CLST 103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Roman Concrete, Pons Aemilius, Etruscan Art
15 Jun 2018
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WEEK 24
April 3, 2017
The romans appreciated Greek art and they tended to copy them
272 BCE – capture of Tarentum
212 BCE capture of Syracuse
209 BCE sack of Tarentum
188 BCE defeat of Aetolians
167 BCE defeat of Macedonians
146 BCE sack of Corinth – made Greece completely under the control of Rome
All these events resulted in Rome obtaining lots of Greek art (all the places were Greek)
Neo-Attic Workshops
- Mid 2dn c BCE – 1st c. AD
- Model are the sculptures in the round and the reliefs of the classical period
- 5th and 4th c. BCE
- Decorative works
Doryphoros = spear bearer
A lot of Italians moved to Delos
Early influence of the Etruscan Art
- Influenced by Greek temples
It was common to dedicate round temples to Hercules
What distinguished the roman temples from Greek is the podium on which the temple is built.
There is a porch in front of the temple and semi made columns. The temples of Hercules and
Portunus are both in the same forum and are still standing today because they were made into
churches.
The invention of concrete
- 2nd half od the 3rd c. BCE
- Opus caementicium = concrete
- Puluis puteolanus or pozzolana first discovered in Puteoli
- Could build more stable arches and vaults and bridges
o Pons Aemilius – first stone bridge in Rome
o All other bridges were made of wood
- Built aqueducts
o Aquaeductus = aqueduct
o Water was important for every day life and for workshops
- Cloaca Maxima – sewer system that is still working today
o There are tunnels under it
- Porticus Aemilia – warehouse at the foot of the Aventine hill
o There were three levels because of the hill
o Had arches and windows because grain was kept there and air and humidity was
necessary to preserve the grain
o Narrow entrances to prevent thieves to steal lots of grain
- During the time emperor Hadrian, it was possible to build transverse section of the
Pantheon – basically a big dome in the pantheon
o Important Italians and kings were bathed here
The baths are a typical roman feature
- People didn’t have running water in their homes
- Baths were social
o People met and talked with others
o There were libraries inside some so people could go in and read
- There were separate times for men and women
- Generally men went at the 8th hour
- They had to pay—there was a difference between what women and men paid but there
were also public baths that were free
- Romans didn’t have bath until the 3rd c.
Had public latrines (bathrooms)
- Seats beside one another
- The poop would stream down to the other seats and there was running water to clean the
latrine area
- People wanted the first seat
- There were sponges that were communal
Baths in Rome were similar to baths in Japan – both are communal
It became more common in Rome to have images of people (hellinstic portraits) on coins – first
was of flavius (whoever the guy who declared Greece free)
Etruscan tradition of very detailed sculptures
Death masks were common
Document Summary
The romans appreciated greek art and they tended to copy them. 146 bce sack of corinth made greece completely under the control of rome. All these events resulted in rome obtaining lots of greek art (all the places were greek) Mid 2dn c bce 1st c. ad. Model are the sculptures in the round and the reliefs of the classical period. It was common to dedicate round temples to hercules. What distinguished the roman temples from greek is the podium on which the temple is built. There is a porch in front of the temple and semi made columns. Portunus are both in the same forum and are still standing today because they were made into churches. 2nd half od the 3rd c. bce. Puluis puteolanus or pozzolana first discovered in puteoli. Could build more stable arches and vaults and bridges: pons aemilius first stone bridge in rome, all other bridges were made of wood.
