Periods, Cultures, Styles > Early Roman Empire

Early Roman Empire

Refers to the period and style of art that coincided with the time in Roman history when popular assemblies and the Senate were superceded by the reign of emperors, beginning with Augustus.

Dates

c. 27 B.C.E.–117 C.E.

Places

Europe > Southern Europe > Italy, Albania, Greece, Malta, North Macedonia, Portugal, Spain, Western Europe > Andorra, Belgium, England, France, Monaco, Central Europe > Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Eastern Europe > Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Northern Europe > The Netherlands
Asia > West Asia > Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Africa > North Africa > Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

Basics Works of Art Artists Periods, Cultures, Styles Curated Guides

Basics to get you started

Works of Art

House of Neptune and Amphitrite at Herculaneum

before 79 C.E.

Portrait of Young Woman and Couple (Terentius neo and Wife) from Pompeii

1st century C.E.

The Arch at Orange

20s B.C.E.

Portraits of Alexander the Great

Roman copy c. 1–50 C.E.

Roman copy c. 20 B.C.E.–20 C.E.

Roman copy c. 2nd century C.E.

305–281 B.C.E.

The Tomb of Eurysaces / The Tomb of the Baker

c. 30–20 B.C.E.

Aquae Sulis, Bath, England

1st–5th century C.E.

Augustus as Pontifex Maximus

after 12 B.C.E.

The rediscovery and impact of the Domus Aurea

65–68 C.E.

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Artists

Dioskourides, Gemma Augustea, 9 – 12 C.E., 19 x 23 cm, double-layered sardonyx with gold, gold-plated silver (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Dioskourides

Apollodorus of Damascus

Famulus

Severus

Celer

Curated Guides to Early Roman Empire

All Textbook Chapters

The Roman empire in a connected world, 27 B.C.E.–330 C.E.

Textbook Chapter - Reframing Art History

Early Roman Empire

Basics to get you started

Obelisks and ancient Rome

Damnatio memoriae—Roman sanctions against memory

Ancient Roman art, an introduction

Pompeii, an introduction

Rome’s history in four faces at The Met

Classical orders of architecture explained

Contrapposto explained

Women in Roman art

Ancient and Byzantine mosaic materials

Digging through time: Archaeology in Rome

Roman domestic architecture: the insula

Roman domestic architecture: the villa

Roman wall painting styles

Rewriting history: damnatio memoriae in ancient Rome

Works of Art

House of Neptune and Amphitrite at Herculaneum