-
Plutarch, writing in the 2nd century AD, wrote that before Rome's conquest of Greek Syracuse in Sicily, 'Rome neither had nor even knew of these refined things, nor was there in the city any love of what was charming and elegant; rather, it was full of barbaric weapons and bloody spoils.'
-
Greek culture was not fully accepted until the reign of the Emperor Hadrian and his court (AD 117-38).
-
13-9 BC: Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace), Rome - built by Emperor Augustus and comparable with aspects of the Parthenon.
-
14 AD: Augustus Primaporta - named after the town where it was found, with the first Emperor of the Roman Empire pictured as divine ruler.
-
As Greek treasures continued to arrive in Rome, for example after the sack of Corinth in 146 BC, Hellenistic art continued to exert a fascination on the more austere Romans.
-
15 AD: Patrician with two portrait heads of his ancestors - the father-image spirit representative of ancestor worship.
-
16 BC: Pont-Du-Gard, Nîmes, France - an aqueduct that is a worthy example of Roman engineering.
-
In the Christian era of the late Empire, from 350-500 CE, wall painting, mosaic ceiling and floor work, and funerary sculpture thrived, while full-sized sculpture in the round and panel painting died out, most likely for religious reasons.
-
The Greek antecedents of Roman art were legendary. In the mid-5th century BC., the most famous Greek artists were Polygnotos, noted for his wall murals, and Apollodoros, the originator of chiaroscuro.
-
60 - 50 BC: Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii - the great frieze in one of the rooms is a unique example of Roman painting.
-
72-80 AD: Colosseum, Rome - could accommodate 50 000 spectators and presents an anatomy of the Roman arch, incorporating three classical orders: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
-
100 AD: Alexander and Darius at the Battle of Issus - famous Pompeian mosaic.
-
106-113 AD: Column of Trajan- realistic treatment of space and famous for its great height.
-
118-125 AD: Pantheon, Rome - this temple to all the gods is one of the most influential buildings in history.
-
161-180 AD: Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius - Life-sized bronze that remained on view throughout the Middle Ages.
-
Original Greek statues were copied by Roman artists, though usually in marble rather than bronze, and removed from their original contexts. The portrait bust became a popular form, tending to be more realist than Greek portraiture.
-
The earliest Roman art is generally associated with the overthrow of the Etruscan kings and the establishment of the Republic in 509 BC. Roman art is traditionally divided into two main periods, art of the Republic and art of the Roman Empire (from 27 BC on), with subdivisions corresponding to the major emperors or imperial dynasties.
-
Late 2nd century BC: Temple of Fortuna Virilis - one of the oldest well-preserved examples.
-
81 AD: Triumph of Titus - commemoration of the victories of the Emperor Titus.
-
312-315 AD: Arch of Constantine - one of the most elaborate triumphal arches.