Ancient Roman Art and Architecture: Summary Notes

Ancient Roman Art and Architecture: Architectural Innovation

  • Origins: Greeks and Etruscans.

  • City of Rome: Capitoline she-wolf.

  • Historical periods: Rise, division, and fall of the Roman Empire.

  • Religion in Rome and its empire.

Overview of Roman Art and Architecture

  • Changes and continuities in painting, sculpture, architecture, and interest in interior space.

Basic Roman Architectural Forms

  • Classical orders and new additions: Tuscan and Composite orders.

  • Arches, barrel vaults, and groin vaults.

  • Arcades and aqueducts in civic architecture: Pont de Gard, Nîmes.

  • Triumphal arch: Arch of Septimus Severus, Arch of Titus.

  • Dome: Pantheon.

Construction Materials

  • Stone.

  • Clay brick.

  • Roman concrete: Trajan’s market; Pantheon.

Key Periods and Dates

  • Monarchy: 753-509 BCE

  • Republic: 509-31 BCE

  • Empire: 31 BCE-476 CE

  • 753 BCE: Foundation of Rome.

  • 285 CE: Emperor Diocletian divided the Empire into two (Eastern and Western).

  • 313 CE: Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal.

  • 330 CE: Emperor Constantine transferred the Empire’s capital from Rome to Byzantium (Constantinople).

  • 380 CE: Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

  • 100-500 CE: “Barbarian” invasions of parts of the Empire.

Basic Roman Architectural Forms

  • Vitruvius: "All buildings must be executed in such a way as to take account of durability, utility and beauty."

  • Use and adaptation of the Greek architectural orders.

  • Arches vs. post and lintel construction.

  • Vaults: Barrel vaults, Groin vaults, Rib vaults, Fan vaults.

  • Arcade: A succession of continuous arches.

  • Triumphal arches.

  • Domes: Hemispherical structure evolved from the arch.

Pantheon

  • Pantheon, Rome, 113-125 CE

  • Features: Coffered ceiling, Stepped dome, Portico, Oculus, Rotunda, Drum

Construction Materials

  • Stone (including colored marble).

  • Wood.

  • Lime.

  • Clay.

  • Concrete (invented by the Romans) - Opus caementicium.

Ancient Roman Art and Architecture: Domestic Buildings and Interiors

  • Introduction to Pompeii: Geographical and historical contexts.

  • Street plan of Pompeii and the evidence about Roman towns

Domestic buildings (1): the Domus

  • The Domus Italica: characteristics, rooms and other elements.

  • The Domus Italica in Pompeii: House of the Surgeon.

  • The Hellenized Domus: characteristics, rooms and other elements.

  • The Hellenized Domus in Pompeii: House of the Vettii; House of the Silver Wedding; House of the Faun.

Mosaics and sculpture

  • House of the Faun, in Pompeii: Dancing faun; Alexander mosaic.

  • Cave canem mosaic in Pompeii.

Domestic buildings (2): the Villa

  • The Villa: types and characteristics.

  • Villas in Pompeii: Villa of the Mysteries.

Roman wall painting

  • Chronology and introduction to the four Pompeian styles.

  • First style: frescoes in the House of the Vettii and the Villa of the Mysteries.

  • Second style: frescoes in the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale; still life frescoes in the home of Julia Felix; Dionysiac frieze, Villa of the Mysteries.

  • Perspective and illusionism

  • Third style: Villa Agrippa Postumus, Boscotrecase.

  • Fourth style: frescoes in the House of the Vettii.

  • Atmospheric perspective: Garden frescoes in the Villa of Livia, near Rome.

Domestic buildings (3): the Insula

  • Overview and characteristics

  • The insulae at Ostia.

Furniture

  • Overview of common pieces of furniture.

Pompeian Styles

  • First Style (origins in 3rd century BCE).

  • Second Style (c. 80 BCE – 0 BCE).

  • Third Style (c. first century CE – c- 50 CE).

  • Fourth Style (c. mid first century CE – destruction of Pompeii in 79 CE).

Ancient Roman Art and Architecture

  • Civic, Religious, and Recreational Architecture & Sculpture.

  • Layout of Roman cities: Ad hoc development versus grid plan: Timgad versus Rome.

The Roman Forum and Fora

  • The role of the forum in a typical Roman city.

  • Introduction to the Roman forum (in the city of Rome).

  • Introduction to the imperial fora (in the city of Rome).

Buildings and Sculpture in the Roman Forum

  • Temples in the Roman forum: Temple of Vesta; Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.

  • Basilicas in the Roman forum: Basilica Julia; Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine.

  • Sculpture: Colossus of Constantine.

  • Triumphal arches in and near the Roman forum: Arch of Constantine, Arch of Septimus Severus, Arch of Titus.

Trajan’s Forum

  • Layout and architecture.

  • Markets of Trajan.

  • Trajan’s column.

Recreational Architecture

  • Theatres: characteristics; Theatre at Orange; Theatre at Mérida.

  • Amphitheatres: characteristics; Amphitheatre at Mérida; Colosseum.

  • Circuses: characteristics; Circus Maximus; Circus at Mérida.

  • Baths: characteristics; Baths of Caracalla, Stabian baths at Pompeii.

Portrait Sculpture

  • Statue of a Roman Patrician.

  • Veristic male portrait.

  • Augustus of Primaporta.