Sculpture in the Roman world constitutes a broad category of diverse objects: from miniature votive statuettes deposited at rural sanctuaries to colossal portrait statues erected in apsidal niches of grand urban basilicas, from decorative plaques suspended between columns in Roman peristyle gardens to large-scale reliefs attached to conspicuous triumphal monuments. Perhaps more so than any other category of Roman material culture, sculpture has been extensively categorized and analyzed by generations of scholars. In contrast to the progressive development of styles identified (and often questioned) for Greek sculpture, Roman sculpture traditionally is divided along the same political subperiods as those used for Roman history (Republican, Augustan, Tetrarchic, etc.). Within these historical categories, two types of sculpture have been afforded primacy with respect to originality and aesthetic influence: portraiture and “historical” reliefs. More recently, scholarship has shifted away from the single-monument, typological-, or historical-based analysis to explore questions of display, patronage, production, distribution, regional divergences, gender and sexuality, reception, and socioreligious significance. Unless otherwise noted, general textbooks on Roman art are not part of this article.
