The Roman Empire753 BCE- 337 CE

Temple of Portunus

Historically Important Facts:Monarchy and Republic 753-27 BCERomulus and Remus founded Rome in 753 BCEDuring the sixth century Etruscan Kings ruled Rome The Roman Republic was established in 509-27 BCERome first conquered its neighbors then Greece in 80 BCEExposed to Greek art and architectureRepublican temples combined Etruscan plans with Greek orders (peristyles with Greek columns)Romans developed concreteFirst style of mural painting was GreekIllusion in the Second Style is RomanRepublican portraits were a advanced realistic images of elderly patricians with celebrated Roman values

Early Empire 27 BCE - 96 CEAugustus (r. 27 BCE-14 CE) First Roman EmperorDefeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BCEAugustan art revived the Classical style

References to Periclean AthensLavish use of marbleDepicted as an idealized youth.

Augustus as general, Primaporta, c. 20 BCE

Early Empire 27 BCE - 96 cont…Julio-Claudians (r. 14-68 CE fully utilized concrete as in the Golden house of Nero. The Flavian Emperors (r. 69-96 CE) erected the Colosseum, Rome's first and largest amphitheater along with arches and monuments celebrating their victory in JudaeaPompeii and Herculaneum were buried in 79 CE by mount Vesuvius’ eruption.The last quarter century of the towns’ existence the Third and Fourth Styles were used to decorate the walls of houses.

High Empire, 96-192 CETrajan (r. 98-117 CE) transformed Rome with a new forum, markets, and civic center.The Column of Trajan commemorates his two campaign in Dacia in a spiral frieze with thousands of figures.Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE) emulated Greek statesmen and philosophers. He built the Pantheon a triumph of concrete technology.The Antonines (r.138-192 CE) dominance of Classical art eroded and imperial artists introduced new compositional schemes in relief sculpture and added a psychological element in portraiture

Late Empire, 193-337 CESeverans (r. 193-235 CE) Art of the Late Antique style began. Artists represented the emperor as a central frontal figure disengaged from the action around him.During the chaotic Soldier emperors (r. 235-284 CE) artists depicted emperors with anxiety and insecurity in moving portraitsDicletian (r. 284-2305 CE) reestablished order by sharing power. Statues portray the tetrarchs as identical and equal rulers, not individually

Constatine (r. 306-337 CE) restored one man rule, ended persecution of Christians, transferred the capital to Constantinople in 330. Abstract art of Constantine led the way to iconic art of the Middle Ages.