In the context of Roman ornament, which culture includes motifs such as the sphinx and griffin?

• A. Greek
• B. Egyptian
• C. Persian
• D. Roman

Answer: (D)

Roman ornament shows a cultivated mix of imagery borrowed from the wider empire, creating a decorative language that signals power and worldliness. The sphinx comes from Egyptian imagery, and Roman artists frequently integrated it into reliefs, tombs, and garden statuary to evoke ancient wisdom and exotic prestige. The griffin, already common in Greek and Near Eastern art, also appears in Roman decoration, used as a protective or ceremonial motif in mosaics, frescoes, and architectural details. Because Roman design deliberately absorbed and reinterpreted motifs from Egypt, Greece, and the Near East, these symbols sit together in Roman ornament as part of its distinctive, cosmopolitan repertoire.