Transcript Roman Architecture

Roman Architecture: High Resolution version
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Roman Architecture
(in 10 minutes or less)
Roman architecture stands today as
a testament to the ability and
grandeur of this once great
civilization that, at one time,
covered three continents. The
common style of architecture
formed a thread that helped keep
the vast Roman empire connected.
Their great theaters and
amphitheaters were wonders that
could seat thousands of people and
are still impressive, both in size and
volume, today. Their development
of the arch and concrete influenced
architecture for centuries to come.
Basics
Doric
Ionic
Corinthian
Tuscan
Composite
Examples
Aqueducts
Baths
Arches, Amphitheatres & Monuments
Resources
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Doric Style - Columns built in this style usually had no base and consisted of a
massive shaft with 20 flutes. Doric architecture predates the 5th century BC. It was
infrequently used, but examples are seen in the Parthenon and Colosseum in Rome
(see below). Later Roman columns differ from the Greek version in their addition of
a base and changes in the capital profile.
Colosseum
Parthenon
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Ionic Style - More
visibly complex than
that of the Doric
style, being of
slender proportion,
and their height
being generally
about nine times the
column's lower
diameter; the order
is always used with
a base and the
column shaft usually
has 24 flutings.
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Corinthian Style - This is the most ornate of the classical styles and is
generally much more slender than the Ionic style. The Romans used the
Corinthian order in numerous monumental works of imperial architecture.
They gave it a special base, made carved additions to the cornice, and
created numerous capital variations, utilizing florid leafage and sometimes
human and animal figures. The prevailing form of Roman Corinthian is seen
in the Maison Carrée in Nimes, France (below left). This style originated
after the 5th century BC.
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Tuscan Column - The Tuscan column was the next form to be introduced and
it was introduced by the Etruscans. The Tuscan Column is a very simple, plain
column with a base and non-fluted shaft. No major (historical) examples of this
architectural type survive today.
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Composite Order - The final architectural type to come from the classical world
is the Composite order and it was first seen in 82 AD on the arch of Titus. The
Composite form is a combination of Ionic and Corinthian orders. This form was the
most complex due to the fact that it used the arch. Due to the advances of the
Composite style of architecture and the skill that the Romans had with concrete,
the Romans were able to develop such architectural marvels like the arch ,the
vault and the dome. One of the most famous domed buildings to come from the
ancient Romans was the Pantheon built in the last century BC by Marcus Agrippa
and later refurbished by Hadrian. This building was originally built as a temple to
all the Roman gods but was later converted into a Christian temple. This building
has the honor of being the oldest ,and largest, free standing dome in history.
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Aqueducts
The Roman development of the arch also led to the building of the great aqueducts for which
were used to transport great amounts of water over vast miles of land. The need for aqueducts
occurred in Rome during the mid republic due to the fact that the Tiber river had gotten too
muddy and polluted from waste dumping and other deeds. As time went on, numerous
aqueducts were built in Rome and throughout the empire in general.
The early Roman aqueducts consisted of plain stone slabs and earth lime mixtures. The style
and sophistication of aqueducts evolved as time went on. Because of the Roman Aqueduct, the
public baths and water fountains were kept operational due to the abundant access to fresh
water. The result of this was the easy access to people of all classes to fresh water and bath
facilities which set a sanitary standard that would not be met until the19th century.
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Aqueducts (2)
To transport the water over great distances, the Roman Aqueduct worked with the
principals of gravity and they also had special basins between the source and the
destination that would help purify the water. Once the water had reached the
destination, it was kept into a storage tank where it would be distributed by pipes to
different locations at the city. Some lucky upper class people had water piped directly
to their residence ,the earliest known form of a sophisticated pipe system.
By the end of the Western Roman empire, the city of Rome had many prominent
aqueducts within her boundaries. The most notable of these aqueducts are the Aqua
Appia ,the first Roman aqueduct, and the Aqua Claudia, built by the emperor
Claudius and would remain one of the largest in the city.In the empire,when times
were strained,some emperors chose to simply improve on existing aqueducts rather
than construct new ones.
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Though the Romans were not the first to have a mass water system, the
Greeks had water pumps in the cities, their system is important because it was the
first time water was available to everyone on such a mass scale. When the
western empire did fall, so fell her complex and ingenious water system. With no
engineers or funds to maintain them, the aqueducts ,like everything else Roman
fell prey to the barbarians of the middle ages.
Perhaps the most well preserved aqueduct is Pont du Gard near Nimes,
France (pictured).
Aqueducts (3)
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Baths
With the water system that the Aqueduct allowed, the Roman public baths got
more sophisticated and grew in size as time went on. By the second century AD,
public baths had grown in size and variety. In these new facilities, the pampered
could do everything from eat to exercise and even read.
Under such famous emperors as Titus, Caracalla and Diocletion, magnificent
baths were constructed that could house thousands of people at a single time. These
later baths were constructed in different sections. Upon entrance into the bath house,
the patron would first enter a changing room in which they would undress themselves
before continuing into the exercise room. After a period of exercise, the patron would
then go to the warm baths,in the tepidarium, then to the cold baths, in the frigidarium.
After their bath, the patron could have a massage if he/she wished so.
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What makes the Roman bath houses such an architectural and engineering
wonder, other than their great size, is the system that the Romans had for
maintaining them. In the cold and hot areas of the bath, the water temperature was
actually regulated by the use of underground fire furnaces. Also, the dirty water in
the baths was actually drained and replaced regularly. The bath house also had a
hookup to the complex Roman water system and so always had an ample source
of water, for both bathing in and for drinking. The great sanitary conditions of the
bath house were major factors that helped to make the Roman empire the cleanest
society up until the 19th century.
Some of the most famous Roman Bath's that still exist are in Bath, England
(pictured) and Baden-Baden, Germany.
Baths (2)
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Arches, Ampitheaters and Monuments
The grand public structures that the Romans left are the greatest legacy to their
once great empire. Their great amphitheaters and monuments, such as the
triumphal arch, were great structures that were a marvel to the Romans and are still
a marvel to us today.
The Roman Amphitheater, like most styles of buildings, was influenced greatly by
the Greek civilization. These structures were generally circular and used the arch as
their style of building but some were known to be built into a mountain or hillside.
The theaters and amphitheaters were quite big in size and could hold upwards of
50,000 spectators.
The biggest, and most famous, Roman
amphitheater was the Coliseum (see picture to
right) which was built by the Flavian emperors
Vespasian and Titus. This building was used
for everything from mock sea battles to to
gladiatorial fights. A special fact about the
Coliseum is that it was originally built with a
huge removable canopy to protect the
spectators from the elements.
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End . . .
The great monuments that the Romans leave behind show a great skill and an
admiration for the accomplishments of their leaders and the grandeur of their
empire. Most Roman monuments were constructed using the arch and had the
details carved into them. The arch was usually very big and was a prominent
feature of the skyline of the town in which it was located.
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http://harpy.uccs.edu/roman/html/romarch.html
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/roman_arch.html
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/org/orion/eng/hst/roma.html
http://www.greatbuildings.com/types/styles/roman.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/romearchitecture.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Pantheon/9013/
http://www.pitt.edu/~tokerism/0040/syl/src0918.html
Source text for this Powerpoint: http://www.msu.edu/~fosterm8/RomanArchitectureContent.doc
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