Ancient Rome Art & Architecture
The Romans developed or improved their art by copying the art from the Greeks for the statues. Statues were made from clay or marble. Metal was sometimes added to the statues so that they had added strength. Statues were well made, were nude and they were made of gods or important leaders which were recognised . The fact that the statues had important people meant that they had to be done as well as possible since it was honouring their gods.

Paintings and mosaics were important too as they were used to advertise or to show everyday life scenes. These were made in local colours which were found in the stone, plants and any other source of colour. one example of this is in the Roman town of Pompeii. These paintings usualy showed scenes of everyday life in the countryside.

Mosaics are said to have come from the city of Babylon and that since the Romans found great beauty decided to copy it, adding it to buildings etc. There are different styles of mosaics and there is a name for each style. These names are opus sectile which is a name given to mosaics made with geometric shapes of stone put in a certain way to make a shape of the desired look. There is also opus tessellatum which are like dice. Square in shape and are all of the same shape so these were used mostly on floors. There is a more complex styles which is called Opus vermiculatum where the square stones are of varying sizes. Mosaics are usually made up of tiny stones which are painted. When they are placed in a certain way they make scenes from everyday life like paintings or photos do now.

The Romans also engraved gems and used them as seals, to mark official documents to prove that they were by certain people so that no one could falsify the document. They engraved the background so that the character stood out of the ring.
Image Source taken from http://www.vroma.org

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Architecture

Aqueducts - The Romans needed a way to get water in and out of the city, since they had so many people living so close together and Rome was so big. The Romans used the arch a lot. The arch was regarded very highly because it was seen as somewhat divine since it had a curved top that never fell in and was very sturdy. Arches


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Basilica - A very common type of building erected for business purposes and also for the accommodation of the courts. It usually consisted of a rectangular hall, of considerable height, surrounded by one or two ambulatories, sometimes with galleries, and lighted by openings in the upper part of the side walls.




Colosseum - The Colosseum is one of the world's most magnificent pieces of architecture. The Colosseum was constructed between A.D. 70 and 80 under three Flavian emperors: Vespasian, Titus, and Dominton. The Flavian Ampitheater was given the name "Colosseum" deriving from a "colossal" statue of Nero found in close proximity to the structure. Up to 50,000 spectators could experience the brutal fights of the gladiators that took place. The Pantheon - The Pantheon was a place of worship for the Romans, who worshipped many gods and goddesses. There is a perfect dome on the top of the Pantheon and in that dome is a large hole. This is very interesting and important because it lets in the natural light from outside and it allows rain to come in, which would wash away the blood from animal sacrifices. There was a system set up in the way the floor curved so that when it rained, it would wash the floor and then flow towards the walls of the Pantheon and then drain out through a special drain.
Image Source taken from http://wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/general_contents.html The Forum - In the times of ancient Rome, The Forum was full of government buildings and temples and markets. The Romans used columns in their architecture, just like the Greeks. In this way, the architecture of the Romans and Greeks are very similar. The Catacombs - The ancient catacombs were tombs for Christians. At the time that these were used, Christians were persecuted for their religion. Since they were persecuted, Christians had to be very careful when burying their dead. If non- Christians found the grave, they would try to steal jewelry of the dead person or even damage the body. To prevent this, Christians buried their dead in these underground tombs that were like little shelves just big enough for the body. These catacombs were also good hiding places for people escaping persecution.


Palaces



Roman Temples
Image Source taken from http://wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/general_contents.html




Roman House


Trajan's Column - The Trajan's Column built by the architect Apollodoro from Damasco during the reign of emperor Trajan to celebrate his victorious deeds in Dacia. It was built on the centre of the Forum. The column is 30 metres high. On in it are represented the events of the war in Dacia.
Image Source taken from http://wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/general_contents.html
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