public) and the design of the city
Decorative arts (interior design of homes, paintings, sculpture)
Lifestyles, occupations, social interaction among genders, classes
Intellectual and cultural life
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V_tDy4dMD8
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrJ-xHaXm0&feature=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvtX3Eudm58&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyuN65bFBaw&feature=related
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7CzWSuSr8k&feature=related
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yPnsgIKxPk&feature=related
*how would you characterize the domestic architecture of Pompeii? What sort of town was
Pompeii?
• Colosseum:
– http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/oct/21/rome-colosseum-new-gladiator-tour
• Gladiators, Pompeii:
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCMv14fE1qI
Society and politics in ancient Rome
• What are the differences between Republican Rome and
Imperial Rome?
• What are some differences between Greek and Roman
portrait busts?
Family in ancient Rome
• Roman portrait busts celebrated pietas, the deep-seated Roman
virtue of dutiful respect toward the gods, fatherland and parents
• To respect one’s parents was tantamount, for the Romans, to
respecting one’s moral obligations to the gods – respect for one’s
parents was a religious obligation
• Emperor Augustus believed society was unraveling in his time:
– there was a demise of family life in his time – adultery and divorce were
common
– There were more slaves and freed slaves in Rome than citizens
– Family size was diminishing due to high costs of living
• Augustus response:
– Criminalized adultery
– Required men between age 20 and 60 and women between age 20 and 50
to marry
– A divorced woman had to remarry within 6 months, a widow within a year
– Childless adults paid higher taxes, even deprived of inheritances
Altar of Augustan Peace (Ara Pacis
Augustae), 13-9 BCE
-constructed when Augustus
triumphantly returned after
conquering the Gauls and
establishing peace in Rome
-he had one side of its exterior walls
decorated with reliefs of his own
family to demonstrate his
prioritization of family and serve as
a model for Roman citizens
-a sense of spatial depth was
created by placing some figures
further back and in low relief
compared to the closer figures in
high relief
-three generations of Augustus’s
family are depicted here
How does it depict the role of
women in Roman society?
What does this painting from Pompeii
tell us about education and the sexes in
ancient Rome?
Young Woman Writing, detail of a wall
painting from Pompeii, late first century CE