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The term Roman art immediately calls to mind classic architecture complete with Doric,

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Ionic, and Corinthian columns, along with perfect white busts of the important men and

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women of this era.

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But Roman art encompassed much more.

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In fact, Roman people gave an artistic touch to almost everything they made, including

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coinage, buildings' walls, sculpture, metalwork, glasswork, and jewelry.

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The bulk of the Roman artistic legacy we know today was created between 800 BC and 500 AD.

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It was during this time that authors such as Cicero, Virgil, Ovid, and Horace would

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create a legacy of philosophical thought, poetic style, and mythology that played a

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big role in Roman art and is highly influential to this day.

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One of the interesting things about Roman art is that these artists were quite open

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to new ideas and influences from other cultures and empires.

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Early Roman art, around 800 BC, drew heavily from Etruscan art.

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Etruscans were the powerful people in Tuscany, north of Rome.

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Firm believers in the afterlife, much of the Etruscans' artistic energy was dedicated

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to making beautiful funerary objects, and decorating the dead and their burial places

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for their next eternal life.

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Romans were skilled with clay sculpting and bronze work.

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They also had a preference for realistic portraiture.

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Romans drew heavily from Greek styles, but there was one thing that set the two styles

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apart quite distinctively.

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Even though Greek art became more realistic as time went on, Greeks overall preferred

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their subjects highly idealized.

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This meant that even a subject with a double chin and crooked eyes would be represented

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in his sculpture as the epitome of beauty.

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As a result, it was pretty difficult to tell exactly who a given sculpture was supposed

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to represent, since they all supported such perfect features.

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Roman artists had a much more realistic outlook and tempered idealistic Greek influence with

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that of the ideas of nearby Etruscans, who preferred a healthy dose of realism in their

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work. As a result, the Roman bust would actually bear a good likeness to the subject. Double chin,

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pockmarked face, receding hairline and all. Of course, Roman artists would embellish the final

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output enough that his patron, the subject of his art, would appear dignified and impressive

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despite shortcomings. Relief work was one of the distinctive artistic styles that developed in the

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Roman Empire, especially after Augustus came to power after Julius Caesar's death. Augustus was

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a shrewd man and capable ruler who knew that art was a great way to communicate with the masses,

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regardless of whether they could read or write. More importantly, art could be used to subtly

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promote himself as a representative of the gods. Augustus' divine rite was illustrated in many

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reliefs depicting the ruler interacting with the gods of Roman mythology and asserting his power

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in memorable scenes of victory. These reliefs were common on temples and other public buildings in

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ancient Rome. In addition to reliefs on buildings, powerful Romans had their portraits and initials

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engraved onto coins. As well as expert sculptors, Romans were prolific architects and by the middle

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of the first century, the first concrete revolution had occurred in Rome. The discovery of concrete

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made the widespread construction of arches, domes, and vaulted ceilings possible. Among the most

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famous architectural elements ancient Rome is known for are decorative columns, arched aqueducts,

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bridges, public baths, and spacious domes. The Pantheon features one of the most impressive

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domes in Rome. The Pantheon was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian to honor all Roman gods

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and was completed in 125 AD. Its dome was constructed with over 5000 tons of concrete

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and measures 142 feet in diameter and 71 feet in height. The opening at the center of the dome

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is called an oculus and illuminated the marble interior of the Pantheon at the same time as

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drawing attention upwards towards the heavens. The pantheon's heaviest materials are at its base.

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The progressively lighter materials were used towards the top of its base and dome.

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The temple endures as an architectural wonder to this day. Romans loved their entertainment,

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and the Colosseum, completed in 80 AD, seating around 50,000 people, was the greatest amphitheater

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in Rome. The Colosseum showcases the three styles of columns used throughout Roman architecture,

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Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Doric columns are the simplest variety, Ionic columns feature scroll

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designs, and Corinthian columns are the most complex and decorative. The Colosseum's second

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and third levels featured statues of gods and goddesses standing under each impressive arch.

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The Colosseum featured such advanced architectural features as an underground system of passageways

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and trap doors, drainage pipes, and a retractable roof.

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A majority of perishable Roman art from the period before 79 AD was destroyed when Mount

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Vesuvius erupted, but wall art thankfully survived to a surprising degree.

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Archaeologists have uncovered wall paintings in Pompeii homes that have been well-preserved

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by the volcanic ash.

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White, yellow, black, and Pompeii red were the most commonly used colors in the murals,

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which decorated the interior walls of homes with scenes of nature, mythology, and status-enhancing

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scenes like expensive stones and scenes of Greece.

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These scenes created the impression of spaciousness in the home of the patrons who commissioned

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them.

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Pompeii murals attest to Roman painters keen eye and the contrast between light and shadow.

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Much of the Roman art we have from the 3rd century AD and later years were preserved

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in catacombs and Nero's palace.

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Scenes of battle and punishment were more common during this time.

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When they switched from chisels to drills, this made sculpting much easier, which made

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this art form increasingly more common.

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This was also the time when Christianity was sweeping through Roman society, and Roman

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art began reflecting Christian themes.

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This focus on divine mythology was accompanied by a gradual shift to more stylized art, which

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would characterize later medieval art.

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After Emperor Constantine moved the empire's capital from Rome to modern-day Istanbul,

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the death toll sounded for Rome's high status and the abundance of Roman art.

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As Rome slowly lost its status as the hub of the empire, Roman art began to decline

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as well, and gave way to new styles and techniques.

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Byzantine art would fill Rome with cathedrals and basilicas inspired by the designs and

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and construction techniques of ancient Rome.

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More than 800 years later,

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Roman art would inspire an entirely new era

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of breathtaking art during the Italian Renaissance.