Roman visual art
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In the ancient world, great civilizations such as Greece and Rome were admired and revered for their proficiency in the fields of sculpture and other art forms. Rome was known for its prowess in the visual arts, predominantly in its huge architectural works located across the Empire. The achievements made by the Romans in the field of visual art are significant, however Roman visual art during Republican and Imperial Rome is not unchallengeable as its style was heavily influenced by foreign cultures. These cultures shaped and moulded Roman visual art which resulted in Rome's art representing different styles of art from all over the Empire. Each was unique and added something different to Roman art design and process. These cultures began their influence on Roman art almost from the very founding of Rome right up to demise of the Roman Empire.
Early pre-republic Rome was heavily influenced by other Mediterranean cultures. During this period Rome was under the rule of the Etruscans, who were "advanced and sophisticated, rivaling eastern Mediterranean civilizations such as Greece" (Williams, 1996, 15). Etruria's location near to Rome was one of the reasons why the Etruscans had such an influence on Roman life. Diodorus wrote that "Providing their rulers with lectors and an ivory stool and a toga with a purple bandand these things were adopted by the Romans" (Diodorus quoted in Williams, 1996, 15)...