The Roman Empire has significantly influenced the evolution of many art forms, such as architecture, sculpture, and painting, one of which is typography. Typography’s development was one of the most apparent examples of the Roman influence, although it is a relatively out-of-sight discipline among visual arts. Understanding the typography’s development and the Roman influence is crucial due to the natural connection of typography to the evolution of writing systems and alphabets, from the Sumerians’ cuneiform to the Phoenician and Greek alphabets, which eventually formed the foundation of the Latin Alphabet. The Romans’ craftsmanship and approach to lettering and inscriptions had a profound impact on the typography's evolution, particularly the development of serif (Harrer 3-4). Roman letterforms, which are characterized by their precise cut, proportion, and introduction of serifs were not only crafted for functional artistic purposes but also considered as a visual representation of Roman power, authority, and glory. This essay examines the visual elements, such as anatomy and proportion, and the function of the Roman inscriptions, such as those on Trajan’s Column, RIB 330, and RIB 288, and how these elements shaped the development of serif typefaces and the evolution of the typefaces into the modern era.
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