Roman Architecture

Introduction

•Roman culture combined different influences:– Influenced by several primitive cultures from the

area in which Rome was founded (they were peasants, warriors, brigands and pirates)

– From the Etruscan civilization: urban, engineering and technology

– From the Greeks: they aimed to imitate much of this model of society

Introduction•Results:

– From Italian origins:• Practical sense (functionalism)• Military expansion (imperialism)

– From Etruscan origins:• Technology• Engineering

– From Greek origins:• Philosophy• Literature• Art

Introduction

• General characteristics of Roman Art and Architecture– It is practical and utilitarian– Focused on public works and engineering– Monumental to show Roman power– Great technical advances– It is commemorative and propagandistic

General Characteristics

• Building systems:– Lintelled:

• Copied from the Greeks• Spaces are closed by straight lines

– Vaulted• Taken from the Etruscan• Use of Arches and Barrel Vault

– Use of Domes– Strong walls so that they do not use external supports

General Characteristics• Materials:

– Limestone– Concrete– Mortar

• Arches:– They used half point or semicircular arches – Lintels could be used above these arches

General Characteristics• Greek Architectural

orders: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, were used more in a decorative than practical manner.

–Romans used two more orders:

• Composite

• Tuscan

Roman Town Planning

• Cities were the center of Roman life Infrastructure was necessary:

• Water and sewer systems• Transport and defense• Public spaces and markets

– Psychological effect: power and control

• Linking cities through paved roads was essential to further assert Roman power

Roman Town Planning• The plan of the city was

based on Roman military camps.

• It had two main axes•Cardo N-S

•Decumanus E-W• The intersection of these two main

streets was the Forum• The rest of the space was

divided into squares called insulae or city blocks.

Roman Town Planning• The most important part of the city was the

Forum, where political, economic, administrative, social and religious activity were centered.

• Main buildings were in this Forum• In big cities there were theaters, circuses,

and amphitheaters.

Paved Roads

• Paved roads were needed to reach to any point of the empire

• They facilitated both communication and political control

Paved Roads

• The roads were made with strong foundations• Different materials were put into different layers• To measure the distance they created Milliarium or

stones located in the sides

Section of a Roman paved road

Paved Roads

• The roads were not completely flat• They consisted of several layers

– The central and highest was the most important, it was convex to conduct the water to the ditches that were built in the sides

Bridges• Roman engineers were true masters of building bridges, since they were essential

to reaching places and cities often situated at the bank of rivers.

• They were created for defensive and infrastructural reasons, and• are characterized by:

– Arches and Rectangular pillars as their bases.

Aqueducts

• Aqueducts were used to bring water to cities.• The were built in order to get water from its source around

geographic irregularities such as hills, mountains and valleys between rivers and towns.

• Not only valleys were crossed by aqueducts, but mountains were excavated by long tunnels as well.

Walls

• Walls were important to protect the city and its citizens from invaders, and they went all the way around the city.

• Hadrian's Wall is the most famous of these fortified walls. Standing at the Northern border of the Empire in Britannia (northern England), it was 72 miles long, parts of it still stand in Northern England today.

• It took only 5 years to build

Forum• Forums were cultural centers in cities, usually placed

at the crossroads of the cardo maximus and decumanus.

• Temples for worship, schools, basilicae, markets or even termae had direct access through Forum.

• In many cases even buildings for spectacles -circus, theaters and amphitheaters- were accessed through the forum

Types of Roman Architecture• Religious buildings: temples• Civil buildings:

– Public: basilicas, baths – Spectacles: theater, amphitheater, circus– Commemorative: Triumphal arch, column– Domestic: Insulae, Domus, Villae, Palace– Funerary: Tombs

• Engineering works:– Bridges– Aqueducts– Roads

Religious: Temple

• It copied the Greek model

• It has only one portico and a main façade

• Instead of having stairs all around, it only has them in the main façade

                                                                                                   

Religious: Temple

• Other types of temples:

• Circular: similar to the Greek tholos, but with a Dome

• The Pantheon: combined square and circular structures and was in honor of all gods.

Civil Buildings: Basilica

• The Basilica in the Ancient world was where the court of justice was housed.

• It is rectangular and has different naves;

• The central nave is higher than the others.

• The building ends in an apse.• The nave is covered with

vaults.

Civil Buildings: Baths

• Public Space that consisted of different rooms:

• Different temperature rooms:• Frigidarium (cold)• Tepidarium (warm)• Caldarium (hot)

– Swimming pool– Gymnasium– Library– Changing rooms

Caracalla´s Bath House

Spectacles: Theater

• It is similar to the Greek Theater.• It has a semicircular shape• The doors are called vomitoria

Merida’s Roman Theatre

Spectacles: Amphitheater • The design is based on

the fusion of two theaters

• Spectacles such as public executions, fighting animals and man to man fights (gladiators) were held here

• The Coliseum could also be filled with water for naval battles.

• The Coliseum was built in 8 years (72-80 AD) and was 160 feet tall.

• It had a capacity of 70,000 people; our modern stadiums are based on it

Spectacles: Amphitheater• Velarium - This was a retractable awning that

shaded the amphitheaters spectators from sun and was operated by members of the Roman Navy

Spectacles: Circus

• It was a racetrack for horse races and quadriga competitions.

• It has the spina in the center, that was a large barrier with monuments on top of it.

Commemorative monuments: Triumphal Arches

• Arches commemorated Roman victories or military generals;

• Triumphal Arches were monuments that were usually placed at the main entrance of a city in order to remind travelers and city residents of the greatness and strength of the Roman Empire.

• They also marked borders of provinces.

• At first they were wooden arches where trophies from wars were displayed.

• Then Romans built concrete commemorative arches with inscriptions; many still stand today.

Commemorative monuments: Columns

• Commemorative Columns were decorated with relief sculptures, some of which included historical facts, and were built to honor a person.

• The most famous example of these is Trajan's Column in Rome. It is decorated with a spiral of reliefs telling the story of his victory over Dacia (modern day Romania).

Houses: Insulae

• Insulae were urban houses• In order to best use the vertical

space in cities, buildings up to four floors high were constructed.

• The ground floor was for shops -tabernae- and the upper floors were for apartments of different sizes.

• Every residence was connected through a central patio decorated with flowers or gardens.

Houses: Domus

• Domus were usually housing for important people in each city.

• It was usually made up of a collection of rooms set around a central hall or atrium, with a garden and courtyard.

• There were few windows. Light came from the atrium instead.

• Up to 8 Domus could fit on a city block

Houses: Villa

• Houses far from cities, were either for agricultural purposes -villae rustica-, or as homes for other important and wealthy people -villae urbana-.

• A villae urbana had every comfort, as well as gardens and splendid views.

• Villae rustica had stables, cellars, stores and orchards apart from the living quarters.

Palaces• The palace was the residence of the emperor• Palaces were large and had many rooms.

Palace at Splitz