The Phenomenon of Terracotta: Architectural Terracottas

Springer Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology , 2012

In Central Italy, hardly anything survives of the buildings and temples, except for the stone foundations and many tons of architectural terracottas. Easily broken and damaged, the decoration had to be replaced frequently, with styles that varied throughout the different regions of Etruria, Latium and Campania. Each area had important centres for the production of architectural terracottas and even entire roofs, and exported these to different sites by sea. To protect the wooden substructure of houses and temples from weathering, architects adopted the Greek invention of terracotta roof tiles and antefixes to cover and embellish the sloping roofs, revetment plaques to cover horizontal beams, and simas for the raking pedimental and lateral elements. The end of the gables remained open, thus creating space for small pedimental roofs with additional tiles and antefixes. Indeed, the roofs of Etruscan buildings were among the most complex and decorative in the ancient world. Private houses too were regularly adorned with decorative terracotta roofs, although from the middle of the sixth century BC onwards only temples or public buildings were given decorated roofs. One of the many particular features of Central-Italic architectural decoration that distinguishes it from that in mainland Greece is the presence of figural decoration in the pediments and on the roofs themselves, in the shape of acroteria and ridgepole statues.

2019

Archaic and Classical architectural terracottas constituted an integral part of the architecture of monumental buildings at Akragas. These objects therefore provide unique insights into the built environment of sanctuaries at this important Greek colony in Sicily. This research's multi-disciplinary approach to the material allows for the creation of a revised typology, which takes into account stylistic characteristics, fabric, production techniques, material composition, and architectural context. The investigation is based on original analyses and documentation of over 250 fragments, of which a significant number was previously unpublished. By approaching these objects as complex architectural elements, and not just as decorative roof edges, a more nuanced image of local production is revealed. While the terracotta roofs from Akragas demonstrate a proficiency in regional stylistic and technical conventions, a number of adaptations is used in the decoration, profile and production techniques, which changes throughout different time periods. By investigating the required technical knowledge and the use of a local technical style, this research has gained new insights into the organization of local production and the distribution of architectural innovations.

Architecture in Ancient Central Italy. Connections in Etruscan and Early Roman Building, 2022

Following the reinvention of terracotta roof tiles in the second quarter of the seventh century BC, most probably in Corinth, the technology spread to other regions of the Mediterranean world. During the third quarter of the seventh century, several local and regional workshops can be identified at select sites in Greece and in Etruria. By the fourth quarter of the century, decorated roofs are found in other parts of Greece and Italy. The most prolific and highly decorative period is the first third of the sixth century BC, when local workshops actively copied elements from elsewhere and invention of new forms was at its peak. This discussion focuses on the interrelationship between the roofs of different regions, the sharing of technology and of décor, in order to show the special place of Etruscan terracotta roofs in the evolution of this distinctive architectural feature. Etruria not only followed trends in terracotta roofing found throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, but also can be shown to have contributed specific roof elements and types of roof decoration which had a wide impact on later generations of roofs.

Classical Review 62 (2012), 646-8, 2012

Decorated roofs with figured friezes in relief are characteristic of architecture in Etruria and Rome throughout the 6th century B.C., classified by Della Seta in his 1918 catalogue of the Villa Giulia Museum as the first phase of Etruscan architectural terracottas. Veii, the largest Etruscan city and the one closest to Rome, is one of the first Etruscan centers to produce roofs with figured friezes. The earliest example belongs to the so-called oikos on the Piazza d Armi, the ancient acropolis of Veii ( ) 1 . The roof is characteristic of a decorative system probably originating at Veii already in the first quarter of the 6th cent. B.C., but particularly popular throughout southern Etruria during the second quarter of the century, using revetment plaques with military scenes, antefixes with female head, and eaves tiles with painted floral patterns on the soffit. By decorative system, I mean that there are a series of roofs that include all three elements of this roof with the same type of decoration on each, even when found in different centers, made with different moulds and produced by different workshops.

Caiete ARA, 2021

A group of late-Archaic terracotta roof tiles with architectural design from Olbia Pontica is being analysed in the following. It is now possible to discuss the six variants of painted façade decorations, which include meander patterns with various alternating filling elements such as quadrats, checkerboards and rosettes. These decorative systems combined three-colour palettes, being successors of the Corinthian system of decorative tiles. The comparison of the Olbian pan tiles and antefix cover tiles with the actual collections from Histria, Borysthenes, Levke island and Apollonia Pontica shows the common direction of sacred architectural design spread widely among the Milesian daughter-colonies in the Western and NorthWestern parts of the Pontus. The single centre of fabrication of the terracotta details, Miletus, seems to be preferable, but the involvement of Samos in this process must also be taken into account. A stylistic analysis of the late-Archaic architectural terracotta from the Pontic centres demonstrates the variety of forms and details that allows for the discussion about a specially produced cargo of terracotta building materials for every colony in South Ionia. Rezumat. In cele ce urmează este analizat un grup de țiglă de teracotă arhaică târzie cu decor arhitectural de la Olbia Pontica. Este posibil să discutăm cele șase variante de decorațiuni de fațadă pictate, care includ modele de meandre cu diferite elemente de completare alternante, cum ar fi pătrate, damier și rozete. Aceste sisteme decorative au combinat palete în trei culori, fiind moștenitoare ale sistemului corintian de plăci decorative. Compararea țiglelor și antefixelor olbiene cu exemplare de la Histria, Borysthenes, insula Levke și Apollonia Pontica arată filiera comună a proiectului arhitectural sacru răspândit pe scară largă între fiicele-colonii ale Miletului din părțile vestice și nord-vestice ale Pontul. Pare a fi de preferat centrul unic de fabricare al detaliilor de teracotă, Miletul, dar trebuie luată în considerare și implicarea Samosului în acest proces. O analiză stilistică a teracotei arhitecturale arhaice târzii din centrele pontice demonstrează varietatea de forme și detalii care permit discuția despre o încărcătură din materiale de construcție din teracotă produsă special pentru fiecare colonie din Ionia de Sud.

A Companion to Greek Architecture, edited by M. Miles, pp. 46-59 (Blackwell publishing), 2016

Materiality in Roman Art and Architecture

This article addresses aesthetic, functional and semantic aspects of the material clay/ terracotta in Roman architecture and possible changes to these aspects over time. In particular, the focus lies on 'Campana plaques', a class of Roman architectural terracottas used in the upper parts of architectural structures. My aim is to provide a phenomenological overview of general design tendencies, and to contribute to the interpretation of large-scale plaques from the Palatine in Rome, which have recently been regarded as important evidence for a special appreciation of clay in the era of Augustus. In order to complement this (inevitably partial) insight into the manifold ways in which terracotta was used and shaped for architectural surfaces, this paper includes a second case study focussed on exposed terracotta façades. After a short overview, each section first turns to the usage of clay and its visual appearance(s) in the particular cases, and then approaches possible semantics tied to clay during this period of its use. Both cases relate to the metropolis or its immediate surroundings and belong to the late 1 st century B.C. and the 2 nd century A.D., respectively. My thanks go to Annette Haug and Adrian Hielscher for their kind invitation and multiple suggestions regarding this text, as well as to