- The earliest Roman art was influenced by the subjects of Greek mythology and took sculptural form. When Rome conquered Greece in 146 B.C., Romans were so inspired by Greek sculptural representations that they imported Greek sculptures and made copies of them. For example, Romans made sculptures of the Greek Zeus, whom they called Jupiter, and Pan, whom they called Faunus.
- Art historians sometimes are unable to tell whether a sculpture is a Greek original or a Roman copy. This was true for the sculpture of Laocoon that can be found in the Vatican in Rome. This sculpture depicts the myth of Laocoon. Laocoon was Apollo's priest, killed for warning the Trojans of the Greeks' entry into Troy. In this sculpture, Laocoon and his sons writhe in pain as snakes sent by Athena strangle them.
- One piece of Roman mythology that was not derived from the Greeks was the story of Romulus and Remus. Romulus and Remus were brothers raised by wolves. Remus died at the hand of Romulus over a dispute about the founding of Rome. This story was depicted in fifth century Roman art.
- While Roman copies of Greek sculptures were pervasive in Rome's early history, by the fourth century A.D., the Christian belief in monotheism made the gods of Roman myth less popular. During the Italian Renaissance, however, artists throughout Italy regained interest in mythological subjects and began to paint them freely.
- While the Greeks were more imaginative in their visual representations of myths, Romans generated imaginative literary art about myth. In 8 A.D., for example, the poet Ovid created his "Metamorphoses," linked mythological stories that tell of the creation of the world.
- There are many museums where Roman art can be viewed. One such museum is the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, where there is a statue of Jupiter. Another statue of Jupiter can be found in Athens, Greece, at the National Archeological Museum. At the Musee du Louvre in Paris, there is a free-standing statue of an enrobed Ceres and a marble figure of Minerva.
