Romans and etruscans

Sarcophagus of the Spouses

Culture: Etruscan | Date: c. 520 BCE | Medium: Terra cotta | Location: Cerveteri, Italy | Function: Funerary sarcophagus for a married couple; held ashes | Content: Reclining man and woman on a couch, animated gestures | Form: Stylized features, terracotta modeled in the round | Context: Reflects Etruscan belief in afterlife and gender equality

Temple of Minerva (and Apollo)

Culture: Etruscan | Date: c. 510-500 BCE | Medium: Wood, mud brick, tufa; terra cotta sculpture | Location: Veii, Italy | Function: Temple to goddess Minerva | Content: Deep front porch, Apollo figure on roof | Form: Tuscan columns, frontal orientation | Context: Based on Greek temples but distinct in plan and decoration

Tomb of the Triclinium

Culture: Etruscan | Date: c. 480-470 BCE | Medium: Tufa and fresco | Location: Tarquinia, Italy | Function: Burial chamber for elite family | Content: Banqueting scenes, dancers, musicians | Form: Bright colors, stylized figures, lively gestures | Context: Celebrates life and afterlife; Etruscan equality in art

House of the Vettii

Culture: Roman | Date: c. 62-79 CE | Medium: Stone and fresco | Location: Pompeii, Italy | Function: Wealthy merchant's home | Content: Atrium, peristyle, illusionistic wall paintings | Form: Axial symmetry, Fourth Style frescoes | Context: Shows Roman domestic luxury and artistic innovation

Alexander Mosaic

Culture: Roman copy of Greek original | Date: c. 100 BCE | Medium: Mosaic | Location: House of the Faun, Pompeii | Function: Floor decoration showing Alexander's victory over Darius III | Content: Dynamic battle, Alexander charging | Form: Tesserae create shading and motion | Context: Reflects Greek realism and Roman admiration of Hellenistic art

Head of a Roman Patrician

Culture: Roman Republic | Date: c. 75-50 BCE | Medium: Marble | Location: Rome, Italy | Function: Portrait of ancestor | Content: Aged man, stern expression | Form: Veristic realism emphasizing wrinkles and wisdom | Context: Shows Republican values of gravitas and virtue

Augustus of Prima Porta

Culture: Roman Empire | Date: Early 1st century CE | Medium: Marble (copy of bronze original) | Location: Villa of Livia, Prima Porta | Function: Imperial propaganda | Content: Idealized youth, orator pose, Cupid at leg | Form: Contrapposto, detailed armor reliefs | Context: Combines Greek idealism with Roman authority

Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater)

Culture: Imperial Roman | Date: 70-80 CE | Medium: Stone and concrete | Location: Rome, Italy | Function: Public entertainment and gladiatorial games | Content: Arched entrances, tiered seating | Form: Concrete core, Doric-Ionic-Corinthian orders | Context: Gift to the people; symbol of Roman power and engineering

Forum of Trajan

Culture: Imperial Roman | Date: 106-112 CE | Medium: Brick and concrete | Location: Rome, Italy | Function: Public and political forum | Content: Basilica Ulpia, Column of Trajan, markets | Form: Monumental, axial plan | Context: Celebrates Trajan's victories; funded by Dacian spoils

Pantheon

Culture: Imperial Roman | Date: 118-125 CE | Medium: Concrete with stone facing | Location: Rome, Italy | Function: Temple to all gods | Content: Dome with oculus, coffered ceiling | Form: Perfect symmetry, circle and square design | Context: Engineering marvel symbolizing cosmic harmony

Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus

Culture: Late Imperial Roman | Date: c. 250 CE | Medium: Marble | Location: Rome, Italy | Function: Coffin for a Roman general | Content: Chaotic battle of Romans vs. Goths | Form: High relief, overlapping figures | Context: Reflects late empire's turmoil and spiritual themes

Catacombs of Priscilla

Culture: Early Christian | Date: c. 200-400 CE | Medium: Tufa and fresco | Location: Rome, Italy | Function: Burial site and worship place | Content: Orant figures, Christ as Good Shepherd | Form: Painted cubicula with symbolic imagery | Context: Early underground Christian art during persecution

Santa Sabina

Culture: Early Christian | Date: c. 422-432 CE | Medium: Brick and stone, wooden roof | Location: Rome, Italy | Function: Christian basilica | Content: Long nave, apse, clerestory windows | Form: Simple exterior, luminous interior | Context: Adapted Roman basilica for worship and processions

Petra, Jordan (Treasury and Great Temple)

Culture: Nabataean / Roman | Date: c. 400 BCE-100 CE | Medium: Cut rock | Location: Petra, Jordan | Function: Tombs and temples | Content: Rock-cut façades with Greek and Roman elements | Form: Corinthian columns, pediments, monumental design | Context: Crossroads of trade; reflects Hellenistic influence in Nabataean culture