pans to weapons and armor. Many diff erent household ob-
jects found in the ruins of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum
(also destroyed in the great Vesuvian eruption) evince the
widespread use of bronze for such items. It is very informa-
tive to see the variety of metal objects used in everyday life:
containers, serving implements such as pitchers and ladles,
scales for weighing food and other materials, tools and medi-
cal instruments, and even small stoves for hot water. Th ese
may be classifi ed as craft s objects rather than works of art,
but they were oft en designed to be decorative as well as use-
ful. Tables, chairs, beds, and accessories such as lamp stands
were made either completely of bronze or with bronze parts
or fi ttings. Th is wealth of material attests to a well-developed
and resourceful metal industry.
Th e armies of ancient Rome, as well as the combatants
in the frequent gladiatorial games, required a vast amount of
arms and armor, usually made of bronze but occasionally of
silver or even gold for special ceremonial uses. Th is military
gear ranged from swords and spears to beautifully decorated
body armor and helmets. Th e metal craft smen who worked in
the imperial armories were highly skilled in making practi-
cal protective pieces as well as “parade” armor meant only
for display. Helmets and arm guards made for the gladiators
were oft en as thick as boiler plate and provided excellent pro-
tection in the arena.
Specialized metalworkers dealt with the luxury craft s in
gold and silver. Th ey produced splendid table services and
display pieces for the aristocracy and the wealthy. Highly
skilled craft smen made matching sets of ware and utensils
decorated with scenes from mythology and embellished with
garlands of grapevines, olive branches, and other plant forms.
Th ese opulent sets required the ability to adapt metalworking
techniques to creating a high level of careful detail.
Another specialized area of metalworking was coinage.
During the sixth and fi ft h centuries the Greeks had devel-
oped the design and production of coins to a high degree ofRoman terra-cotta relief showing an Egyptian scene set on the Nile, from the fi rst century b.c.e. (© Th e Trustees of the British Museum)
art: Rome 117