The Influence of the Greeks and Romans on Architecture

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.

I will first provide a description of the building and the architectural order of neoclassicism before moving on to consider why the architect used the classical style, the messages conveyed through that choice and

The classical style of the ancient Athens, derived from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in the 15th century, has had a universal impact on many cultures during previous time periods. The classical period reflected traditional forms focused on symmetry and elegance; it flourished during the time of the Renaissance through artist such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo De Vinci. The artists’ main goal was to attain the absolute beauty in their art by showing emotion through detail, almost through perfection. Some examples of well-known classical arts during the Renaissance were ‘Belvedere Torso’ and the ‘Medici Venus’. In the 17th century the classical style was revived, now called the neo-classical style. It was born in Rome but its popularity flourished all over Europe. The neo-classical movement clashed with the age of Enlightment and continued through the 19th century. The neo-classical principles were based around the same characteristics as the classical arts such as: balance, proportion, order, simplicity, clarity, and reason. It was strongest in architect, sculpture, and decorative arts. The neo- classical style continued to spread throughout the world and became sought after in the 17th and 18th century in countries such as France and The United States, and it influenced some of the greatest government buildings in America.

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).

The history of Architecture started long time ago. The nomadic were groups of people whom move from one place to another in order find shelter and food to survive. As they progress, their techniques to survive evolve. The need for a permanent shelter became vital for a better stability of the group. This is the time when the first structures that provided protection appeared. Post and lintel were the first forms of Architecture, that satisficed the basic needs. Architecture evolved to be more sophisticated and fulfill the people’s needs. Consequently, Architecture evolved throughout different periods such as: Ancient architecture, Romanesque, The medieval, Renaissance, Early modern, and the industrial age, Modernism and Contemporary

Many architectural and urban forms and elements that we witness today are largely influenced by how buildings were design and laid in Rome. Not only in terms of its external design that brought upon important messages but the design of interiors and the significance of spatial arrangement of spaces exist within them has created the sense of physical experience in the buildings as well. Rome’s urban development and the rise of architectural movement began during the time of Augustus

The first example of the Classical style that I am going to talk about is Greek architecture.

Roman architects did not invent the Arch nor for that matter concrete, but they did however refine and apply these key architectural techniques and materials to sublime effect we will explore the impact the use of these two elements had on the development of Roman architecture, how they affected everyday life in Rome and the results of their use. . Some of the earliest evidence of the application of the arch date back to the second millennium BCE, the Romans adopted it from other cultures and were drawn to a number of key attributes of this shape. A popular parlour trick for illusionists is to place a crate of eggs between two solid surfaces and place a large weight on top of it, sometimes an adult. Counter intuitively the eggs do not break

When one thinks of Roman architecture, many things come to mind, such as arches, columns, statues, and richly covered surfaces in marbles. One must stop to think that this empire, which gained power and influence in the first century BC, must have been influenced from the thousands of years of cultures preceding them in order to create their masterpieces of ingenuity. This phenomenon can be seen in our borrowing of ideas of ancient Greece and Rome for the construction of our capitol buildings in the United States. The Romans surely considered design principles of other cultures when developing their buildings, since daily conquests of new lands opened Roman soldiers’ eyes to innovations from the great vastness of their empire. This

One of the great architects in time was Andrea Palladio, who was made famous for his magnificent Villas built in Italy in the fifteen hundreds. To do so he drew from the Greek and Roman’s architecture, studying many of their finest works, to create his masterful villas. This process would develop into a style of architecture, which became known as Palladianism. This style has inspired buildings which have dominated the landscape for the last four hundred years. These buildings include: English castles, American public buildings, Swiss railroad stations, Spanish libraries, Tuscan villas and Canadian hotels. Many of these buildings are considered to be the great buildings of the world.

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

The two ancient civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome were the best of the best during their time periods. Ancient Greece began around 2000 B.C. by the inhabitants known as the Mycenaean’s, followed by the Minoans. The Minoans built the foundation of Greece. The Roman Empire was founded around 753 B.C. by the two twins, Romulus and Remus. Romulus ended up killing Remus and built the city of Rome on one of seven rolling hills. Architecture was very important to both civilizations and they were always trying to out due the other. The architectural style of the Ancient Greeks and Romans was overall constructed and used differently.

The History of Greek Architecture The architecture of ancient Greece is represented by buildings in the sanctuaries and cities of mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, southern Italy and Sicily, and the Ionian coast of Turkey. Monumental Greek architecture began in the archaic period, flourished through the classical and Hellenistic periods, and saw the first of many revivals during the Roman Empire. The roots of Greek architecture lie in the tradition of local Bronze Age house and palaces. The following paper will cover the basic forms of Greek architecture.

Architecture affirms the wealth and culture of a society. The Romanesque style is a little like Roman architecture. Gothic architecture structures were beautifully made and offered the light of the new world to be shared. Both styles can be regarded as revolutions in building styles. By comparing the Romanesque and Gothic Architectural styles, I found that both styles were popular in the middle Ages, although Romanesque was first and later evolved into the Gothic style. Founded by the Normans but resembling classical Roman architecture, Romanesque style was presented around 800 A.D. and continued to be well-liked through 1100 A.D. An example of this Romanesque style is St. Sernin, Toulouse in France, seen in figure 1. Later, building styles changed to the Gothic style, which was appreciated from the mid-1100's through 1500 A.D. The Gothic style, which originated in France, and was later renamed after the barbaric Goths who sacked ancient Rome. Figure 2 is an example of Gothic Architecture: The Chartres Cathedral in France.

Classical architecture is something that almost anyone can appreciate because there are traces of it everywhere. Greek and Roman cultures have had a major influence on today's architecture but it all stems from the classical architecture that was created centuries ago. The present example is Neoclassical Architecture which first appeared in 18th century France and in America, it was promoted by the legendary Thomas Jefferson as the Federal style. During the Neoclassical period, the ideas of balance, harmony, and idealism resurfaced and were once again popular. Now sit back and prepare to be taught a thing or two about architecture and where most of the main principles and ideas came