CHAPTER SIXETRUSCAN AND ROMAN ART
Multiple Choice
1. The Etruscans often decorated their tombs to resemble
A. royal palaces.
B. rooms in their homes.
C. outdoor environments.
D. Greek temples.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.b Interpret the meaning of works of Etruscan and Roman art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Tombs
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
2. How do the relief carvings on the Arch of Constantine (Fig. 6-66) demonstrate a stylistic shift in art of the fourth century?
A. more recognizable details with classicizing illusionism
B. a two-dimensional, hierarchical approach to representation
C. closer adherence to Etruscan artistic traditions
D. active, graceful postures influenced by Hellenistic art
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Etruscan or Roman art.
Topic: Constantine the Great
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
3. How did the Roman state facilitate the empire’s development and administration?
A. He convinced the people that he was a god.
B. He implemented martial law and enforced religious tolerance.
C. He revived an interest in Greek Classical ideals.
D. He initiated massive building projects to improve city life.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Early Empire, 27 BCE–96 CE
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
4. Housing in a Roman city was made up of apartment blocks called
A. compartments.
B. segments.
C. insulae.
D. burrows.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 6.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Etruscan and Roman art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Roman Cities
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
5. What was the function of the colossal statue of Constantine the Great (Fig. 6-69)?
A. It stood outside the Flavian Amphitheater.
B. It served as a permanent stand-in for the emperor.
C. It was an object of worship located in the Basilica Nova.
D. It helped structurally support the roof of the Basilica Nova.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Etruscan or Roman art.
Topic: Constantine the Great
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
6. The study of what part of Roman homes was neglected until 1973?
A. the “female” spaces
B. the wall paintings
C. the gardens
D. the exterior facade
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Roman Houses
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
7. The Flavian Amphitheater (Figs. 6-37 and 6-38) is also known as the “Colosseum” because of
A. the statue of Nero that stood next to it.
B. its imposing size and seating capacity.
C. its function as a public entertainment site.
D. the muscular physique of Roman gladiators.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 6.b Interpret the meaning of works of Etruscan and Roman art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Flavians
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
8. How are the Ara Pacis Augustae (Fig. 6-19) and the Column of Trajan (Figs. 6-46 and 6-47) similar?
A. Both record a military event.
B. Both include realistic, anecdotal details.
C. Both were built as imperial tombs.
D. Both show the emperor’s ancestry.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.e Interpret a work of Etruscan or Roman art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Art in the Age of Augustus; Imperial Architecture
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
9. What did Constantine issue in 313 CE that became a model of religious tolerance?
A. Edict of Constantinople
B. Verdict of Rome
C. Treaty of Ravenna
D. Edict of Milan
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Constantine the Great
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
10. What medium demonstrates exceptional technical skill in the Etruscans’ production of large-scale sculpture?
A. marble
B. terra cotta
C. limestone
D. stucco
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Etruscan and Roman styles for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Architecture
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
11. Which part of their temples did the Etruscans decorate with sculpture, in contrast to Greek architectural plans?
A. porch
B. pediment
C. roof
D. side walls
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 6.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Etruscan and Roman styles for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Architecture
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
12. Which metalworking technique was used to decorate bronze Etruscan cistae?
A. etching
B. engraving
C. repousse
D. niello
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Etruscan and Roman art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Chapter Introduction
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
13. The Romans’ tradition of realistic portrait sculpture probably derives from their
A. desire to revive Greek Classical ideals.
B. veneration of deceased ancestors.
C. concerns about the afterlife.
D. use of art as political propaganda.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Etruscan and Roman art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Roman Portraiture
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
14. How does Augustus of Primaporta (Fig. 6-18) differ from Greek Classical sculpture?
A. the figure’s accurate proportions
B. the figure’s youthful appearance
C. the figure’s identifiable facial features
D. the figure’s contrapposto pose
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 6.e Interpret a work of Etruscan or Roman art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Art in the Age of Augustus
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
15. Which cultural influence can be seen in the dramatic action of the Gemma Augustea (Fig. 6-22)?
A. Egyptian
B. Etruscan
C. Classical Greek
D. Hellenistic
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 6.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Etruscan or Roman art.
Topic: The Gemma Augustea
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
16. The wall paintings in the House of the Vetii (Fig. 6-28)
A. depict a continuous narrative around the entire room.
B. resemble framed pictures hung on the wall.
C. exemplify the Roman tradition of still-life painting.
D. are unusual because most homes relied on mosaics for decoration.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 6.b Interpret the meaning of works of Etruscan and Roman art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Wall Painting
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
17. Who proposed a schematic system for organizing Pompeian wall paintings?
A. Pliny the Elder
B. Anna Maria Carruba
C. Wilhelmina Jashemski
D. August Mau
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Wall Painting
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
18. Which of the Flavian Amphitheater’s (Figs. 6-37 and 6-38) architectural elements serves no structural purpose?
A. the entablature of the outer wall
B. the arcade of the outer wall
C. the interior groin vaults
D. the barrel-vaulted corridors
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 6.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Etruscan or Roman art.
Topic: The Flavians
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
19. The biggest problem with concrete is
A. it is expensive and difficult to manipulate.
B. it requires highly skilled workers.
C. it deteriorates when exposed to moisture.
D. it is difficult to transport.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 6.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Etruscan and Roman styles for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Imperial Architecture
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
20. In comparison to Greek women, Roman women were
A. treated like slaves.
B. involved in rituals.
C. not allowed to own property.
D. socially far freer.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Wall Painting
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
21. Which technique was used to make the mosaic The Unswept Floor (Fig. 6-55) look realistic?
A. shadow
B. foreshortening
C. scale
D. saturation
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 6.e Interpret a work of Etruscan or Roman art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Roman Mosaics
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
22. In approximately 1000 BCE, which group of people occupied the northern and western regions of what was to become known as the Italian peninsula?
A. Villanovans
B. Pompeians
C. Samnites
D. Dacians
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Etruscans
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
23. What is a slow-drying type of plaster that can be molded and carved?
A. pozzolana
B. concrete
C. stucco
D. terra cotta
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 6.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Etruscan and Roman art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Tombs
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
24. Which architect described the accomplishments of the Roman builders in his Ten Books of Architecture?
A. Pausanias
B. Apollodorus
C. Pliny
D. Vitruvius
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Roman Republic, 509–27 BCE
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
25. Which of the following proves that artists working for Christian patrons continued to use pagan themes?
A. a large silver platter from the fourth century (Fig. 6-70)
B. Denarius with Portrait of Julius Caesar (Fig. 6-14)
C. Commodus as Hercules (Fig. 6-57)
D. The Unswept Floor (Fig. 6-55)
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 6.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Etruscan or Roman art.
Topic: Roman Art after Constantine
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Short Answer
1. What was the legend of Romulus and Remus?
Answer: The twins Romulus and Remus were left to die on the banks of the Tiber River but rescued by a she-wolf, who suckled them back to health and raised them. They went on to found the city of Rome.
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Works in Bronze
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. What was the government structure of the Roman republic?
Answer: Rome eventually absorbed the Etruscan civilization and formed a republic. Early Rome was governed by kings and an advisory body of leading citizens called the Senate. The population was divided into two classes: a wealthy and powerful upper class, the patricians, and a lower class, the plebeians.
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Roman Republic, 509–27 BCE
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
3. What do the wall paintings of Pompeii reveal about the lives of the people?
Answer: Romans liked to convey a sense of their wealth, status, and religious associations through wall painting. Portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and cityscapes were all popular subjects. Roman citizens wanted to show that they were leisurely, prosperous, and connected to their environments.
Learning Objective: 6.e Interpret a work of Etruscan or Roman art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Wall Painting
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
4. What does the Arch of Titus (Figs. 6-35 and 6-36) depict?
Answer: It was created to commemorate Titus’s victory over Jerusalem in 70 CE and shows reliefs of the triumphal procession in Rome and a now-lost bronze statue of the emperor in a four-horse chariot.
Learning Objective: 6.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Etruscan or Roman art.
Topic: The Flavians
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
5. What events took place in the Flavian Amphitheater (Fig. 6-38)?
Answer: Roman audiences watched a variety of athletic events, blood sports, and spectacles, including animal hunts, fights to the death between gladiators or between gladiators and wild animals, performances of trained animals and acrobats, and even mock sea battles, for which the arena would be flooded.
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Flavians
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
6. What scenes are depicted on the Column of Trajan (Figs. 6-46 and 6-47)?
Answer: The narrative describes the Dacian campaigns, starting with Trajan’s army crossing the Danube River. Soldiers are shown constructing battlefield headquarters in Dacia from which the men on the frontiers will receive orders, food, and weapons.
Learning Objective: 6.b Interpret the meaning of works of Etruscan and Roman art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Imperial Architecture
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
7. What unique architectural elements are present in the Pantheon (Figs. 6-48, 6-49, and Fig. 6-51)?
Answer: The bowl-shaped dome was unique in its size, and the decoration in marble veneer and arches provide awe-inspiring designs. The oculus overhead allows light to enter the building, and the boxlike coffers inside the dome may once have contained gilded bronze rosettes.
Learning Objective: 6.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Etruscan and Roman styles for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Imperial Architecture
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
8. How did the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius (Fig. 6-56) survive demolition?
Answer: The statue was mistaken for Constantine, the first Christian emperor, throughout the Middle Ages, so it escaped being melted down as a pagan work.
Learning Objective: 6.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to Etruscan and Roman art, artists, and art history.
Topic: Imperial Portraits
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
9. What purpose did the Baths of Caracalla (Fig. 6-60) serve?
Answer: It was a popular public-works project started by Septimius Severus in 211 CE. The baths served as a meeting place for citizens and included baths, exercise rooms, shops, latrines, and dressing rooms, with gardens, a stadium, libraries, a painting gallery, auditoriums, and huge water reservoirs.
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Severan Dynasty
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
10. How do The Tetrarchs (Fig. 6-62) show a turn toward symbolic representation?
Answer: The figures show a lack of individualism, and the forms emphasize abstraction more than realism. They seem to represent a militaristic and severe viewpoint rather than a suave and classicizing one. This is done through dress, poses, and medium.
Learning Objective: 6.b Interpret the meaning of works of Etruscan and Roman art based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Tetrarchy
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
Essay
1. What were some of the ways Roman emperors maintained control over their vast territories?
Answer:
1. Architecture acted as a reminder of imperial power, and the iconography and narratives depicted on the monumental structures reinforced their validity.
2. Large civic projects were built continually throughout the Roman period to provide citizens with baths, aqueducts, temples, and arenas.
3. The Romans adopted gods and religious rituals from peoples that they conquered and eventually legalized Christianity.
4. A vast network of roads and travel routes provided quick transportation of good, armies, and communications that helped control populations and encourage loyalty.
Learning Objective: 6.c Relate Etruscan and Roman artists and art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Roman Republic, 509–27 BCE; The Early Empire, 27 BCE–96 CE
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
2. Discuss some of the building innovations of the Romans.
Answer:
1. The Romans perfected the arch, which allowed for much larger spaces to be spanned, unlike the Greeks, who were limited by the post-and-lintel method.
2. The idea of the arch expanded into the barrel vault and the groin vault, allowing for even larger open spaces. This expanded into the idea of the dome, such as that of the Pantheon.
3. The invention of concrete enabled architects to build large buildings that were lighter, cheaper to create, easier to construct, and strong as long as they were not exposed to water.
4. The idea of grid city planning and centralized meeting places, such as the forum and basilica, would influence architecture throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Learning Objective: 6.a Identify the visual hallmarks of Etruscan and Roman styles for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Roman Republic, 509–27 BCE; The Early Empire, 27 BCE–96 CE
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
3. Compare and contrast the composition, iconography, and content of Sarcophagus with the Indian Triumph of Dionysus (Fig. 6-58) and Spoils from the Temple in Jerusalem (Fig. 6-36).
Answer:
1. Both are high-relief carvings on marble and are arranged into registers.
2. The sarcophagus depicts the mythological narrative of Dionysus, Victory, and Roman emperors. The religion, rather than statecraft, is the theme.
3. The relief from the Arch of Titus depicts Roman soldiers and Jewish objects taken from the Temple of Solomon. The relief acts as both a commemorative work and a work of propaganda.
4. The compositions are both crowded and full of implied motion, but the sarcophagus shows many points of the narrative in the same composition and crams figures of humans and animals into small spaces.
Learning Objective: 6.e Interpret a work of Etruscan or Roman art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: The Flavians; Funerary Sculpture
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
4. Track the development of portraits from the Roman Republic, through the Early Empire, and into the Late Empire. Give examples.
Answer:
1. As seen in Figure 6-12, portraits emphasized a very realistic and emotional presentation of individuals, including flaws, age, and personality.
2. Throughout the Early Empire, portraits became more idealized while still maintaining an individual, accurate representation of the individual, such as Young Flavian Woman (Fig. 6-39).
3. The portrait of Caracalla (Fig. 6-59) shows a recognizable, idealized, and overly confident ruler. His expression suggests determination and a fierce intensity.
4. Later portraits of Constantine show an increasing interest in abstraction and symbolism, such as Figure 6-69.
Learning Objective: 6.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of Etruscan or Roman art.
Topic: The Roman Republic, 509–27 BCE; The Early Empire, 27 BCE–96 CE; The High Imperial Art of Trajan and Hadrian; The Late Empire, Third and Fourth Centuries CE
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
5. Compare and contrast the style, medium, and iconography of Augustus of Primaporta (Fig. 6-18) and Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius (Fig. 6-56).
Answer:
1. Both sculptures portray emperors with the orator’s gesture. They are seen as dominant and confident rulers.
2. Augustus is shown in marble, with the contrapposto pose, and Marcus Aurelius is shown in bronze, riding a horse.
3. Augustus is displaying his military skills and victories by wearing decorative armor; Marcus Aurelius is displaying his military power through the subtle control of the horse that seems to be agitated. He wears no armor, which shows his confidence.
4. Both act as works of propaganda promoting the idea of absolute control to reach peace and prosperity, a hallmark of Early and High Imperial art.
Learning Objective: 6.e Interpret a work of Etruscan or Roman art using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Art in the Age of Augustus; Imperial Portraits
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
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