Exploring Roman Art and Architecture

Did you know that Roman architecture was among the most diverse of the ancient world? Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia! My name is Kelly and today's video is all about the art and architecture of ancient Rome. This video was kindly sponsored by History Hit, a company that brings you the stories that shaped the world through their award-winning podcast network and online history channel. It's like Netflix, but for history. With over 500 documentaries, 1,000 plus podcast episodes and 5,000 history-related travel articles, History Hit are adding new programs and podcasts each week. If this all sounds pretty great, then be sure to visit historyhit.com and use our code WORLDHISTORY to get 50% off your first three months. And as always, you can support us by joining our Patreon, which you can find the link for down below. Let's start off with Roman art, its influence, functions and diversity. The Roman Empire ended up becoming so vast that it couldn't be ruled from one central government, so it isn't surprising that the art of the Empire was incredibly diverse depending on the region you're focusing on. As the Romans expanded and conquered, they embraced the art trends from all over their empire. The Romans adapted and adopted from earlier cultures like the Greeks and the Etruscans, as well as others they conquered, so it isn't surprising that their art was so varied. During the medieval and renaissance periods, all things Roman were appreciated, appreciated, but this began to diminish after the rediscovery of Greek art in the 17th century and the realization that some Roman art was copied or influenced from the earlier Greek. The Romans not only created different types of art, but they made it with any and all materials to show their appreciation of the past and commemoration of people and events. they produced art in the form of frescoes, paintings and mosaics, statues, coins, seals, jewellery, glassware and pottery, and their art could be used for propaganda to highlight military prowess as well as aesthetics and fashion. Art became accessible to the lower middle class rather than being a luxury good for the wealthy only, and there was a huge demand for artworks which meant that the Roman craftsmen were creating large quantities of goods. many of which have survived to the modern day, with the best example being those discovered at the Roman city of Pompeii. The public art of Rome was used often to commemorate individuals and this can be seen through the surviving sculptures, busts and coins featuring personal portraits. Roman sculpture was a combination of Greek idealised perfection with Eastern influences and the Roman appreciation for realism. The Romans are often criticised for creating copies of Greek originals, but it's actually awesome that they did since many of the Greek originals no longer exist. So in copying the Greeks earlier works, the Romans have preserved them in the archaeological record. Why don't the Greek originals survive? Well, many of them would have been made out of bronze and a habit that continued into the Roman period was the reuse of bronze which was melted down for other purposes. So many of our remaining sculptures are the Roman marble copies rather than the bronze Greek original or the bronze Roman copy. The Romans work towards realism and away from the idealized style of Greek and Etruscan sculpture and because of their interest in portraying the real we have heaps of personal portraits and busts. How do we know they're realistic depictions of their subjects? Well, many subjects are depicted with wrinkles and scarring, not a perfect idealised version of them. As the Romans developed their sculptures, they got increasingly larger. They became monumental as they depicted larger-than-life figures of gods, emperors and heroes. As the Roman Empire neared its end, their sculptures started boasting odd proportions, often with enlarged heads. and the figures were flatter at the front, which was an eastern influence coming through from their colonies. Sculpture was also used on buildings and could be both decorative and politically charged. A great example is the decoration on triumphal arches that depict military campaigns that could send a message of Roman superiority and the emperor's victory and strength. A common artistic feature of ancient Rome was their wall paintings. which have been found in many interiors in colourful and bold designs. From the 1st century BCE onwards, the Romans used wall painting fresco and stucco to create a relief effect, and these interior decorations have been found in public buildings, private homes, tombs, temples and even military structures. The subject of these wall paintings ranged from realistic and intricate scenes to Impressionist designs. and they would often cover all available wall space, including the ceiling. The most common colours were natural earthy tones like dark reds, browns and yellows, but the planar designs would also include black and blue. The archaeological evidence found from a paint shop in Pompeii, though, shows that although these were the popular colours, there was actually a wide range of colours to choose from. What kind of stuff was painted? Well, the Romans decorated their walls in everything from portraits and human figures to mythological scenes, flora and fauna, sweeping gardens, towns and landscapes. As wall painting developed, larger-than-life figures became more popular. In Pompeii, we've also discovered wall paintings that were related to the purpose of the building, like sex scenes in brothels and food pictures in restaurants. Another kind of building decoration is the Roman mosaic, which was another artistic type influenced by the Greeks. Mosaics were common in private homes and public buildings all across the Roman Empire from Africa to Antioch, but subject preferences differed throughout the Empire, like how the African provinces had a preference for large-scale hunting scenes. Mosaics or opus tesselatum were made out of small coloured black and white marble squares about 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres in size, although even smaller pieces were used for finer details. A whole range of subjects were depicted in mosaic, once again including myths, portraits, flora and fauna, but also sports and gladiatorial games, agriculture, food and hunting were popular. Speaking of popular, the most popular and well-known Roman mosaic would have to be what is now known as the Alexander mosaic, which shows Alexander the Great and the Persian King Darius the third during the Battle of Issus and was discovered in the year of the Roman emperor. in the House of the Faun at the site of Pompeii. Another very famous Roman era mosaic is the so-called Gypsy Girl mosaic from Zygma in modern-day Turkey from the 2nd century CE. We still don't know who is depicted here but would you just look at the picture? at her eyes. Mosaic artists would develop their own personal styles and production shops across the empire all held individual preferences in style and subject. The dominant style in Roman Italy though was creating mosaics out of lots of black and white, often depicting marine motifs. These were especially prevalent in the Roman baths. And looking to the east, the Roman empire produced repeating two-dimensional motifs that created a carpet effect and which would go on to influence details in later Christian churches and Jewish synagogues. Finally, looking to the minor arts, the artists of the Roman Empire worked a lot with precious metals and crafted objects like jewellery, small gold portrait busts, silverware, figurines, mirrors, engraved gems and seals, detailed cameos, bronze vessels, decorated pottery, coins, military uniforms and weapons, as well as clasps for their Tyrian purple cloth. It was for these movable objects to depict the imperial family, personal portraits, mythological scenes, and geometric decoration, and above all the silverware and carved gems were favoured and collected by those who could afford to. The Romans appreciated art for art's sake, and cultural sophistication was shown through the ownership and ability to collect art. The Romans continued the legacy of the Greeks but they were also innovators who produced a whole new range of architectural structures with creative designs out of new materials and with new construction techniques. Some of these innovations include basilicas, the triumphal arch, monumental aqueducts and residential housing blocks or insula. The Romans used the column orders established by the Greeks, so the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, with the Corinthian being particularly favoured by the Romans, but they did make it a bit more decorative. The Romans also combined the Ionic and the Corinthian to make the composite capital and adapted the Doric column into what is now known as the Tuscan column. Columns were just as popular in Rome as they were in Greece, but the Romans used them not only for structural use but for aesthetics, like the Pantheon in Rome. You could remove the columns as they would just be attached to the facade. facade and the building would remain stable. Rome produced huge imperial bath complexes with soaring arches and domes, and they basically took an idea and then pushed it to the extreme. Related to baths, Roman aqueducts are marvels of engineering. They transported water at a slope from its source over long distances, including through hilly terrain using tunnels and bridges to ensure the water kept flowing gently downhill at all times. Roman concrete was another impressive feat. Whereas modern concrete crumbles with time when exposed to water, Roman concrete became stronger and more durable when it came in contact with water. There are still examples of Roman concrete that barely shows any wear and tear 2,000 years later. Only recently scientists figured out why this is, but we're still missing the recipe to reproduce it. Imperial patronage in the Augustan period meant that bigger and more extravagant building projects could be undertaken in Rome and across the Empire, and at this time their love of marble started to shine. The building showed Roman innovation and were a form of propaganda, as these monumental buildings displayed Rome's cultural superiority. In 146 BCE the first all-marble building was constructed in Rome, the Temple of Jupiter Stata, but during the Empire the use of marble became widespread and often was the building material of choice. Corara or lunar marble from Tuscany was the most commonly used marble from Italy and was readily available across the empire. There was also coloured marble available like yellow Numidian marble from North Africa and purple Phrygian from central Turkey, but due to costs for transportation of foreign marble, it was often reserved for columns and imperial projects only. Other than marble, travertine white limestone was also readily available and its load-bearing strength made it a good substitute for marble. This limestone was often used for paving, door and window frames and steps. In the 2nd century BCE, the Romans also used lime mortar to produce concrete, which would become widely used for foundations, walls and vaults by the 1st century BCE. As I mentioned earlier, an astounding feat of Roman architecture were their monumental aqueducts, often two or three levelled, which could carry fresh water to urban centres, sometimes from many kilometres away. The earliest Roman aqueduct dates to 312 BCE, known as the Aqua Appia. but the most impressive is the Pont de Gade which was constructed in circa 14 CE. They also constructed bridges over rivers and ravines, with examples still surviving to this day, including the 30-metre arches of the granite Tagus Bridge built in 106 CE. Adopted by the Christian Church but from the minds of the Romans came the basilica, which were used for large gatherings, most often for law courts. They were usually built along one side of the forum and were enclosed on all sides by colonnades and the long hall was supported by columns running their length. The Romans displayed their eye for breathtaking interior design with arches, domes and buttresses nowhere better than their baths. The Roman bath complexes had numerous pools pools, hot and cold rooms, libraries, fountains and even underfloor heating. The lack of decoration on the exterior of these buildings was made up for by the lavish use of mosaics and columns on the inside. In 216 CE, one of the finest and best surviving examples was constructed in Rome, the Baths of Caracalla. Best preserved in Pompeii, the private homes of the Romans were richly decorated with wall paintings and mosaics, fountains and gardens. However, an innovation truly showing the imagination of the Roman mind was the insula, or large apartment blocks, that had shops on the ground floor that faced the street, and then living quarters above. Some even had balconies. They began appearing in the 3rd century BCE, and those constructed by the 1st century BCE could be as tall as 12 stories. But eventually, height restrictions came into place that meant they couldn't be built higher than 4 or 5 stories tall. Greek influence on Roman architecture could be best seen in their temples as well as their theatres and amphitheatres, although of course the Romans made some changes. The orchestra in their theatres was made semi-circular, the entire thing would be made out of stone and they introduced the use of highly decorated stagecraft. This included things like projections, pediments and statues. They loved fully enclosed amphitheatres, with the Colosseum in Rome being both the largest and the most famous. The triumphal arch with a single, double or triple entrance had no practical function other than to commemorate in sculpture and inscription significant events such as military victories. Later examples of the triumphal arch were topped with four horse chariots made in bronze, which outwardly expressed Rome's success and vanity. And of course, it wouldn't be a video on Roman architecture without the mention of walls with the most famous. Roman walls being the military structures in Britain, Antonine's wall built in circa 142 CE and Hadrian's wall built in circa 122 CE. They also constructed more modest walls throughout their empire and they ranged in size, length and thickness. They could be as thin as 18 centimetres wide or as massive as six metres thick. They created these walls out of ashlar masonry but more commonly out of bricks that were set with mortar and then usually covered with covered with white plaster stucco for protection against the elements. The Roman architecture that has survived to this day ranged from humble living abodes to monumental and truly spectacular feats of construction. They pushed the boundaries of architectural construction and turned it into an art form. Not only did they construct buildings for practical use, but architecture became an imperial tool to demonstrate to the world that Rome was culturally superior because only she had the wealth, skills and audacity to produce such structures. Not only that, but the innovations developed by the Romans, like the basilica and amphitheatre, would go on to influence all following Western architecture right up until the present day. Can you think of any buildings near you that show some influence from Roman art or architecture? Let us know in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on our new videos. new videos every Tuesday and Friday. This video was brought to you by World History Encyclopedia. For more great articles and interactive content, head to our website via the link below. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organisation and you can find us on Patreon, a brilliant site where you can support our work and receive exclusive benefits in return. Your support helps us create videos twice a week, so make sure to check it out via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via the Patreon link down below. Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon with another video!

This video was kindly sponsored by History Hit, a company that brings you the stories that shaped the world through their award-winning podcast network and online history channel. It's like Netflix, but for history. With over 500 documentaries, 1,000 plus podcast episodes and 5,000 history-related travel articles, History Hit are adding new programs and podcasts each week. If this all sounds pretty great, then be sure to visit historyhit.com and use our code WORLDHISTORY to get 50% off your first three months.

And as always, you can support us by joining our Patreon, which you can find the link for down below. Let's start off with Roman art, its influence, functions and diversity. The Roman Empire ended up becoming so vast that it couldn't be ruled from one central government, so it isn't surprising that the art of the Empire was incredibly diverse depending on the region you're focusing on.

As the Romans expanded and conquered, they embraced the art trends from all over their empire. The Romans adapted and adopted from earlier cultures like the Greeks and the Etruscans, as well as others they conquered, so it isn't surprising that their art was so varied. During the medieval and renaissance periods, all things Roman were appreciated, appreciated, but this began to diminish after the rediscovery of Greek art in the 17th century and the realization that some Roman art was copied or influenced from the earlier Greek. The Romans not only created different types of art, but they made it with any and all materials to show their appreciation of the past and commemoration of people and events.

they produced art in the form of frescoes, paintings and mosaics, statues, coins, seals, jewellery, glassware and pottery, and their art could be used for propaganda to highlight military prowess as well as aesthetics and fashion. Art became accessible to the lower middle class rather than being a luxury good for the wealthy only, and there was a huge demand for artworks which meant that the Roman craftsmen were creating large quantities of goods. many of which have survived to the modern day, with the best example being those discovered at the Roman city of Pompeii. The public art of Rome was used often to commemorate individuals and this can be seen through the surviving sculptures, busts and coins featuring personal portraits.

Roman sculpture was a combination of Greek idealised perfection with Eastern influences and the Roman appreciation for realism. The Romans are often criticised for creating copies of Greek originals, but it's actually awesome that they did since many of the Greek originals no longer exist. So in copying the Greeks earlier works, the Romans have preserved them in the archaeological record.

Why don't the Greek originals survive? Well, many of them would have been made out of bronze and a habit that continued into the Roman period was the reuse of bronze which was melted down for other purposes. So many of our remaining sculptures are the Roman marble copies rather than the bronze Greek original or the bronze Roman copy.

The Romans work towards realism and away from the idealized style of Greek and Etruscan sculpture and because of their interest in portraying the real we have heaps of personal portraits and busts. How do we know they're realistic depictions of their subjects? Well, many subjects are depicted with wrinkles and scarring, not a perfect idealised version of them.

As the Romans developed their sculptures, they got increasingly larger. They became monumental as they depicted larger-than-life figures of gods, emperors and heroes. As the Roman Empire neared its end, their sculptures started boasting odd proportions, often with enlarged heads.

and the figures were flatter at the front, which was an eastern influence coming through from their colonies. Sculpture was also used on buildings and could be both decorative and politically charged. A great example is the decoration on triumphal arches that depict military campaigns that could send a message of Roman superiority and the emperor's victory and strength. A common artistic feature of ancient Rome was their wall paintings.

which have been found in many interiors in colourful and bold designs. From the 1st century BCE onwards, the Romans used wall painting fresco and stucco to create a relief effect, and these interior decorations have been found in public buildings, private homes, tombs, temples and even military structures. The subject of these wall paintings ranged from realistic and intricate scenes to Impressionist designs.

and they would often cover all available wall space, including the ceiling. The most common colours were natural earthy tones like dark reds, browns and yellows, but the planar designs would also include black and blue. The archaeological evidence found from a paint shop in Pompeii, though, shows that although these were the popular colours, there was actually a wide range of colours to choose from.

What kind of stuff was painted? Well, the Romans decorated their walls in everything from portraits and human figures to mythological scenes, flora and fauna, sweeping gardens, towns and landscapes. As wall painting developed, larger-than-life figures became more popular.

In Pompeii, we've also discovered wall paintings that were related to the purpose of the building, like sex scenes in brothels and food pictures in restaurants. Another kind of building decoration is the Roman mosaic, which was another artistic type influenced by the Greeks. Mosaics were common in private homes and public buildings all across the Roman Empire from Africa to Antioch, but subject preferences differed throughout the Empire, like how the African provinces had a preference for large-scale hunting scenes. Mosaics or opus tesselatum were made out of small coloured black and white marble squares about 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres in size, although even smaller pieces were used for finer details.

A whole range of subjects were depicted in mosaic, once again including myths, portraits, flora and fauna, but also sports and gladiatorial games, agriculture, food and hunting were popular. Speaking of popular, the most popular and well-known Roman mosaic would have to be what is now known as the Alexander mosaic, which shows Alexander the Great and the Persian King Darius the third during the Battle of Issus and was discovered in the year of the Roman emperor. in the House of the Faun at the site of Pompeii. Another very famous Roman era mosaic is the so-called Gypsy Girl mosaic from Zygma in modern-day Turkey from the 2nd century CE.

We still don't know who is depicted here but would you just look at the picture? at her eyes. Mosaic artists would develop their own personal styles and production shops across the empire all held individual preferences in style and subject. The dominant style in Roman Italy though was creating mosaics out of lots of black and white, often depicting marine motifs. These were especially prevalent in the Roman baths.

And looking to the east, the Roman empire produced repeating two-dimensional motifs that created a carpet effect and which would go on to influence details in later Christian churches and Jewish synagogues. Finally, looking to the minor arts, the artists of the Roman Empire worked a lot with precious metals and crafted objects like jewellery, small gold portrait busts, silverware, figurines, mirrors, engraved gems and seals, detailed cameos, bronze vessels, decorated pottery, coins, military uniforms and weapons, as well as clasps for their Tyrian purple cloth. It was for these movable objects to depict the imperial family, personal portraits, mythological scenes, and geometric decoration, and above all the silverware and carved gems were favoured and collected by those who could afford to. The Romans appreciated art for art's sake, and cultural sophistication was shown through the ownership and ability to collect art.

The Romans continued the legacy of the Greeks but they were also innovators who produced a whole new range of architectural structures with creative designs out of new materials and with new construction techniques. Some of these innovations include basilicas, the triumphal arch, monumental aqueducts and residential housing blocks or insula. The Romans used the column orders established by the Greeks, so the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, with the Corinthian being particularly favoured by the Romans, but they did make it a bit more decorative.

The Romans also combined the Ionic and the Corinthian to make the composite capital and adapted the Doric column into what is now known as the Tuscan column. Columns were just as popular in Rome as they were in Greece, but the Romans used them not only for structural use but for aesthetics, like the Pantheon in Rome. You could remove the columns as they would just be attached to the facade. facade and the building would remain stable.

Rome produced huge imperial bath complexes with soaring arches and domes, and they basically took an idea and then pushed it to the extreme. Related to baths, Roman aqueducts are marvels of engineering. They transported water at a slope from its source over long distances, including through hilly terrain using tunnels and bridges to ensure the water kept flowing gently downhill at all times. Roman concrete was another impressive feat. Whereas modern concrete crumbles with time when exposed to water, Roman concrete became stronger and more durable when it came in contact with water.

There are still examples of Roman concrete that barely shows any wear and tear 2,000 years later. Only recently scientists figured out why this is, but we're still missing the recipe to reproduce it. Imperial patronage in the Augustan period meant that bigger and more extravagant building projects could be undertaken in Rome and across the Empire, and at this time their love of marble started to shine.

The building showed Roman innovation and were a form of propaganda, as these monumental buildings displayed Rome's cultural superiority. In 146 BCE the first all-marble building was constructed in Rome, the Temple of Jupiter Stata, but during the Empire the use of marble became widespread and often was the building material of choice. Corara or lunar marble from Tuscany was the most commonly used marble from Italy and was readily available across the empire.

There was also coloured marble available like yellow Numidian marble from North Africa and purple Phrygian from central Turkey, but due to costs for transportation of foreign marble, it was often reserved for columns and imperial projects only. Other than marble, travertine white limestone was also readily available and its load-bearing strength made it a good substitute for marble. This limestone was often used for paving, door and window frames and steps. In the 2nd century BCE, the Romans also used lime mortar to produce concrete, which would become widely used for foundations, walls and vaults by the 1st century BCE.

As I mentioned earlier, an astounding feat of Roman architecture were their monumental aqueducts, often two or three levelled, which could carry fresh water to urban centres, sometimes from many kilometres away. The earliest Roman aqueduct dates to 312 BCE, known as the Aqua Appia. but the most impressive is the Pont de Gade which was constructed in circa 14 CE. They also constructed bridges over rivers and ravines, with examples still surviving to this day, including the 30-metre arches of the granite Tagus Bridge built in 106 CE. Adopted by the Christian Church but from the minds of the Romans came the basilica, which were used for large gatherings, most often for law courts.

They were usually built along one side of the forum and were enclosed on all sides by colonnades and the long hall was supported by columns running their length. The Romans displayed their eye for breathtaking interior design with arches, domes and buttresses nowhere better than their baths. The Roman bath complexes had numerous pools pools, hot and cold rooms, libraries, fountains and even underfloor heating.

The lack of decoration on the exterior of these buildings was made up for by the lavish use of mosaics and columns on the inside. In 216 CE, one of the finest and best surviving examples was constructed in Rome, the Baths of Caracalla. Best preserved in Pompeii, the private homes of the Romans were richly decorated with wall paintings and mosaics, fountains and gardens.

However, an innovation truly showing the imagination of the Roman mind was the insula, or large apartment blocks, that had shops on the ground floor that faced the street, and then living quarters above. Some even had balconies. They began appearing in the 3rd century BCE, and those constructed by the 1st century BCE could be as tall as 12 stories. But eventually, height restrictions came into place that meant they couldn't be built higher than 4 or 5 stories tall. Greek influence on Roman architecture could be best seen in their temples as well as their theatres and amphitheatres, although of course the Romans made some changes.

The orchestra in their theatres was made semi-circular, the entire thing would be made out of stone and they introduced the use of highly decorated stagecraft. This included things like projections, pediments and statues. They loved fully enclosed amphitheatres, with the Colosseum in Rome being both the largest and the most famous. The triumphal arch with a single, double or triple entrance had no practical function other than to commemorate in sculpture and inscription significant events such as military victories.

Later examples of the triumphal arch were topped with four horse chariots made in bronze, which outwardly expressed Rome's success and vanity. And of course, it wouldn't be a video on Roman architecture without the mention of walls with the most famous. Roman walls being the military structures in Britain, Antonine's wall built in circa 142 CE and Hadrian's wall built in circa 122 CE.

They also constructed more modest walls throughout their empire and they ranged in size, length and thickness. They could be as thin as 18 centimetres wide or as massive as six metres thick. They created these walls out of ashlar masonry but more commonly out of bricks that were set with mortar and then usually covered with covered with white plaster stucco for protection against the elements. The Roman architecture that has survived to this day ranged from humble living abodes to monumental and truly spectacular feats of construction.

They pushed the boundaries of architectural construction and turned it into an art form. Not only did they construct buildings for practical use, but architecture became an imperial tool to demonstrate to the world that Rome was culturally superior because only she had the wealth, skills and audacity to produce such structures. Not only that, but the innovations developed by the Romans, like the basilica and amphitheatre, would go on to influence all following Western architecture right up until the present day.

Can you think of any buildings near you that show some influence from Roman art or architecture? Let us know in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on our new videos. new videos every Tuesday and Friday. This video was brought to you by World History Encyclopedia.

For more great articles and interactive content, head to our website via the link below. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organisation and you can find us on Patreon, a brilliant site where you can support our work and receive exclusive benefits in return. Your support helps us create videos twice a week, so make sure to check it out via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via the Patreon link down below.

Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon with another video!

Transcript for:Exploring Roman Art and Architecture

Transcript for:
Exploring Roman Art and Architecture