Transcript File

Ancient Rome
Inheritors of Greek Civilization
Early Years
• Supposedly the city of Rome was founded
by twins Romulus & Remus.
• They were abandoned by their parents &
raised by a she-wolf in the wild.
• The twins came upon the spot where they
wanted to live & started the early city of
Rome.
• In Italian, Rome is “Roma.”
• The earliest known civilization in Italy was
the Etruscans.
– They were originally from northern Italy.
– They conquered much of Italy north of the
Tiber River, including the town of Rome.
– Rome grew in size & importance; it became
the largest & richest city in Italy.
– By 509 B.C. the Romans were successful in
driving the Etruscans out of Rome.
– Very little remains of Etruscan civilization.
• The Romans were surrounded by enemies
so it was necessary for them to fight for
survival.
• The Romans extended their power until all
of the Italy was under their control.
• The Romans created the republic as their
form of government.
• The Roman republic controlled territory
from England in the north to Mesopotamia
in the east, and Africa in the South.
• They referred to the Mediterranean as
“mare nostrum” or “our sea.”
Social/Political Divisions
• Proletariat: no rights; lowest of the 3
divisions
• Plebians: common citizens; limited rights
• Patricians: highest ranked citizens; all the
rights; mostly senators
Innovations in Architecture
• The Romans were known as the planners
& the engineers.
• They were content with being heirs of
Greek art, architecture, & culture.
• They did make a few original contributions
of their own to art & architecture.
• Their buildings used elements from the
Etruscans & Greeks.
• Differences between the Greeks &
Romans include
– Columns were used for decoration & support;
pilaster was used for decoration;
– The pilaster is a half-column (vertical;)
– The colonnade was not widely used in temple
design;
– They did not use the post-&-lintel system, like
the Greeks had used;
– The temples were built on a platform which
raised it above eye level; they borrowed this
from the Etruscans.
Temple of Fortuna Virilis, Rome
• Makes use of all the features but notice
how the front columns are used for
support.
• The pilasters are the decorative columns
seen on the sides.
Plan of Temple of
Fortuna Virilis
• 2 innovations that the Romans added to
architecture were the arch & use of concrete.
– The arch, arcade, & vault allowed the
Romans to build bigger buildings than the
Greek post-&-lintel system.
– Under pressure, stone doesn’t bend; it snaps.
– The arch is built around a wooden form until
the top stone is fit into place.
– The top stone is called the keystone.
• The Romans were the first to use concrete
extensively in their buildings.
• Concrete had been used in the Near East
for some time, the Romans spread its use
throughout their Empire.
• The innovations of the Romans allowed
them to construct great domes, temples,
aqueducts, & other enormous structures.
• The planning was Roman, but the
architectural style remained Hellenistic in
its design.
Major Forms of Construction
• Buildings remaining today are public
buildings.
– Baths
– Amphitheaters
– Colosseums
– Triumphal arch
– Aqueducts
Aqueducts
• These structures brought water to the
town & cities in the Roman Empire.
• They began in the mountains where the
source of water was & carried the water
into the cities.
• Using gravitational flow (slight angle) the
water would collect in a containing pool &
then to areas in the city.
• Made use of many angles to break the
force of the rushing water.
• The best existing example is in Segovia,
Spain.
• It was constructed using no mortar or
cement.
• It was constructed by placing a series of
arches next to each other so they would
support each other & carry the weight to the
ground.
• Eleven aqueducts were built around Rome;
they ranged from 10 to 60 miles in length.
The Baths
• The baths were not only places for
hygiene, there were many social aspects
as well.
– Gym
– Restaurants
– Shops
– Lecture rooms
– Libraries
– Walk-ways
• They were similar to our shopping malls.
• All the baths contained a series of pools
that were progressively cooler.
– Calidarium: hot water pool
– Tepidarium: warm water pool
– Frigidarium: cool water pool
• Furnaces placed in rooms beneath the
pool provided the heat necessary to warm
the water.
• The baths were tended by large numbers
of workers & slaves
• Most baths were used by both men &
women.
Arenas
• The arenas developed from the Greek
amphitheater, which was a semi-circle
“stadium.”
• These Greek structures were used for
theater performances.
• The Romans enclosed the entire stage
area & made that the place where they
would display activities.
The Colosseum
• The most impressive arena built in the
Roman Empire.
• Amazing in its function & design.
– Could seat up to 50,000 people
– Emptied in minutes (80 doors &
passageways.)
– Poles around the top supported a canvas
awning.
– Sloped seats like modern arenas.
• Used for many different types of activities.
– Gladiator fights
– Mock military battles (could be filled with
water)
– Chariot races
– Executions (especially Christians)
• The Colosseum consisted of 4 stories
constructed of stone, brick & concrete.
• Each story had a different column type
borrowed from the Greeks.
– Doric: lower level
– Ionic on the second story
– Corinthian: third story
– Corinthian pilasters on the fourth floor.
• Beneath the floor of the Colosseum were
compartments & passageways serving a
number of different purposes.
• As the Roman Empire declined, the
games became more brutal & barbaric.
• These games were to celebrate the death
of an important nobleman.
• The Roman Colosseum was on the
Forum, which was the center of life in the
city.
• It contained the public buildings, temples,
& market places.
The Pantheon
• A marvel of Roman architecture &
engineering.
• It was originally a temple dedicated to all
the Roman gods.
• It was later converted into a Christian
church.
– This is why it survived the destruction of
Rome by the barbarians.
• It was originally built on a pedestal but it is
now at street level.
• From the outside, it looks like a low, gently
curving dome resting on a cylinder.
– The dome is 144 feet high & 144 feet in
diameter.
– Walls are constructed of brick & concrete
– There are no windows in the building; solid
walls were needed to support the massive
weight of the dome.
• There were 3 zones inside.
– Lower zone (ground level) contained niches
or recesses built into the walls. These niches
probably contained altars to specific gods.
– Middle zone (frieze) contained the 12 signs of
the zodiac.
– Upper zone (dome) represented the heavens.
• The dome is covered with coffers.
– Coffers are indented panels that are used for
decoration & to help ease the weight of the
dome.
• The light source in the Pantheon is a
round opening in the center of the dome
• This opening is called the occulis
• It is 30 feet across.
• When it rains, water does come into the
building but
– The floor slopes gently & water drains to
the edges and out of the building.
The Basilicas
• Spacious rectangular buildings that were
part of the forum, or public square of a
Roman city.
• They combined all the architectural
advances made by the Romans in 1
building.
• They later served as models for Christian
churches.
• Parts of the basilica included
– Nave: long, wide center aisle divided by
columns into 2 smaller side aisles.
– Apse: semicircular area at the end of the
nave.
• The roof over the center aisle was usually
higher than the roofs over the side aisles.
– This allowed builders to install windows
to let sunlight in.
– These windows were called clerestory
windows.
Triumphal Arches
• These were built to commemorate Roman
military victories.
• There was a large central opening & two
smaller openings on each side
• The general & his officers rode chariots &
horses through the central opening
• Foot soldiers marched through the smaller
ones.
• Some arches were decorated with scenes
from battles.
• The Romans built these all over the
empire.
• The most impressive of these was the
Arch of Constantine.
Sculpture & Painting
• The Romans preferred realism, especially
in sculptured portraits.
• Very early in Roman history, wax masks of
deceased family members were made to
be carried in funeral processions.
• Many of the Greeks sculptors went to
Rome to find work & trained Roman artists
in their traditions.
• The Roman artists changed the
techniques to suit their client’s tastes.
• These portrait sculptures were for private
citizens & not for public display.
• The Romans wanted their sculptures to
look & remind them of specific people.
• The Romans preferred busts (head &
shoulders); they felt that the character of
the person was shown in the face.
Murals & Mosaics
• Paintings/scenes that covered entire walls.
• Landscapes & buildings to suggest looking
out of a window.
• Mosaic floors were common in many
Roman homes
– A mosaic consists of pieces of tile on
marble laid out to form a pattern.
Decline of Rome
• Moral decay & deterioration
• Distinct class system led to inequalities
(social & economic)
• Rulers grew out-of-touch with the people
• Rise of the Christian religion put an end to
pagan practices
• Extension of Roman citizenship to all
people conquered by Roman
• Division of the empire
• 410- Alaric, king of the Visigoths took
Rome
• Began invasions of the Barbarians
– Middle ages “Dark Ages” .. Begin in
Europe
– Constantine I .. Moves capital to
Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire)