The successors to Carolingians, the empire of Otto emperors, 936-1024 AD. As inheritors of the Carolingian tradition of the Holy Roman Empire, the German emperors also assumed the Carolingian artistic heritage, the conscientious revival of late antique and Early Christian art forms. Ottonian art later developed a style of its own, particularly in painting, ivory carving, and sculpture; there was a hieratic quality in some art, especially manuscript painting. Their architecture consisted of fortress-like basilicas with massive walls, groups of towers, and tiny windows. The achievements of Ottonian artists provided background and impetus for the Romanesque style.