h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Arts of the Roman Antiquity - naturalism and idealism - A87913821
Author: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor - U1314679

My 2nd Entry on arts history.

This is also great! I don't know as much about Roman art as Greek art, and I learned things, such as the development of funerary art depicting middle-class accomplishments. That is fascinating! Can you imagine people doing it today? Oh, wait....we don't have to. It's the PowerPoint slides they show at funerals....

>>served the architecture.<<

Do you mean 'served to enhance the architecture'? Or maybe 'served a decorative function'?

Senat = Senate

>>The Romans regarded Greek sculptures as perfect and therefore no further improvement in style was necessary.<<

Perfect - I love this sentence!

epoches = epochs

>>ethnical problems with plundering now Roman areas<<

I'm guessing you mean 'ethical problems with plundering now-Roman areas'

equestarian statues = equestrian statues

>>sarcophagos made in a Greek style<<

I'd either say, 'the sarcophagus' or 'sarcophagi', which is the plural - and I had to look it up. I wanted to spell it in Greek.

Pompejian - Pompeiian (I checked. With one 'i', it's an olive oil company from Baltimore.)

Thank you! I made all these changes.


There's a nice picture in one of my books of a gravestone: a monument with a large crane (one of those with a hamster wheel for people). Someone's looking out of a door at the bottom and at the top of the monument lies the deceased in a bed with pillows and curtains and seems to look at the crane approvingly. Seems like his children play next to his bed. A very lively scene.

Wow.

Very interesting, and I will read again - one small point;

>>The style of these images was adaped to local tastes depending on where they were put up. Idealised portraits of the emperor were put up throughout the Roman empire

The term 'put up' would read much better as 'erected'

F S

Thank you!

Isn't 'erected' rather a word for something big? I would erect a building but (in my feeling) I wouldn't erect a portrait head. A large statue maybe yes.

Erect simply means 'to put upright' http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/erect+a+statue It is quite appropriate for a statue

F S

I think Tavaron is right - it won't work everywhere here.

May I suggest?

>>Just like the Greeks, Romans liked to put up marble and bronze statues at public places.<<

Just like the Greeks, Romans liked to install marble and bronze statues in public places.

>>Portraits put up in public were a way for politicians and other members of the upper classes to gain attention.<<

Public likenesses were.... (Avoids the whole problem.)

>>Later, the emperors also put up statues of gods in public places...<<

Later, the emperors also set up statues....

>>The style of these images was adaped to local tastes depending on where they were put up.<<

The style of these images was adapted to local tastes. (Don't need the rest.)

>>Idealised portraits of the emperor were put up throughout the Roman empire...<<

Idealised representations (busts?) of the emperor appeared throughout the Roman Empire, and....

Thank you. Changes made.

May I suggest?

>>Following the Greek tradition, eminent Romans liked to put up marble and bronze statues at public places. This was to enhance their reputations and political status.<<

I really like your 2nd sentence but not sure about the 1st. I think the Greeks had different reasons to put up statues.

Excellent entry Tav

Is this better

>>Following the Greek tradition, eminent Romans liked to put up marble and bronze statues at public places. However the Roman motive was to enhance their reputations and political status.<<

No, what I mean is that I think you can't say they followed the Greek tradition.

Aha! Then stick to 'Just like the Greeks, etc'

I put in your 2nd sentance, thanks a lot.

I also learned a lot from this

I had some questions as I read through:

"served the architecture" - I agree with Dmitri that this needs a bit more explanation.

"At about 510 BC the Etruscan kings were cast out" - could you say a little more about the Etruscans to clarify this sentence, please?

" Karthago" - Carthage?

" the 3rd Century" - I'm not quite clear about the timeline here - is that the 3rd Century BC?

" walls are parted into horizontal as well as vertical zones" - I think that should be " walls are divided into vertical as well as horizontal zones"

Excellent concluding paragraphs

'carthago delenda est' - I agree, change to 'Carthage'.

That Roman saying made me think of my dad. He attended high school in Sparta (Tennessee). They sometimes played Carthage in football. Dad was a quarterback, which means nothing to Europeans... I always thought that 'Carthago delenda est' would have made a good football cheer....

Al Gore is from Carthage, Tennessee...

Shutting up now....

Thank you!

Working on the Etruscans..

Ok, I tried to make it clearer without adding too much.