Ancient Roman Art

The Romans built one of the biggest empires in history about 2,000 years ago. They loved art and used it everywhere. Romans made realistic statues of real people, not just perfect-looking ones. They covered floors and walls with tiny tiles called mosaics. They also painted beautiful scenes right on the walls of their homes. Roman art mixed ideas from Greece and Egypt with their own style.

Portraits and Statues

Romans liked their statues to look like real people. Greek statues showed perfect bodies, but Roman statues showed wrinkles, big noses, and bald heads. They wanted to remember exactly how someone looked. Emperors put their faces on coins so everyone knew who was in charge. Bust sculptures showed just the head and shoulders of important people.

Mosaics and Wall Paintings

Romans made pictures from thousands of tiny colored tiles. These pictures are called mosaics. They decorated floors and walls in homes and public buildings. Some showed battles or animals. Others showed food or garden scenes. Romans also painted directly on wet plaster walls. This is called fresco painting. The city of Pompeii was buried by a volcano, and its wall paintings were preserved for us to see today.

Fun Facts

• The Colosseum in Rome could hold about 50,000 people, almost as many as a modern football stadium.
• Romans invented concrete, which helped them build huge domes and arches that still stand today.
• When the city of Pompeii was dug up, scientists found Roman wall paintings that still had bright colors after nearly 2,000 years.

Did You Know?

Roman mosaic floors were so detailed that some of them even showed pictures of leftover food on a dining room floor as a joke!