Central Italy

reaching the height of their power in the 6^th century

when they expanded into the Po River valley to the north and the Campania region to the south. 

Perugia 

the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia.

Latium

the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.

Rome

Romans overthrew the Etruscans and absorbed them into their Roman Republic. Rome steadily expanded in many directions. At its greatest extent, in the early second century CE the Roman Empire reached from the Euphrates River in southwest Asia to Scotland. They controlled the Mediterranean Sea. 

Carthage 

An ancient city on the coast of North Africa near present-day Tunis. Founded by the Phoenicians c. 814 bc, it became a major force in the Mediterranean Sea area and fought with Rome during the Punic Wars. It was finally destroyed by the Romans in 146 bc.

Forum 

A public meeting place, marketplace.

Pompeii

 An ancient city in western Italy, southeast of Naples. The city was buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ad 79; excavations of the site began in 1748 and revealed well-preserved remains of buildings, mosaics, furniture, and the personal possessions of the city's inhabitants.

Constantinople

Founded by the Roman EmperorConstantine I on the site of an already-existing city, Byzantium,

Trier

A city in Germany where Constantius Chlorus and his son ruled as part of the Tetrarchs. They fortified the city with walls and a monumental gate that still stands. They built public amenities as well. 

Sarcophagus

A stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription. 

Dado

The lower part of a wall, differentiated in some way from the upper section. 

Intuitive perspective 

Used to create a general impression of real space.

Still life 

Compositions of inanimate objects.  

Roman mosaics

exquisite mosaics seen in domestic architecture and in the places of worship. The earliest examples of Roman floor mosaics are dated to the late Republican period (2nd century BC) and are housed in Delos

Cameo

A gemstone carved in low relief.

Tuscan order 

a variation of Doric characterized by smooth-surfaced column shaft with a base, a plain architrave and an undecorated frieze. 

Composite order 

A combination of the Ionic and the Corinthian orders. The capital combines acanthus leaves with volute scrolls. 

Roman arch 

Not an Etruscan or Roman invention but they were the first to make widespread use of the arch. Both as an effective structural idea and an elegant design motif.. 

Keystone

A central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.

Voussoirs

A wedge-shaped or tapered stone used to construct an arch

Buttress

A projecting support of stone or brick built against a wall.

Arcade

A covered passageway with arches along one or both sides.

Bay 

A section of wall between two buttresses or columns

Pier

A pillar supporting an arch.

Roman Vaulting 

methods of covering large open architectural spaces with concrete.

Barrel vault 

A vault forming a half cylinder

Groin vault  

Produced by the intersection at right angles of two-barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults

Roman houses 

Romans emphasized the interior rather then the exterior. Contained gardens and courtyards.

Vestibule 

The space in front of the main entrance of a Roman building.

Atrium

An unroofed interior courtyard or room in a Roman house, sometimes having a pool or garden.

Peristyle courtyard 

A planted courtyard, further into the house surrounded by columns.  

Triumphal Arch 

A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be mounted or which bears commemorative inscriptions. The main structure is often decorated with carvings, sculpted reliefs and dedications. More elaborate triumphal arches may have multiple archways.

Colosseum 

Originally the Flavian Amphitheatre. Its an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Amphitheater

a round building, typically unroofed, with a central space for the presentation of dramatic or sporting events. Tiers of seats for spectators surround the central space.

Arena

a level area surrounded by seats for spectators, in which sports, entertainments, and other public events are held.

Cartouche 

Gilded-bronze shield shaped ornaments.

Basilica 

A large, rectangular building with an extensive interior space, adaptable for a variety of administrative government functions. 

Nave

A large central area.

Asp 

Rounded extensions at each end of the building

Pantheon 

A temple dedicated to all the gods.

Rotunda

A round building or room, especially one with a dome.

Oculus 

A round or eyelike opening or design.

Coffers 

A sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling. Reduces the weight of the ceiling.

Exedrae 

A room, portico, or arcade with a bench or seats where people may converse.

Roman baths 

A building containing a complex of rooms designed for bathing, relaxing, and socializing, as used in ancient Rome.

Caldarium

The hot bath.

Tepidarium 

The warm bath.

Frigidarium

Natatio

The swimming pool.

Julius Caesar 

A Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.

Octavian/Augustus 

the first Roman emperor; born Gaius Octavianus; also called Octavian. He was adopted in the will of his great-uncle Julius Caesar and gained supreme power by his defeat of Antony in 31 bc. In 27 bc he was given the title Augustus ("venerable”) and became in effect emperor.

Julian-Claudian dynasty 

the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula (also known as Gaius), Claudius, and Nero,or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century (44/31/27) BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line, Nero, committed suicide

Flavian dynasty 

- Roman Imperial Dynasty which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

The "Good" Emperors

A dynasty of seven consecutive Roman Emperors who ruled over the Roman Empire from 96 to 192. These Emperors are Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, and Commodus.

Commodus

A Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. He devoted himself to luxury and frivolous pursuits. But he did sponsor some of the finest artist of the day.

Severan dynasty 

 A Roman imperial dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. The dynasty was founded by the Roman general Septimius Severus, who rose to power during the civil war of 193

The Tetrarchs 

Roman EmperorDiocletian in 293, marking the end of the Crisis of the Third Century and the recovery of the Roman Empire. This Tetrarchy lasted until c.313, when internecine conflict eliminated most of the claimants to power, leaving Constantine in the West and Licinius in the East. An emperor ruled in its 4 corners by 4 different emperors.

Constantine

Roman emperor; known as Constantine the Great. He was the first Roman emperor to be converted to Christianity and in 324 made Christianity the empire’s state religion. In 330, he moved his capital from Rome to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinopolis (Constantinople). He is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church.