Ancient Mediterranean Art, 3500–300 BCE

They led to a decline in monumental architecture since smaller-scale structures became more economically viable due to reduced material cost.

Allowed for larger interior spaces free from columnar supports which facilitated communal activities such as bathing and marketplaces.

Concrete was reserved for infrastructural purposes only; thus had minimal effect on publicly accessible buildings' aesthetics or design elements.

They often depicted rituals and deities symbolizing shared cultural values surrounding religion within domestic spaces.

They served solely decorative purposes without any significant religious connotations or thematic elements tied to worship practices.

The frescoes were designed to record historical events regarding state-sponsored religion rather than depicting household spiritual practices.

Such frescoes were primarily educational tools used to instruct children about mythology rather than expressing contemporary religiosity.

They functioned primarily as decorative elements designed solely for aesthetic enjoyment by passing citizens.

They operated mainly as maps or indicators providing directions around cities for trade caravans visiting from afar.

They conveyed political or religious messages on behalf of rulers or deities to both literate and illiterate audiences alike.

They served as functional architectural supports, similar to caryatids or columns used within temple designs.

Soldiers

Merchants

Farmers

Emperors

It prioritizes function over form, showcasing Greek utilitarianism, while the Colosseum exhibits Roman emphasis on civic life.

It emphasizes harmony and order, representing ideals of democracy, whereas the Colosseum reflects Roman power and public spectacle.

It shows an advanced use of concrete technology which is absent in the stone construction of the Colosseum reflecting different engineering skills.

The Parthenon demonstrates a focus on worshiping a pantheon of gods, in contrast to the Colosseum's singular dedication to the emperor's cult.

Royal coronations.

Gladiator contests.

Religious ceremonies.

Legislative assemblies.

To provide an affordable medium which was easily shaped into various forms representing gods, goddesses, animals, or humans.

To highlight the artists' skills in working with precious materials like gold and silver.

To facilitate high-value sale products for international trade and diplomatic gifts.

To ensure that figurines should not survive along-term, thus keeping the scarcity of images.

Etruscan funerary monuments were strictly geometric whereas Greeks employed figural designs to indicate profession and social role prominently.

Etruscan tombs often included life-sized sculptures and detailed frescoes that depicted daily activities, demonstrating individual personalities and statuses.

Greek tomb markers customarily included elaborate narrative scenes while Etruscans preferred simple inscriptions denoting lineage only.

Both cultures avoided personalized depictions in funerary contexts focusing solely on collective family ancestry markers exclusively on external sarcophagi.

Public entertainment

Decoration

Signage

Architectural support

As public works projects intended to reduce unemployment among lower classes during times of economic stability.

To function as navigational landmarks for traders traveling along the Nile River.

To act as observational instruments aligned with celestial bodies for agricultural or astrological purposes.

To serve as guardian figures that embodied royal power and divine protection within mortuary complexes.