Roman Architecture Research Paper

While the basic forms of Roman architecture were adapted from the surrounding past and present cultures, their innovation led to the advancement of these traditional ideals. The most notable advancement would be the invention of concrete to construct buildings. Composed of broken stones, flint, and sand, when this material became mixed with lime it created an amazingly durable and strong material known as concrete. With this, the newly developed material formed the core of most walls and ceilings of Roman structures. It is for this reason that concrete is the most significant Roman invention, "‘contributing more than any other material,' says Professor Middleton, ‘to make Rome the proverbially "eternal" city.'" (Walters, 23) Since the material was shaped by surrounding wood structures which could later be removed, the outer appearance of buildings became unattractive. To avoid this brick and marble were used as an outer shell of structures to conform to the beauty of surrounding Roman creations. The discovery of concrete and the efficiency of reusing the wood frames to construct buildings made architecture far quicker and easier than ever before. It is clear that "once the Romans had put the idea of using vaults and concrete together, the possibilities were endless." (Ramage, 53) Elaborate structures were now accessible, and the ability to erect enormous

The Greeks started building corbelled arches and creating arch shaped voussoirs. These worked well, however, they did not discover the strength or span the distances that the Romans were able to. The widest known Greek archway spans only 7.35m, whereas the Romans built many great triumphal arches to emphasise their power in victory. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio wrote about the qualities a successful arch should entail, these were: “utility, strength and aesthetics” (Vitruvius, M., 1914). He wanted them to be built according to anthropometrics; symmetry and proportions of the human body. The full potential of the arch was reached when the Romans discovered the impressive compressive strength of the arch, meaning that they could span greater distances and create great heights using these new found qualities. Some of the most notable uses of the arch can be seen through Aqueducts, vast interiors and in, potentially, the most famous arched building; the Roman Colosseum.

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

Greek and Roman architecture is truly amazing. They each had great ideas, and fabulous productions. It is said that the Pantheon is to Italy what the Parthenon is to Greece. Both are tremendous monuments that reek of culture and history. Each had a purpose which was displayed by the design and construction of each. There are such great meanings behind each of these architecural structures. The Romans and the Greeks alike worshipped and dedicated their structures and designs to the Gods and Goddess they believed in.

Many centuries before the birth of Christ, the city of Rome grew, prospered, and developed into a thriving Republic. As in most cultures, Rome's buildings became more elaborate and impressive. They developed fantastic building technologies and ideas. The feats of Roman engineers were groundbreaking, and many structures built by this culture still stand today. With knowledge borrowed from the Greeks, Rome made impressive architectural achievements, these were namely major attributes of buildings, colossal structures, and a legacy that would influence later buildings (Cornell and Matthews 11).

For example, in Ancient Rome, most of the buildings were build be using columns, therefore, the buildings were more reliable. In many of our buildings today you see this same columns used in buildings in our society today. For instance, “You can see the influence of Roman architecture in government buildings, large banks, and even some famous buildings like the United States Capitol Building (Ducksters).” A building that the Romans built that also takes a big part in our society today is the Pantheon. The Pantheon was built in the shape of a dome, and was built to honor every god the Romans worshipped.

One invention was concrete. Evan Andrews said “Many ancient Roman structures like the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are still standing today thanks to the development of Roman cement and concrete. The Romans first began building with concrete over 2,100 years ago and used it throughout the Mediterranean basin in everything from aqueducts and buildings to bridges and monuments.” This highlights that many of the structure standing today are due to the fact that the Romans had concrete. It also says that Romans used concrete for a lot of building purposes.

So much of what we know about Roman culture, military methods, religion and art weren’t truly Roman in their genesis but were adopted and perfected by the Romans. So perhaps it is fitting that their most iconic architectural element was also adopted and perfected. It is unclear whether the arch originated in Etruria or in Sicily by Archimedes (Alchin, 2017) but there is no question that the Romans were the ones who put it to widespread use. The structural importance of the arch was that it “enables wide spaces to be crossed by the use of the minimum of materials, thus relieving weight which would otherwise put an intolerable burden on the structure.” (Kamm, n.d.)

Beyond the practical uses of Arches, the Romans would build triumphal arches to celebrate victories and conquests. The most practical use of the arch was with the aqueducts which helped deliver fresh water to the Roman cities. Arches were extremely useful in most of the Roman construction, including homes, temples, colosseums, bath houses, and theaters. The technology of the arch allowed for wide open spaces, which were essential for these public areas. (Kamm, n.d.) Aqueducts.

The Romans are known for their civil and military architecture all around their empire. The Romans invented several architecture and engineering structures. They developed the arch, the dome, the Roman concrete, and the pavement. The pavement was a structure that is used to solve some of the issues they found to build the net of roads along their empire. They needed durable roads that would last a long time and support heavy loads. The basic structure of the pavement is a lower layer close to the ground that is called the sub base. It was made out of gravel. Above that layer there is another layer which is the base. It is made out of sand. On top of that there were pieces of stone that were cut into a square or rectangular

We use this structure as entertainment. The Roman’s also contributed to creating the arches and domes. In Legacy of the Roman Empire, “Roman baths and other public buildings often had great arched vaults. The Pantheon, a magnificent temple that still stands in Rome, is famous for its huge dome. The Romans used concrete to help them build much bigger arches than anyone had attempted before,”.

One of Roman Engineering’s greatest accomplishments was the use of the arch. The arch shape is very strong, able to support great amounts of weight. This allowed Romans to build massive structures that would stand for many centuries. The Romans adapted the arch design to fit many purposes. The barrel vault is merely an elongated arch; this was used for buildings tombs and sewers. The dome is an adaptation of the arch. The dome is an arch revolved on its vertical axis. The best example of the dome in ancient Rome is the Pantheon. The basic arch was used in almost every large building in Rome. Romans also used

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.

Architecture of the ancient Roman Empire is one of the most fascinating of all time. The city of Rome once housed more than one million residents. The Romans made great use of many architectural shapes like arches and columns. Using these they were able to build monstrous buildings of worship, entertainment and other services. The one building that comes in mind over the centuries, when you think of Rome is The Amphitheatrum Flavium or The Coloseum.

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