Ancient Roman Civilization: Architecture and Engineering

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2. Romanesque Architectureq

1. Describe the characteristics of Romanesque Architecture –

A. thick wallsB. broad, rather than steep roofsC small windows – not much natural lightC. small windows not much natural lightD. Roman arches or square top entrances, windows

Origins of Roman Architectureg

As ith sc lpt re theAs with sculpture, theRomans borrowed heavilyfrom two cultures that theyfrom two cultures that theyconquered –the Etruscans andthe Greeks.

Model of an Etruscan Temple

El t f R hit t h i ifi t G kElements of Roman architecture show very significant Greekinfluence.However Roman functional needs sometimes differed resultingHowever, Roman functional needs sometimes differed, resultingin interesting innovations.The Romans were less attached to “ideal” forms and extendedGreek ideas to make them more functional.

Origins of Roman ArchitectureThe Maison Caree @ NimesThe Maison Caree @ Nimes

Romans needed interiorspace for worship,p pwhereas the Greeksworshipped outside.Their solution was toextend the wallsoutward, creatingengaged columns, while

i i i hmaintaining the samebasic shape.

Roman Innovation

The Roman ability to build massively was largelydetermined by their discovery of slow-drying concrete,y y y g ,made with pozzolana sand.This allowed not only bases, but also walls to be constructedy ,of mainly concrete or concrete and rubble.Facings could be made of more expensive stone org pinexpensive brick.The result was strong structures that could be formed in anyg ydesirable shape.

Roman Innovation – The Arch

Romans did noti t thi f b tinvent this form, butthey used it well inbridges withinbridges, withinbuildings, and toallow aqueducts toallow aqueducts tospan rivers andgorges.go ges.

Roman Cities

Th t i l R it f th l t R bli dThe typical Roman city of the later Republic andempire had a rectangular plan and resembled aRoman military camp with two main streets—Roman military camp with two main streetsthe cardo (north-south) and the decumanus (east-west)—a grid of smaller streets dividing the towni t bl k d ll i it ith tinto blocks, and a wall circuit with gates.

Old iti h R it lf f d d b fOlder cities, such as Rome itself, founded beforethe adoption of regularized city planning, could,however, consist of a maze of crooked streets. Thehowever, consist of a maze of crooked streets. Thefocal point of the city was its forum, usuallysituated at the center of the city at thei t ti f th d d th d

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intersection of the cardo and the decumanus.

Plan of the City of yRome

By the time of Augustus,Rome had grown from ati ttl t th Tibtiny settlement on the TiberRiver to a metropolis at thecenter of an expandingcenter of an expandingempire. Under the republicRome became the politicalcapital of the Mediterraneanand a symbol of Roman

d lthpower and wealth.

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All Roads Lead to Rome

Why do you think a system of roads was important to the

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survival of the Empire?

An expanding network ofAppian Way

An expanding network of roads helped to link Rome's distant territories. One of the most important paved military roads was the Appian Way, commissioned by the Roman official Appius Claudius Caecus It became the majorCaecus. It became the major route from Rome to Greece. Although these large lava g gblocks may not be the original material, the route itself has

i d h d d iremained unchanged and in use since it was first paved more than 2200 years ago

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more than 2200 years ago.

Arches

The Romans usedThe Romans usedarches to supportthe things theythe things theybuilt.They built victoryThey built victoryarches, buildingsand aqueducts.q

Aqueductq

There wasn’t enough water in the city of Rome.Th R b ht t i f th diThe Romans brought water in from the surroundingcountryside.Th t b ht i b t b ll d d tThe water was brought in by tubes called aqueducts.Among the other great public building projects of theR h h h k f b idRomans, the most noteworthy are the network of bridgesand roads that facilitated travel throughout the empire, andthe aqueducts that brought water to the towns fromthe aqueducts that brought water to the towns frommountain sources.

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The Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard near Nîmes, France, wasb ilt b t th l t 1 t t b d th l 1 t tbuilt between the late 1st century bc and the early 1st centuryad. The Romans built extensive systems of aqueducts to carrywater to their residential areas from distant sources

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water to their residential areas from distant sources.

Why arches?

Water is heavy stuff.

The Romans needed a structure strong enough

h ld ll hto hold all that water to move it from the mountains into the citymountains into the city.

Where did the water go?g

The water wastransported in concretetransported in concretetunnels.

The tunnels wereunderground if possibleunderground if possible.

Sometimes the tunnelSometimes the tunnelhad to go above ground.

How did the aqueduct work?

The water flowed in a tube on the top of the aqueduct calledThe water flowed in a tube on the top of the aqueduct calleda water channel.The arches supported the water channelThe arches supported the water channel.

What did the water channel look like?

The water flowed through aThe water flowed through arectangular channel.The channel was lined withThe channel was lined withconcrete.The Romans invented concreteThe Romans invented concrete.

Forums

The forum, an open area bordered by colonnades withshops functioned as the chief meeting place of the town Itshops, functioned as the chief meeting place of the town. Itwas also the site of the city's primary religious and civicbuildings among them the Senate house records office andbuildings, among them the Senate house, records office, andbasilica.

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When archaeologists began excavating the city ofexcavating the city of Pompeii, which had been covered with ash and mud by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ad 79, they f d h i ffound the remains of people, ancient buildings, and other artifacts preservedand other artifacts preserved amid the volcanic debris. Among the structures guncovered was The Forumof Pompeii, pictured, a

f lgroup of temples, courts, and palaces that served as the city’s legislative center

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the city s legislative center.

Basilica

The basilica was a roofed hall with a wide central area theThe basilica was a roofed hall with a wide central area—thenave—flanked by side aisles, and it often had two or morestories In Roman times basilicas were the site of businessstories. In Roman times basilicas were the site of businesstransactions, government officials and legal proceedings.When Christianity became the state religion this kind ofWhen Christianity became the state religion, this kind ofbuilding was adapted to Christian worship.The building type was adapted in Christian times as theThe building type was adapted in Christian times as thestandard form of the Western church with an apse and altar atthe end of the long nave. The first basilicas were put up in thet e e d o t e o g ave. e st bas cas we e put up t eearly 2nd century b.c. in Rome's own Forum, but the earliestwell-preserved example of the basilicas (circa 120 b.c.) is

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p p ( )found at Pompeii.

This Roman basilica wasbegun by the emperorMaxentius between 307Maxentius between 307and 310 and completedby Constantine the Greatyafter 312. Although itwas one of the mostimportant monuments inclassical antiquity,almost all that remains ofalmost all that remains ofthe building are thesethree huge, barrel-g ,vaulted bays

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Roman Templesp

The chief temple of a Roman city, the capitolium, wasgenerally located at one end of the forum. The standardg yRoman temple was a blend of Etruscan and Greekelements; rectangular in plan, it had a gabled roof, adeep porch with freestanding columns, and a frontalstaircase giving access to its high plinth, or platform.

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By the 1st century b.c, the extensive conquests of the Romans ledth t d th M dit t ( ) Rthem to regard the Mediterranean as mare nostrum (our sea). Romaninfluence went far beyond politics. Roman art, architecture, andlanguage were among the cultural traits that slowly took hold in manylanguage were among the cultural traits that slowly took hold in manyof Rome's conquered territories. Ruins of ancient temples in Baalbek,Lebanon, include the Temple of Jupiter, built by the Romans after they

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took control of the territory.

Romanesque ("Roman-like")was first used to designate astyle of architecture that usedRoman arches and had thick,h ll b d thheavy walls, based upon thebasilica.

Pantheon

Roman temples were erected not only in the forum, butthroughout the city and in the countryside as well; manythroughout the city and in the countryside as well; manyother types are known. One of the most influential in latertimes was the type used for the Pantheon (ad 118-28) inyp ( )Rome, consisting of a standard gable-roofed columnar porchwith a domed cylindrical drum behind it replacing thetraditional rectangular main room, or cella.

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The Pantheon in Rome is one of the most famous buildings in theThe Pantheon in Rome is one of the most famous buildings in theworld. It was commissioned by Hadrian in 118 and completed in 128.At one time it had a colonnaded court leading to the portico. Theg pdome of the rotunda behind the portico is 43.2 m (142 ft) in diameter.The oculus (a round opening) at the top is 8.5 m (28 ft) in diameter

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and provides the only source of light for the interior.

Its interior wasi d i lconceived as a single

immense spaceilluminated by a singleilluminated by a singleround opening, calledan oculus, at thehighest point in thedome.C ff i th d tCoffering the dome toreduce weight.The interior isThe interior isdecorated with coloredmarble, and lined withpairs of columns andcarved figures set intoniches in the wall

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niches in the wall.

Roman Theaters

Roman theaters first appeared in the late Republic. Theyi i l i l d i t d f t ll twere semicircular in plan and consisted of a tall stage

building abutting a semicircular orchestra and tiered seatingarea (cavea) Unlike Greek theaters which were situated onarea (cavea). Unlike Greek theaters, which were situated onnatural slopes, Roman theaters were supported by their ownframework of piers and vaults and thus could be constructedframework of piers and vaults and thus could be constructedin the hearts of cities.

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The Roman emperorAugustus founded thecity of Aosta during the1st century b.c near thej ti f t ljunction of naturaltransportation routesfrom Italy through thefrom Italy through themountains to France andSwitzerland. The city hasmany remnants ofRoman architecture,including wall segmentsincluding wall segmentsfrom this theater.

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Amphitheaterp

Amphitheaters were elliptical in plan with a central arena,where gladiatorial and animal combats took place and awhere gladiatorial and animal combats took place, and asurrounding seating area built on the pattern of Romantheaters The earliest known amphitheater (75 bc) is attheaters. The earliest known amphitheater (75 bc) is atPompeii, and the grandest, Rome's Colosseum (ad70-80),held approximately 50,000 spectators, roughly the capacitypp y , p , g y p yof today's large sports stadiums.

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The Coliseum- a blend of Greek and Roman architectureand Roman architecture

The arches areThe arches aresupported by centralcolumnscolumns.The columns on thefi fl D ifirst floor are Doric.The columns on thesecond floor are Ionic.The columns on thethird floor areCorinthian.

The Colosseum in Rome (70-82) is best known for its multilevelThe Colosseum in Rome (70-82) is best known for its multilevelsystem of vaults made of concrete. It is called the Colosseum for acolossal statue of Nero that once stood nearby, but its real name isythe Flavian Amphitheater. It was used for staged battles betweenlions and Christians, among other spectacles, and is one of the mostf i f hit t i th ld

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famous pieces of architecture in the world.

Summary y

A clear picture of Roman architecture can be drawn from theimpressive remains of ancient Roman public and privatep p pbuildings.

Many of our modern government institutions are modeledafter the Roman system, as is much of our publicy , parchitecture.

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Submission

What type of innovations came from the Ancient Roman Civilization?

What influences can we see in our society today?

Provide two examples?

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Amphitheater: circular building a round or oval buildingAmphitheater: circular building, a round or oval buildingwithout a roof that has a central open space surrounded bytiers of seats especially one used by the ancient Romanstiers of seats, especially one used by the ancient Romansfor public entertainmentA d t A l t f h l b ilt tAqueduct: A complex system of channels built to carrywater from one place to another.Basilica: a type of ancient Roman building that had acentral nave with an aisle on each side formed by tworows of columns, and typically a terminal semicircularapse. It was used as a court of justice, an assembly hall, or

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an exchange.

Forum: a public square or marketplace in ancient Romancities where business was conducted and the law courts weresituated.

Oculus: an architectural feature that is round or eye-shaped,for example, a round window, a round opening at the top ofp , , p g pa dome, or the central boss of a volute.

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