Roman Art History Exam 1

Before the Common Era (BCE) / Common Era (CE)

Modern, secular terms used to denote periods in history, with CE corresponding to AD and BCE corresponding to BC.

Before Christ (BC) / Anno Domini (AD)

Traditional terms used to denote periods in history, with AD starting from the approximate birth year of Jesus Christ and BC referring to the time before.

Polis, pl. poleis

An independent city-state in ancient Greece, characterized by its own government and territory.

Magna Graecia

The name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy and Sicily that were extensively colonized by Greek city-states.

Carthage

A powerful ancient city-state located in modern-day Tunisia, a major rival of Rome.

Etruria (the Etruscans)

An ancient civilization of Italy, preceding the Romans, known for their distinct art, culture, and language, located in what is now Tuscany and parts of Umbria and Lazio.

Latium / Rome

Latium is the ancient region of central Italy in which the city of Rome was founded. Rome became the capital of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire.

Tiber River

The third-longest river in Italy, on which the city of Rome was founded.

April 21, 753 BCE

The traditional date for the founding of the city of Rome.

Seven Hills of Rome

The historical hills on which ancient Rome was built, including Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, and Caelian. The Oppian Hill is sometimes considered an offshoot of the Esquiline.

Tufa (tuff)

A relatively soft, porous rock formed from volcanic ash, commonly used as a building material in ancient Rome.

Wattle-and-daub

A traditional building method using interwoven branches or reeds (wattle) coated with a mixture of clay, soil, and straw (daub).

Podium

A raised platform or base on which a building, statue, or other structure stands.

Ashlar masonry

Finely dressed (cut, worked) stones, laid in regular courses, used in the construction of buildings.

Pronaos

The front open porch of a classical temple, usually with a colonnade.

Cella (pl. cellae) - tripartite cella

The inner chamber of a temple, typically housing the cult statue. A tripartite cella is divided into three sections.

Terracotta

A type of unglazed, often brownish-red, ceramic material, widely used in ancient art and architecture for sculptures, roof tiles, and other purposes.

Acroterion (pl. acroteria)

An ornamental architectural element placed on a flat base (pedestal) at the apex or corners of a pediment.

Archaic / Classical / Hellenistic | Etruscan

Terms referring to distinct periods and styles in ancient Greek art and culture. Etruscan refers to the art and culture of the Etruscan civilization.

Forum

A public open space in an ancient Roman city, serving as a center for commercial, civic, and religious activities.

Temple

A building dedicated to religious worship or ritual.

Curia / Comitium

Curia: The Senate House in ancient Rome. Comitium: An open-air public meeting space in the Roman Forum used for political assemblies.

Rostra

A large platform in the Roman Forum from which speakers addressed the assembled people, named for the prows (rostra) of captured ships that adorned it.

Basilica

In ancient Rome, a large public building with multiple functions, including a court of law, a meeting place, and a market. Later adopted by Christians for churches.

Triumph

A civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory.

Manubial temple / Victory temple

A temple built from the spoils of war (manubiae), dedicated to a deity in thanks for military victory.

Facade

The front face of a building.

Peripteral

A style of ancient Greek or Roman temple in which the cella is surrounded by a single row of columns (peristyle) on all sides.

Pseudoperipteral

A style of temple that appears to have a surrounding colonnade, but the columns along the sides and back are engaged (attached) to the walls rather than freestanding.

Stucco

A fine plaster or cement used for coating exterior walls or for molding into architectural decorations.

Travertine

A form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, often used as a building material, especially in Rome.

Rostrate Column

A monumental column decorated with the prows (rostra) of captured enemy ships, erected to commemorate a naval victory.

Portico

A structure consisting of a roof supported by columns, forming a porch or entrance to a building.

Quadriporticus

A courtyard or open space surrounded by porticoes on all four sides.

Triumphal Paintings

Paintings depicting scenes from military victories, often carried in triumphal processions.

Ideal / idealism

In art, the representation of things as they should be, rather than as they are, emphasizing beauty, perfection, and adherence to established aesthetic principles.

Naturalistic / naturalism

In art, the depiction of subjects in a way that closely resembles their appearance in the natural world.

Realistic / realism

In art, the truthful and objective representation of subject matter, emphasizing the actual appearance of things, including imperfections.

Veristic / verism

A hyper-realistic style, especially in Roman portraiture, that emphasizes individual features, wrinkles, and other signs of age, often to convey wisdom and experience.

Portrait

A depiction of a person, typically focusing on the face, intended to capture their likeness and often their character.

Republican portraiture

A style of Roman portraiture prevalent during the Republic, characterized by its verism and emphasis on individual features, often highlighting age and experience.

Wax ancestor masks (imago, pl. imagines)

Wax death masks of deceased ancestors, kept by noble Roman families and displayed during funerals, symbolizing their lineage and prestige.

ius imaginis ("the right of the image")

The privilege held by aristocratic Roman families to display wax ancestor masks (imagines) and to have their deceased members carried in funeral processions.

Cursus honorum

The sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and early Empire.

gravitas

A Roman virtue signifying a sense of dignity, seriousness, responsibility, and profound importance.

dignitas

A Roman virtue signifying prestige, reputation, and honor, often associated with a person's standing in society.

Togatus

A male figure depicted wearing a toga, the distinctive outer garment of Roman citizens.

Imperator

A Latin title originally meaning 'commander' or 'general,' which eventually evolved into a title of supreme power, especially for Roman emperors.

Honorific statue

A statue erected to honor a distinguished individual, usually in a public place.

Appendage aesthetic

An artistic tendency in some Roman sculpture where small, often symbolic, objects or figures are attached or incorporated into a larger work.

Anastole

A Greek hairstyle, notably associated with Alexander the Great, characterized by a central parting and locks of hair brushed up and back from the forehead.

capite velato

Latin phrase meaning 'with covered head,' referring to the practice of covering one's head, often with a toga, during religious rituals or sacrifices.

pontifex maximus

The chief high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome, the most important religious office.

nodus

A Roman female hairstyle characterized by a prominent roll or knot of hair over the forehead.

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian, after 27 BCE. called Augustus)

The adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar, who ultimately defeated his rivals and became the first Roman Emperor, known as Augustus.

Battle of Actium, 31 BCE

A decisive naval battle between Octavian's forces and those of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, which resulted in Octavian's victory and the consolidation of his power.

Imperial fora

A series of monumental public squares constructed in Rome by various emperors, serving as centers of public life, administration, and imperial propaganda.

Carrara (Luna) marble

A highly prized white or blue-grey marble quarried in Carrara, Italy, extensively used for sculpture and monumental architecture in ancient Rome.

exhedra (pl. exhedrae)

A semicircular or rectangular recess in a wall, often with a bench, used for conversation or as a meeting place.

Pediment (pedimental sculpture)

The triangular upper part of the front of a classical building, typically surmounting a portico. Pedimental sculpture: Sculptures placed within the triangular space of a pediment.

Caryatids

Sculpted female figures serving as architectural supports, in place of columns or pillars.

Erectheion (Erectheum), Athens

An ancient Greek temple on the Acropolis of Athens, famous for its Caryatid porch.

Liberti / Libertae

Latin terms for freedmen (male) and freedwomen (female), formerly enslaved individuals who had gained their freedom.

Bulla

A round, often hollow, amulet worn around the neck by freeborn Roman children, particularly boys, for protection.

Isocephaly

An artistic convention in which the heads of figures are all depicted at the same height, regardless of their position in the composition.

Pax / Pax Romana

Pax: Latin for 'peace.' Pax Romana: The 'Roman Peace,' a long period of relative peace and stability experienced by the Roman Empire, beginning with the reign of Augustus.