Roman and Etruscan Art and Architecture Lecture Flashcards

This set covers key vocabulary and concepts from the study of Roman and Etruscan art, architecture, and religious practices from the Villanovan period through the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Villanovan hut urn

A clay urn from the $9th$ to $8th$ century BCE used to demonstrate the close connection between homes and graves.

Sarcophagus

Derived from the Greek phrase lithos sarkóphagos, meaning "flesh-eating stone"; it traveled through Latin as lapis sarcophagus.

Akroteria

Sculptural elements displayed on the roof of an Etruscan style temple, such as the Portonaccio Temple at Veii.

Ex manubiis

A Latin phrase meaning "from the spoils of war," referring to Manubial Temples built by victorious generals.

Opus caementicium

Roman concrete vaulting and building material, exemplified by the Sanctuary of Fortuna at Praeneste, dated c. $120$ BCE.

Tesserae

Small pieces used to create mosaics, such as those found in the Praeneste Mosaic or the House of the Faun.

Suovetaurilia

A Roman sacrifice involving a pig, a sheep, and a bull, often offered to Mars; depicted in the Paris reliefs.

Lustratio

A Roman purification ritual or sacrifice.

Wax Imagines

The Roman imago or wax masks created to represent family ancestors.

Opus vermiculatum

A mosaic technique using very small, fine pieces of tesserae to create detailed images, as seen in the Alexander Mosaic.

First Style wall painting

A style of mural decoration where stucco is shaped and colored to look like carefully cut, foreign stone or marble.

Second Style wall painting

A style characterized by the use of linear perspective to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a wall.

Megalographic

A type of scene featuring life-sized figures, such as the Dionysiac frieze from the Villa of the Mysteries.

Otium and Negotium

The Roman concepts of leisure (otium), often associated with rustic villa life, and public business (negotium).

Flamen

A priesthood responsible for managing specific temples or gods, such as the Flamen Dialis for Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

Pontifex

High-ranking officials who oversaw state cults and public religious practices, advised on sacred law, and kept records.

Fasces

A bundle of rods containing an axe, serving as consular imagery and a symbol of power in Rome since $509$ BCE.

Verism

A hyper-realistic style of Republican portraiture that emphasizes distinctive features like fleshy cheeks and creased foreheads.

Corona Civica

The "Civic Crown" or oak wreath awarded to a citizen for saving another's life, frequently depicted on coins of Augustus.

Contrapposto

A pose used in sculpture where the weight is shifted onto one leg, as seen in the Augustus from Prima Porta.

Nodus

A hairstyle common in the Augustan period featuring a knot of hair at the forehead, typical of virtuous Roman women like Livia.

Res Gestae

The official account of the acts and accomplishments of the Deified Augustus, originally engraved on two bronze columns in Rome.

Fasti

Traditional Roman calendars that tracked days, religious festivals, and historical events.

Damnatio memoriae

The official erasing of a person's memory from public record and monuments, which occurred following the death of Nero.

Sacrificium

Derived from sacrum facere, meaning "the act of making something the property of the gods."

Lares

Household gods who protected the family and were kept in shrines called lararia.

Genius

The protective spirit of the Paterfamilias (head of the household).

Vicomagister

An official responsible for managing a vicus (neighborhood) and its crossroads shrines.

Domus Aurea

Nero’s "Golden House," featuring an innovative octagonal hall with a dome and oculus.