The Roman Empire: Art, Architecture, and Power

1. The Roman Empire 753 BCE-337 CE The Roman Empire, at its largest during the reign of emperor Trajan, was a sprawling and diverse kingdom. Rome was the caput mundi, or the head of the world.

2. Founding the Republic In 509 BCE the Romans overthrew their Etruscan king and established a constitutional government. The new Republic vested power in a senate (council of elders) and two elected consuls. Leaders came from the patrician class, but later opened up to the plebian class.

3. In 211 BCE, the conquering general Marcellus broke with tradition and brought back more than just the usual spoils of war when he returned to Rome. He exposed Romans to Greek art and architecture, and the resulting blend of Etruscan and Greek influence is uniquely Roman. Roman architecture was also unique for its use of a new invention: concrete. This allowed for greater design possibilities and larger buildings. The Temple of Vesta, a tholos (round) temple, is an early example of concrete construction.

4. Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia The most impressive of concrete during the Republic, the enormous terraces are supported with concrete barrel vaults.

5. The Patrician Class and Ancestor Worship Roman patricians were extremely proud of their lineages. The farther back you could trace your lineage, the more prestige you had. Portraits were only for the wealthy, so owning many ancestor portraits was an important class distinction. Patricians would have genealogical imagines (portrait masks) in their home. These imagines were rendered with brutal realism at the request of the patron (veristic). They represented the ideals of the Republic: serious, determined, experienced, loyal to family and state

6. This desire to advertise distinguished ancestry led to the placement of portraits of illustrious Roman on coins. These coins, circulated throughout the Roman Empire, were used to mold public opinion in favor of the ruler. These images help control the narrative, celebrating both real and fictional achievements.

7. A patrician’s home played part in many social rituals and was decorated to reflect the power and status befitting that person. Wall painting in 4 distinct styles can be found inside these homes, particularly those from Pompeii due to their excellent preservation.

8. First style attempted to imitate costly marble with stucco reliefs. Second style aimed to dissolve a room’s confining walls and replace them with the illusion of an imaginary 3-D world. Second style’s use of linear perspective helps create depth.

9. Third style reinforces the presence of heavy walls with delicate linear drawings on monochromatic backgrounds. Fourth style returns to illusionism, with irrational architectural vistas and crowded detail on predominately creamy white backgrounds.

10. The Roman Empire The assassination of Julius Caesar by members of the Senate plunged Rome into a civil war, the eventual victor being Octavius, Cesar’s grandnephew and adopted son. On 27 BCE, Octavius was given the new name Augustus and the Empire began. Much of Roman society and government remained the same, except now Augustus held all key positions and ostensibly controlled all aspects of Roman public life.

11. Roman rule brought two centuries of peace and prosperity to the Mediterranean. Roman rulers produced art to reinforce the idea that the emperor was the source of this wealth and stability. Art’s purpose was not to provide an objective record but to mold public opinion. The Altar of the Augustan Peace commemorates the establishment of the Pax Romana with carefully selected mythological subjects. Aeneas, son of Venus and forefather to Augustus, is included to reinforce the idea that Augustus has divine lineage. A female, most likely representing an unknown deity, is surrounded by the bountiful fruits of the Pax Romana.