When at its height, the Roman Empire spanned a great expanse of land. It would be logical to assume that the outermost provincial lands had their own cultures and traditions, and thus their own art, yet this is not entirely true. Art and architecture from the Provinces of the Roman Empire are astoundingly similar to art and architecture from the most central portion of Rome. The Amphitheater of El Djem is one of those architectural pieces that both embraces Roman ideals and pays homage to local customs. It does this through the architectural design, the building method, the purpose of the building, and the integration of more local aspects in the building. The Amphitheater of El Djem is the largest amphitheater in Africa and is one of the largest ones in the world. The amphitheater is one of two that were in the town. It is believed that the building underwent three building phases: the original building in tufa, or limestone, the reconstruction, and then an enlargement (Dhwty). The ruins were found in the small village of El Djem, North Africa, and thus, it dwarfs the rest of the area, even in the modern day. Made entirely out of stone with no foundation, this building is about 148 meters long and 122 meters wide. During the Roman time, when the amphitheater was in use, it could hold around 35,000 spectators (Amphitheater of El Jem). The rows of seats reached up to 36 meters from the ground, which is about three stories in modern terms (Dhwty). Built around 238 AD
Two buildings, the Hagia Sophia and the Great Mosque of Cordoba, can show us two separate peoples and their approach to constructing architecture that was devoted to their religions. However, while religion played a huge role, there are similarities as well between the two that show that the rulers who commissioned these buildings were interested in mimicking beauty and showing the world that their building was the most beautiful and perhaps the most elite of its time as well as proving their divinity as a ruler of a great nation.
The famous historical structure known as the Colosseum is a remarkable piece of architecture that has survived for over nearly two millenniums. It was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a gift to the people of Rome and completed by his son, Titus in the year 70 A.D. (History, 2009). Since then, the Flavian Amphitheater has gone through lifetimes of changes with chronicles of events. It is one of the most impressive ancient structures that still stand today and is extraordinary because of a multitude of reasons. The Colosseum’s advanced function, structural soundness, as well as its impeccable design contributes to its grandeur. Its initial opening performance did not fail to commemorate its existence, lasting
The similarities and differences between the design, construction and environmental performance of a typical Mesopotamian ‘courtyard’ and a Roman ‘peristyle’ house
Thanks to the various sources and the multiple mediums through which they are presented we have learnt much about this aspect of Roman entertainment. Frescoes, mosaics, writings, graffiti, buildings, artefacts (gladiator's helmet, weapons, etc), inscriptions, reliefs and even bodies all reveal details of the many different facets and experiences of this ancient entertainment. We now know who went, what and who the entertainment was, and even the stories of the ancient Pompeians and reconstruct a variety of experiences. This source is a archaeological treasure as unlike others it did not deteriorate from non-use or knocked down, it was frozen on a typical roman day and has thus remained. It is also significant as we can compare this evidence to similar items of evidence from all over Rome and deepen our understanding of the life of the ancient Romans.
Ever since man began building structures and settling land, art has manifested itself in our architectural creations. Whether it be to celebrate or worship a God or Gods, a grand sculpture to bury a powerful leader or remember them by, or to show a culture’s dedication to specific values, our architectural constructions have led to some of the finest art this Earth has ever seen. The Taj Mahal and Palace of Versailles are two great examples of such art. By examining each of these individually, and then comparing and contrasting them, it will become clear that no matter how different looking these buildings may be, they still serve the same purpose to the civilizations that erected them.
The Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls is a famous sanctuary which was dedicated to the cult of Augustus and Rome. It was celebrated by many Gallic tribes who had gathered at Lugdunum, the Roman name of the region of Lyon in ancient times. There are many things to do in France as a tourist which must include seeing all the designated historical monuments such as the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls. The amphitheatre was built at the foot of a hill which was then placed at a point where the two rives of the Rhone and Saone met. A recent find in 1957 allowed the origins of this place to be confirmed as the part of the sanctuary of Rome and Augustus. The recent find dates the building to around 19 AD. The Amphitheatre
The last known mention of the amphitheater was by Marinus Barletius in the early sixteenth century. As the modern city of Durrës grew, the auditorium was covered over and forgotten about. Throughout the Ottoman expansion of the city, parts of the arena 's walls were used as foundations for homes (Bowes and Mitchell, 2009:570; Giandebiaggi and Vernizzi, 2013:527).
Towards the city’s heavily trafficked center the Roman Forum was constructed for convenient easy access of all the citizens. The foreground of the forum was occupied by a paved square with monuments to famous citizens. The temple to the Divine Julius, dedicated in 29 BCE to the deified Caesar, built in a Hellenistic style, is located in the background on the left; to the right is the temple of Vesta and the house of the Vestal Virgins, guardians of the everlasting flame; further to the right is the temple of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux dedicated in 6 CE Here the office of weights and measures was situated. The podiums of the temples of Caesar and the Dioscuri were often used as orators' platforms and it is in this part of the Forum that the meetings of the comitia took place. On the far right is the Basilica Julia built by Caesar. Its long façade occupies the entire south side of the Forum. (Owens, 154) Semi-circular in plan and having consisted of a tall stage building, theaters were a semi-circular orchestra and tiered seating area. Unlike Greek theatres, which were built on natural slopes, they were supported by their own framework of piers and vaults and so could be built anywhere and not where nature dictated. Amphitheatres (literally, ‘double theatres’) were elliptical in plan; with a central areana. (Bowra, 38)
Good Evening! I am Amias, a merchant living in Subura, Rome. Today, I’m going to the Flavian Amphitheatre, also known as the Colosseum. The word amphitheatre means an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The Colosseum is known as one of the biggest entertainment center for the people of Rome. My friend wanted me to go meet him before we go watch the match together. I am very excited and left the house very shortly.
‘The Colosseum’ is regarded as one of the best work of the Rome architecture and engineering. It is situated in the centre of the city of Rome in Italy and is also known by the name of ‘Flavian Amphitheatre’ (Origins of the Colosseum, 2015). ‘The Colosseum’ is considered as one of the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire and also in the world. The building of ‘The Colosseum’ is highly impressive and is an important landmark for signifying the past history of Roman culture. The amphitheatre
The Colosseum was first built in 70-80 CE in Regio IV Templum Pacis, which is in Rome Italy today. Measuring some 620 by 513 feet, the Colosseum was the largest amphitheater in the Roman world. Unlike many earlier amphitheaters, which had been dug into hillsides to provide adequate support, the Colosseum was a freestanding structure made of stone and concrete. The Colosseum could seat up to 80 thousand people. The Colosseum was a gift to the Roman people from Emperor Vespasian.
This new building type differed in striking ways from the traditional Greek theater. The latter consisted of two separate structures: a horseshoe-shaped seating area and a freestanding stage-building. The Roman theater, in contrast, was a fully enclosed edifice, unroofed but often covered with awnings on performance days. The seating area in the Greek theater was supported against a natural hillside, whereas the Roman theater was carried at least in part on concrete vaults, which provided access from the exterior of the building to the cavea. In the Hellenistic world, the stage-building was a relatively low structure, ornamented with painted panels but rarely with large-scale sculpture.
The arches of the Coloseum allowed great ventilation, stability, and passageways to keep the crowd comfortable all day. The most amazing construction had nothing to do with the show. The Romans had actually constructed a roof for the Coloseum. The roof was like a retractable sail covering most of the audience during the current event.
The Colosseum was the largest amphitheater of the time period. It was a huge elliptical structure consisting of four stories, over 150 feet high. It measured 620 X 513 feet. The enclosed oval arena measure 287 feet long X 180 feet wide.
Ancient Egyptian architecture had a number of well known generic building types (pyramids, mortuary temples and so on). Select one building and discuss is background and architectural characteristics, relating it where necessary to other examples.