As the Romans gradually established themselves in southern Italy at the close of the 3rd century B.C. and in the Hellenistic kingdoms from the 2nd century B.C.,many works of art, mostly pillaged, were brought to Rome and other Italian cities. As these works were extremely popular with the upper class, the Romans zealously went aboout copying them, either from originals or from clay casts. Although fidelity and quality vary from copy to copy, these works have proved of special importance for the historian of Hellenic art: a substantial number of archaic, classical and Hellenistic statues are known to us today only from Roman copies.

Many a Hellenic artist settled in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, working in copy shops and on the decoration of temples and other buildings. One example is Timarchides and his sons Polycles and Dionysus, and his brother Timocles. Pasiteles of southern Italy set up shop in Rome at the start of the 1st century B.C., and proved to be one of the most inspired sculptors and metalsmiths of his era. Both he and his pupils freely remodelled classical plastic works, particularly those in the Severe Style, in new forms and compositions, mostly in silver and bronze.

On Hellenic soil, the great copying centre, mainly for the Western market, was Athens. 'Neo-Attic work' was the name given to an entire, distinct category of relief plaques and marble vessels with subjects inspired by pieces standing in the Agora, on the Acropolis, and in major temples. Famous Neo-Attic sculptors included Salpion, Sosibios, and Pontios. The Piraeus reliefs are some of the most typical Neo-Attic ensembles.

Numerous copying centres also flourished in Rhodes and cities in Asia Minor, including Ephesos, Tralles, Magnesia-on-the-Meander, Pergamum, and Aphrodisias.