Roman Architecture And Architecture

The purpose of this ORTO is to illustrate the extend to which Roman architecture, from the late 2nd centaury BC to the 4th century AD, had an influence and effect of modern western architecture. Therefore the aims of my ORTO are as follows:

Although the Romans were influenced and used parts of what the Greeks had previously designed and established, they quickly adopted new techniques combined with the existing techniques to construct a whole new range of architectural structures. In this style the Romans added to the Greek Corinthian columns making them even more decorative. The Romans also created their own column style known as the Composite Capital which was a combination of the volute from the Ionic order and the acanthus design from the Corinthian. (Cartwright,

Roman architecture was originally founded by the Greeks, and was, in reality, a continuation of Greek architecture. Some say the Romans brought architecture to a new level, I say that the romans just enhanced what was already there. The Romans adopted new techniques, used new materials, and combined existing techniques/materials with creative designs to create new architectural structures. A few examples of these new structures are; the basilica, triumphal arch, aqueduct, amphitheater, granary building, and residential housing. Many of these additions to architecture were spurred by Rome’s need to grow. The reason that these buildings grew so large and became so wide spread was because they were funded by a state apparatus, causing these constructions to survive until the present day.

The history of their architecture runs virtually in step with the history of their empire to an extent. As the Empire expanded so did the architecture, and as Romans became more magnificent their architecture followed. Roman architecture began as a form of worship. The first Roman architects were the ancient priests and dwellers who made areas of sacrifice and worship for their gods. At first, their homes were simple huts but as they grew smarter and more aware of their surroundings, making the building more complex than ever. So, like many arts, Roman architecture’s roots are embedded in the worshiping paid in religion. The Romans were, of course, not the first to practice many of their building philosophies. However, they built like no other society before them. Their methods showed and proved, efficiency and sophistication to construct a whole new look. With the rise of the Romans and the everlasting hail of Caesar after Caesar and Emperor after Emperor, Roman architecture expanded and influenced building over the world. Unlike the Empire, though, Roman design did not die at the hands of the Germanic’s, or rather at the hands of self-destruction; it continued to expand and play a part in every major style throughout history. Even through its empire’s own defeat, architecture has stood as an everlasting symbol of what Rome once was, and what the rest of the world is today. , Roman architecture cannot be looked at as a small period or cultural event, for it lives on today through the

The ancient Romans created and borrowed fundamental types of concepts that made up buildings. The ideas that the Romans borrowed were basic ideas such as the column. A column is a vertical shaped pillar with the chief design concern of supporting a building. Most columns consist of three parts, the base, the shaft, and the capital. The shaft is usually cylindrical in shape. The Greeks had three basic types of columns, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. All three types have narrow fillets on them. These were small vertical slits that ran the length of the column. The Romans modified the column and added two types, Truscan and Composile. The columns became widely used in homes and temples in Greece and later in Rome ("Architecture").

Traditionally Roman buildings saw the use of the classical Greek Doric order on ground levels (without bases) with the more decorative orders of Ionic and Corinthian stacked above this (Lyes 1999, 6). However, in the Colosseum these orders were stacked and used in a way which had no previous precedent in Roman architecture (Lyes 1999, 6). The design sees the orders dramatically reduced, which has the columns that are engaged within the structure constructed with bases, and the column shaft themselves missing the usual entasis of classic Greek orders, this all leads to a much-simplified capital. Between each stacked order there is a triple facia architrave, a relatively plain designed freeze and cornice (Lyes 1999, 6). The use of the classical orders in this manner within the design of the Colosseum, without precedent, was in fact not structural but a façade or veneer. This allowed the

The Romans adopted the Greek Classical Style for their architecture. This is mainly because the Romans were not expecting the extensive expansion that took place during this time period. Therefore, their architecture was less artistic and more practical in nature. Even though they did not create their own style, they did take the Classical style and modified certain aspects of it becoming what is known as Roman architecture. One of the largest structures in Rome is the Colosseum. The Colosseum opened in 80 CE under the Emperor Titus and stands in the center of Rome. This amphitheater covers six acres of land, has a circumference of 527 meters, a height of 48 ½ meters and seats around 50,000 individuals. The amount of people the Colosseum accommodated exhibits the massive Roman population. The Colosseum consisted of three floor levels above the arena floor. The first level is made with Doric columns, the second uses Ionic columns, and the third level contains of Corinthian columns. Each level was designed to seat a specific social class. The different levels emphasized the strict class system of the Empire. At the roof level, there was material that would be stretched over the arena, by pulleys, to provide shade. There were corridors and rooms that were hidden under the floor that were used to lift up the gladiators and animals to the arena floor. The exterior of the Colosseum was covered with white marble. The architecture of this structure is still used today, for

The developed new structures such as the basilica, triumphal arc, and even the amphitheater. Today, you can find these structures in many different places; the stadiums where many games are played is based on the amphitheater from the Romans. These structures were created dependent upon what the Romans needed at that time. The Greeks began the order of sculptures. The main three styles were the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian models. The Romans favored the Corinthian model the most and added on the model to make it more decorative. Columns at this time only was added for decoration and could be detached at any time. Though not needed for maintain the structure of a building, the columns provided a traditional look. The famous architect at the time is Vitruvius, mainly because that his book entitled On Architecture, a 10-volume study of architecture, remains intact today. Little is known about his works, but we do know that he created a basilica in Fano and that he worked for Julius Caesar and

Ancient Roman dwellings evolved architecturally in time from simple huts in the earliest times, to sophisticated and extremely long-lived structures in the later Republic and Imperial Rome following the annexation of the Greek city-states. This is very evident in many Italian and Greek cities where archaeologists have found different occupational levels, with each lower architectural strata being much more ancient (Lavan, Özgenel, & Sarantis, 2007). Typically, however, Roman architecture refers to the period from the establishment of the Roman Republic (6 century BC) to the relocation of the capital to Constantinople in 330AD. An architectural period supported by two great innovations: the cement and the arch.

The Colosseum, also known as the Amphitheater of the Flavians, was the first permanent amphitheater to be built in Rome. Unlike many other amphitheaters, the Colosseum was placed directly in the city center. Built out of concrete, this material allowed for them to build more quickly and efficiently. The amphitheater was so massive, it covered about six acres. Roman architects designed this building using many different type of column styles from the ancient Greeks. Each level of the Colosseum reflected a different style, the first floor showed the Doric style, the second floor showed Ionic and on the third showed Corinthian, all columns reflecting beauty and artistry. The construction of the arches was one that the architects were trying to express size and proportion, they reached over fifteen stories. There were eighty, very large arches at ground level, that is where spectators were to enter the Colosseum. In the center was an overly

Since Ancient times, Roman Architecture has carried on an important legacy, that provided useful yet common techniques that have been applied to build the structures standing tall in todays world. Roman Architects were very advanced for their time. Moreover, they used their knowledge in math, following arithmetics and formulas to draw blueprints to exact specifications. Roman architects strived for “openness” and views unobscured by parts of the building, while inside. To accomplish this, they incorporated domes and arches so that buildings would be strong, yet open and spacious to people inside. Many buildings had very tall ceilings because Architects used domes to help support the building. Domes were important to the structure of the buildings

The Romans are famous for many things. One thing is their adaptation and development of architecture from other civilization. From the Etruscans and early tribes the Romans got most of their basic architectural skills. From the Greeks some components of Roman architecture were adapted from the Greeks. The heart of Roman architecture was the Roman forum, which was being constructed under the rule of Octavian Caesar. Eventually the Roman architecture went into a stage in which all the buildings looked like the Greek buildings.

     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.

Arguably, one of the most influential structures of Rome was the Pantheon because of its immense size, and the use of concrete for the massive dome. This structure was named the Pantheon most likely because Pliny the elder, a spectator during the time of Vespasian 's rule saw this and referred to it as the “Pantheum”. Although the version of the Pantheon that Pliny the elder saw is not the Pantheon currently in Rome, there are many accounts of what it looked like, and why it was built. Agrippa’s Pantheon, the version that Pliny witnessed, or the original pantheon was built during the Pax Romana. This was a time of peace for the Romans, and to lead them in their endeavors was Emperor Augustus. During this time culture flourished because of there was no need to worry about necessities. From 31 BCE to 14CE the Pantheon was constructed to honor the Julian clan. The result of this was a south-facing rectangular building, with the Thermae of Agrippa, or the Roman public baths to the south. This temple was decastyle, meaning that is had 10 columns on each side. Pliny also mentioned that Diogenes of Athens was commissioned by Agrippa to create the caryatid columns. Caryatid columns are much like sculptures, in that they depict a person, but this person is standing in order to form a column to support another structure. To much dismay this temple was destroyed in the

As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” however long it took to build the capital, the days, months, years, centuries of work can be viewed as a long lasting landmark which paved the way for new and challenging architecture to come (How Roman architecture influenced modern architecture [sa]). According to Tony Rook (2013: [sp] ch.2) the typical Roman temple shows the Etruscan tradition combined with the Greek one. Although some of their premature concepts were acquired from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, Roman architects transformed the body of architecture for all time to come, offering buildings and structures that has never been before, along the side of public buildings and infrastructure that could be used by