Painting in ancient Rome

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Painting in ancient Rome is a rather poorly understood aspect of Roman art, as there are few survivals, which are mostly wall-paintings from Pompeii, Herculaneum and other sites buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, where many decorative wall paintings were preserved under the ashes and hardened lava. A smaller number of paintings survive from other areas, including Rome itself. From the study of surviving paintings it has been possible to form a panorama of the artistic life of Ancient Rome between the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire. Nevertheless, this body of works is only a tiny fraction of the great quantity of painting produced in the Roman Empire during its long history, and there is a lack of significant remains from earlier and later periods, particularly in techniques other than fresco and from Romanized regions besides Campania. Rome was always an avid consumer and producer of art. Originally under Etruscan rule, the Romans developed an art that...

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