Roman Art

What happened

The Romans absorbed and adapted Greek art on a vast scale, excelling in strikingly realistic portrait sculpture, narrative reliefs on monuments like Trajan's Column, richly painted walls, and intricate floor mosaics. Roman art served the state, the household, and the memory of the dead across a Mediterranean-wide empire.

Why it matters

Roman art carried Greek forms across Europe and the Mediterranean, and its realism, portraiture, and public monuments profoundly shaped the later Western tradition.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Roman Art · Reputable source