Monumentality in Etruscan and early Roman architecture
Subtitle: ideology and innovation
By: edited by Michael L. Thomas and Gretchen E. Meyers
Contributors: Edlund-Berry, Ingrid E. M., author, honouree
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Austin
Language: eng
Number of pages: 184
ISBN-13: 9780292738881; 9780292738898
Subjects: Etruscan Architecture; Roman Architecture
Description: Every society builds, and many, if not all, utilize architectural structures as markers to define place, patron, or experience. Often we consider these architectural markers as "(Bmonuments" or "(Bmonumental" buildings. Ancient Rome, in particular, is a society recognized for the monumentality of its buildings. While few would deny that the term "(Bmonumental" is appropriate for ancient Roman architecture, the nature of this characterization and its development in pre-Roman Italy is rarely considered carefully. What is "(Bmonumental" about Etruscan and early Roman architecture? Delving into the crucial period before the zenith of Imperial Roman building, Monumentality in Etruscan and Early Roman Architecture addresses such questions as, "(BWhat factors drove the emergence of scale as a defining element of ancient Italian architecture?" and "(BHow did monumentality arise as a key feature of Roman architecture?" Contributors Elizabeth Colantoni, Anthony Tuck, Nancy A. Winter, P. Gregory Warden, John N. Hopkins, Penelope J.E. Davies, and Ingrid Edlund-Berry reflect on the ways in which ancient Etruscans and Romans utilized the concepts of commemoration, durability, and visibility to achieve monumentality. The editors' preface and introduction underscore the notion of architectural evolution toward monumentality as being connected to the changing social and political strategies of the ruling elites. By also considering technical components, this collection emphasizes the development and the ideological significance of Etruscan and early Roman monumentality from a variety of viewpoints and disciplines. The result is a broad range of interpretations celebrating both ancient and modern perspectives.
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: the experience of monumentality in Etruscan and early Roman architecture / Gretchen E. Meyers; title: Straw to stone, huts to houses: transitions in building practices and society in protohistoric Latium / Elizabeth Colantoni; title: The performance of death: monumentality, burial practice, and community identity in central Italy's urbanizing period / Anthony Tuck; title: Monumentalization of the Etruscan round moulding in sixth-century BCE central Italy / Nancy A. Winter; title: Monumental embodiment: somatic symbolism and the Tuscan temple / P. Gregory Warden; title: The Capitoline temple and the effects of monumentality on Roman temple design / John N. Hopkins; title: On the introduction of stone entablatures in republican temples in Rome / Penelope J. E. Davies; title: Afterword. Reflections / Ingrid E. M. Edlund-Berry.