Republic

Even in death, great Roman families were concerned with reinforcing and projecting their status.

Tomb of the Scipios and the sarcophagus ...

Temple of Jupiter (detail), Relief with Marco Aurelius sacrificing to Jupiter (Pietas Augusti), from the decoration of a triumphal arch, 177-180 C.E. (Capitoline Museums, Rome) — This three-in-one temple to “Jupiter Best and Greatest,” Juno, and Minerva was central in ancient Roman religion.

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Rome

Maison Carrée, c. 4-7 C.E. — This well-preserved building in modern-day France is a textbook example of a Vitruvian temple.

Maison Carrée

Capitoline Wolf, 5th century B.C.E. or medieval, bronze, 75 cm (Capitoline Museums, Rome) — Abandoned as infants, the mythical founders of Rome were raised by a she-wolf.

Capitoline She-wolf

Capitoline Brutus, 4th-3rd century B.C.E. bronze, 69 cm (Capitoline Museums, Rome) — Once identified as the founder of the Roman Republic, debate over this figure’s true identity rages on.

Capitoline Brutus

Veristic male portrait (similar to Head of a Roman Patrician), early 1st Century B.C.E., marble, life size (Vatican Museums, Rome) — With age comes experience, and sculptors in the Roman Republic highlighted seniority—warts and all.

Veristic male portrait

Head of a Roman Patrician from Otricoli, c. 75-50 BCE, marble (Palazzo Torlonia, Rome) — Wrinkled, toothless, and sagging: why would the Romans emphasize these features in a portrait?

Head of a Roman Patrician

Temple of Portunus (formerly known as Fortuna Virilis), travertine, tufa, and stucco, c. 120-80 B.C.E., Rome — This small temple is a rare surviving example from the Roman Republic. It is both innovative and traditional.

Temple of Portunus, Rome