Question

find an example of ancient Roman architecture/sculpture, or early Christian architecture/sculpture. Describe some of the highlighted features of the piece and what function it played in ancient Rome. How has modern society adopted the piece?

Answer 1

Roman architects continued to follow the principles set out by the classical orders first formed by the Greeks: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Distinctly preferred was the Corinthian and many Roman buildings would have a distinctly Greek look to them even in the Late Antiquity. However, the Romans incorporated their own ideas and their version of the Corinthian capital was even more artistic, as did the cornice-see, for example, the Septimius Severus Arch in Rome

Greek presence is also demonstrated by the fact that late Republican invention, such as basilica and bath buildings, typically occurred first in Campania in southern Italy (see, in particular, Pompeii) closer to the long-established Greek colonies of Magna Graecia. It was from here that we got the oldest remaining dome structure, the Stabian Baths frigidarium (2nd century BCE) at Pompeii. The Romans took an idea, as in many other places, and pushed it to its fullest extent, and the massive imperial bath complexes introduced soaring arches, arches springing directly from column capitals, and domes that spanned nearly impossible distances..

Basilicas-The basilica was embraced by the Christian church but was created by the Romans as a place for any great meeting, with the most common use being the courts of law. Typically they were constructed along one side of the forum, the marketplace of the town, which was enclosed by colonnades on all sides. The long hall and roof of the basilica had been protected on all sides by columns and piers. The columns formed a central nave that was flanked by an aisle on both sides. There was a gallery running across the first floor, and an apse at one or both ends later. The Severan Basilique at Lepcis Magna is a typical example