How does Late Republican Rome differ in terms of Art and Architecture from other contemporary cities in Italy?

The Roman Republic can be defined as the phase during which the ancient civilization of Rome was dominated by a Republican form of Government, following the overthrow of the Monarchy around 509 BC. Opposed to a monarchy a republic is that which is led by the people, working together with government. The word originates from the late term res publica, which can be translated as ‘public thing’ or ‘public matter’. (Sourced from: www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Republic, Date accessed 07/11/08.
The exact point at which the Republic then evolved into the Roman Empire is debatable, although for the purposes of this paper the period between 146 and 44 BC will be under discussion in terms of the timescale considered to represent the late Republican era.
This was a period when the city of Rome was expanding in order to accommodate the increase in its population and the consequent need to develop more efficient water supplies and food resources in addition to handling growing political unrest and class divisions emerging at this time.
The Classical art and architecture of ancient Rome prior to 400 BC was largely Etruscan art in the form of tomb decorations, after which the Greek influence became dominant.
Particular to Rome at this time was the network of road systems, archways, city streets and arched bridges. Aqueducts were also revolutionary devices that combined science, architecture and art to provide the city with water. (Stamburgh, 1988: 36)
The Architecture of Ancient Rome adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for their own purposes; they absorbed Geek influence in many aspects and combined this with the ancient Etruscan influences of their forefathers who supplied them with architectural solutions such as hydraulics and the construction of arches.
The Roman use of the arch together with their improvements in the utilisation of concrete and construction of vaulted ceilings also enabled huge public spaces such as the public baths. During the first century BC the installation of concrete constructs inspired the colonnade screen, which consisted of a row of decorative columns in front of a load wall and from an urban planning perspective the multi-story apartment blocks, or ‘insulae’that were built to cater for a wide range of accommodation needs in response to the ever increasing population, were examples of built up housing that would not be seen anywhere else throughout Italy at this time.
On return from campaigns in Greece, the military leader and one of the more well known figures of the late Republic, Sulla returned to Rome with the mosaic, colourful chips of stone set into cement. Later this introduction would prove to revolutionize the way people would decorate their homes and create the well known murals and pictorial displays that we associate so strongly with the Romans. The wealthier classes became more interested in vast luxurious living spaces and these tastes are evident in the public vicinity by the building programmes designed by Sulla and Pompey, although heavy migration to Rome; especially from the Hellenistic east, increased burdens put upon the city to expand even further and build more and more housing developments. (Sourced from: http://www.crystalinks.com/romearchitecture.html, Date accessed, 08/11/08)
In addition the public baths and amphitheatres developed during this time to meet the needs of Roman social activities would have made it one of the most advanced cities in the World. (Huskinson, 2000:111) The acquisition of Greece one region or city at a time from the 190’s BC to 140’s BC provided the Romans with an opportunity to access all the important Greek temple complexes including Athens, Delphi and Corinth, commencing the first wave of significant Greek influence on the architecture and art of Rome. A new ‘Hellenized’ style emerged during the late Republic which was evident in the temple structures around The Forum Romanum, The Circus Flaminius and the Forum Boarium. These areas witnessed the most extensive developments during this time as a result of the foreign influences coming into the city, predominantly emanating from the newly conquered Eastern nations. (Stamper, 2007: 49).
The competitive political climate in the city of Rome during the late republic produced more lavish gladiatorial combats on a grander scale where condemned prisoners and wild beasts were paraded. This needed to be catered for through the building and renovation of the new amphitheatres. (Welch, 2007: 6)
As well as the introduction of concrete, wooden buildings supported by a technical sophistication emerged and this was reflected throughout with the widespread construction of new buildings across the city. (Welch, 2007: 62)
The Greek influence extended from public buildings to private houses, with the growth of peristyle residences with gardens attached. Older mansions were also converted into multiple occupancies. Roman writers documented during this period express a fashion for collecting pictures and objects d’art. In addition old Greek masters once painted as frescos were commonly removed from Greece and reinstalled into Roman buildings. (McKay, 1998: 151) Some of the most important structures developed by the Romans at this time include the basilicas, baths, amphitheaters, and triumphal arches. Roman theaters were freestanding structures, so unlike the Greek prototypes that would have been present in other cities. The auditorium was semicircular and contained flexible seating at the orchestra level. Also particular to Roman innovation was by utilisng the stage and auditorium as a single structure with a decorative stage. The triumphal arch was also an invention particular to Rome. (Sourced from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Romanarc.html, Date accessed, 08/11/08)
Many contemporary sprawling villas emerged during the late republic as evidence of the city’s new found wealth. The Roman architect Marcus Viturius Pollio lived in the first century BC and his writings from that period describe this architectural phase as one that ‘overwhelmingly succumbed to Greek influence’ (Padovan,1999: 156) and at this stage in the city’s history all educated Romans could speak and read Greek as well as Latin (Koester,2000)
During the late Republic there were significant tensions in Italy resulting from citizenship rights and land distribution (Huskinson, 2000: ix). The Romans were extending their influence throughout Italy, Europe and the Mediterranean but Rome was the host to this growing Empire. The city borders began to expand to accommodate the enormous increased population. So much so that by AD12 all people living within the borders of Rome, regardless of what nationality – and their were many, were deemed to be official Roman Citizens. The beginnings of this cultural revolution are evident before this time as Rome moved towards becoming the hub of innovation which would soon be rolled out across the rest of the country and Europe to influence the art and architecture of other neighboring cites. At this historic age however it remained a city still evolving and progressing as foreigners from all over the world visited on account of its reputation as a centre for cultural enlightenment. It represented the power centre of innovation. This is primarily what made the city of Rome so unique during this time. Visiting foreigners impacted in terms of integrating their own diversity with that of the cities existing population. It absorbed many aspects of different cultures which in turn influenced the architectural styles and artistic interpretations like no other city in Europe at the time. (Shelton, 1998: xxiv)
Following the establishment of the Roman Republic and some of the influences already mentioned one of the characteristic features of Roman design was the combined use of arcuated and trabeated construction. Essentially this involved employing arches; constructed with post and lintel, with arches erected to now replace the spaces between the classical columns. Using concrete allowed for interior alterations like the barrel and cross vaults as well as domes and semi-domes. (Sourced from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Romanarc.html, Date accessed, 08/11/08)
Roman architecture was naturally and diversely influenced by the materials found in the extreme differing localities near to where it was geographically located. With the Apennines running down the centre of Italy, it makes the country very mountainous. For this reason development across many towns in Italy was limited, mostly as a result of inaccessibility.
The Romans have clearly defined differences of national character. The fact that the city had a central and dominant geographical position within the Mediterranean enabled it to act as an intermediary for spreading art and civilization across Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. The Romans conquered systematically by war, by force of character, and then by laws. The Romans were not a seafaring people like the Greeks were and consequently did not circulate colonists out into unknown parts of the World. Roman power was acquired through expansion rather than colonization. Roman power was paramount across Italy itself; by way of gradually absorbing small States, primarily because there were very few rival cities, and the small towns themselves were not concerned with protecting their own independence. Neither Athens nor Sparta was capable of achieving this same process, owing to the fierce independence of the small Greek cities which were protected by their isolated and almost impenetrable valleys.
The poets Virgil Horace, Ovid and Livy the historian all flourished during this period. The verses of Virgil and Horace demonstrate that the population flocked into the cities, particularly Rome and disliked rural life. Subsequently the land gradually went out of cultivation and communities began to depend on imported corn. North Italy has a temperate climate, whereas central Italy is much warmer, with the South almost tropical. This fluctuation of climate can also be attributed to the diversity of architectural features producing local modifications according to the conditions. In addition to this early forms of government in Italy were typical to those of Greece where the towns and districts were joined together in leagues.
(From the article Roman Architecture – Influences Sourced from http://www.oldandsold.com/articles22/architecture-24.shtml: Date accessed, 08/11/08
Greek influence was omnipresent throughout Rome and some Greek artists are documented as having lived and worked progressively in Rome from the fifth century BC onwards. But it was during the third century BC that Rome’s political expansion and contact with the Greek cities of Southern Italy and Sicily when this influence reached new heights. Marble was also introduced from across the world including yellow African marble and Phrygian marble from Asia. (Murray et al, 1986) These principal influences gained from the city’s expansion, diverse population of migrant communities and the pressures needed to improve resources, housing and amenities generally across the city were all contributory to significantly impacting on the city of Rome into one of the most forward thinking, dynamic, multi-cultural and innovative communities in Italy during its late republican period.
What is also very apparent is the reputation Rome must have demanded. It was on the eve of becoming an Empire and its location and notoriety combined to define it as a leading nation where people wanted to live and better themselves. The importation of artists and art into the city helped to shape it into a culturally pioneering nation all of its own.
During the first and second centuries Rome was at the height of its extravagance and wealth with a population estimated at the time as being considerably over 1,000,000. This population would have been diverse and varied sustained by a regular stream of immigrants, consisting of slaves and foreign visitors that escaped their rural lifestyles from provinces and beyond. Rome’s paved streets, sophisticated water supplies, and sewage systems were revolutionary and as a city it would undoubtedly have far surpassed any other in terms of its size and grandeur. However it should be remembered that, its strained economic and social achievements would also contribute as forerunners for its ultimate future downfall.