The story of Rome

Periods

Period of the seven kings

Already around the end of the seventh century Rome had a clearly urban character. The Forum was paved first and it stood in the urban area. The main sewer system, the Cloaca Maxima, was built in this period, too. The Tarquins (the Etruscan kings) developed a policy of power. The temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, a Tuscan building, is the clearest religious and political expression of this ambition. The architecture of the decoration of this temple, made by Vulca, who had lived in Veji, is the same type as the architecture of the terracotta statues of the temple of Portonaccio in Veji. In Rome there is the Etruscan bronze statue of the famous she-wolf, which is another example of the artistic level of the town in the period of the Etruscan kings. On the other side, the Etruscan element faded more and more. The Latin language was for example more used than the Etruscan language. In this period several temples were built, such as the temple of Fortuna and the temple of Mater Matuta.

Republic period

After the defeat of the Etruscan kings the republic was founded. The fifth century was a dark and heroic period for Rome, but in the fourth century Rome began to flourish again. The first indication of this flourishing is the conquest and devastation of Veji (396 BC). Around 390 BC the great wall of Servius Tullius was rebuilt after several Gallic raids. Now Rome became politically and military superior in Italy. The art and culture became superior, too. The Cista Ficoroni, the Brutus Capitolinus and the sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatus are examples of the higher artificial level, compared with the cultures in Latium. With the expansion of the Roman territority, an elite, consisting of the few very powerful and rich families of large landowners, began to have more and more power in Rome. This is the end of the late republic period, because now the elite wanted a culture policy which answers to their wishes. Greek philosophers, poets and artists came to Rome and they had a great influence.

The next period, the second century BC, the influence of the Greek artists is clearly visible. They passed on the Hellenic architecture without great changes. The first marble temple is the one of Jupiter Stator. The round temple on the Forum Boarium, built by another Greek, is an example of this period, too. The material, tras, was most used, as it can easily be used and it was cheap. Later, native architects began to use concrete.

In the next century the Hellenic architecture and the native architecture merged and a new architectural style arose. Examples of this architecture are the tabularium in Rome and the temple of Hercules Victor in Tivoli.

In this way a typical Roman architecture arose.