Download - History of Roman Architecture
Ancient Roman Architecture
Made By:
Ankit Jain
Roman Cities
• The typical Roman city of the later Republic and empire had a rectangular plan and resembled a Roman military camp with two main streets—the cardo (north-south) and the decumanus (east-west)—a grid of smaller streets dividing the town into blocks, and a wall circuit with gates.
• Older cities, such as Rome itself, founded before the adoption of • Older cities, such as Rome itself, founded before the adoption of regularized city planning, could, however, consist of a maze of crooked streets. The focal point of the city was its forum, usually situated at the center of the city at the intersection of the cardo and the decumanus.
By the time of Augustus, Rome had
grown from a tiny settlement on the
Tiber River to a metropolis at the
center of an expanding empire.
Under the republic Rome became
Plan of the City of Rome
center of an expanding empire.
Under the republic Rome became
the political capital of the
Mediterranean and a symbol of
Roman power and wealth.
We will be discussing the following types of architecture:
� Temples
� Basilicae
� Vaulting Systems
� Amphitheatres
� Civic Buildings
� Roman Orders
� Triumphal Arches
� Aqueducts
Pantheon
• Roman temples were erected not only in the forum, but throughout the city and in the countryside as well; many other types are known. One of the most influential in later times was the type used for the Pantheon (ad 118-28) in Rome, consisting of a standard gable-roofed columnar porch with a domed cylindrical drum behind it replacing the traditional rectangular main room, or cella.
-Sense of
direction (N/S)
-Sense of space
on a definite axis
-Ritual
The Pantheon, rebuilt by Agrippa
PLAN
The rotunda is twice as high as the porch.
The exterior is made completely of brick.
The rotunda is also known as a honeycomb
structure.
-Dome made
of concrete
and mortar
-As the dome
rises near the
oculus it
consists mostly
of volcanic
material
-Such material,
which the
-The proportions
of the rotunda and
dome are based
upon geometry,
most like the
entire building
-The diameter and
height of the
rotunda are the which the
Romans had a
great supply
of, is called
pozzolana. It is
considered to
be true
cement
-Covered with
gilded bronze
rotunda are the
same: 43.2 meters
-The dome is 21.6
meters high,
exactly half the
height of the
rotunda
Interior of the Pantheon
-Floor is curved so rain water from
oculus runs off to the edge
-First story contains altars, second
story contains 14 blind windows and
drum that supports the dome, and
third story is the dome made up of
cofferscoffers
Oculus
-The only light source
for the structure
-For a building
dedicated to all the
gods, it should only
admit light from the
heavensheavens
-Floor patterns emphasize Romans’
fascination with geometry and
symmetry. The squares are finite
and measurable whereas the shape
are circles are infinite and
immeasurable. The opposition
creates a symmetry.
Floor patterns of Pantheon
creates a symmetry.
Coffer Method
-Series of indented squares
(five rows of 28 coffers each)
-Squares become smaller
towards the top of the dome
for proper support
-Each square would have -Each square would have
been painted blue with a
star in the center of each
-Creates optical illusion that
dome is wider than it
actually is
Forums
• The forum, an open area bordered by colonnades with shops,
functioned as the chief meeting place of the town. It was also the site
of the city's primary religious and civic buildings, among them the
Senate house, records office, and basilica.
Forum of Augustus.
-The front of the temple appears to be pushed up to one end of the square, relating to and
dominating the space in front of it.
-Domination of a defined space and on a definite axis are qualities in Roman architecture.
Roman Orders
Doric Ionic Corinthian
Levels of the Colosseum corresponding to the Roman orders
Level 1:
Doric
Level 2:
Ionic
Level 3:
Corinthian
Corinthian Column: Details of the acanthus leaf
A common plant of the Mediterranean, acanthus leaves adorned the capitals
of the Corinthian capitals, which were the most popular of the columns in
Roman architecture.
-Use of Corinthian columns, sense of space and direction, small cella, post-lintel structure
-One major difference from the Pantheon is the floor plan.
Maison Carree; Nimes, France
Circular/honeycomb/tholos Basilica (based on megaron)
Floor plan of the Pantheon Floor plan of Maison Carree
-Beehive or cylindrical structure
-Excessively large; known for its size (sense of space and ritual)
Mausoleum of Augustus
This temple is dedicated to Vesta, the goddess of
fire. The columns, in peristyle, protect an altar
and fire located inside the small cella
Temple of Vesta, Rome
-Circular cella
-Supported by Corinthian columns
Roman Vaulting Systems
A: Barrel Vault
B: Cross/Groin Vault
C: Pavilion Vault
D: Sail Vault
E: Domical Vault
F: Umbrella Dome
The barrel vault, cross vault, and domical structure
(A,C, E) are the most prominent vaultings in Roman
architecture
-This structure utilizes the barrel vault.
-At the other side of the vault the structure uses the round arch.
Basilica Nova of Maxentius, Rome
Pont du Gard; Nimes, France
-The bottom story is composed of six arches, and its piers are supported by buttresses. The
second story consists of ten arches, and the third story carries the actual conduit with thirty-
five arches.
-For an efficient water supply to Rome the bridge was built to follow gravity and slopes down
at a slight 0.025 meters/kilometer.
Aqueducts- a way to carry water• There wasn’t enough water in the city of Rome.
• The Romans brought water in from the surrounding countryside.
• The water was brought in by tubes called aqueducts.
How did the aqueduct work?How did the aqueduct work?
• The water flowed in a tube on
the top of the aqueduct called
a water channel.
• The arches supported the
water channel.
What did the water channel look
like?
• The water flowed through a
rectangular channel.
• The channel was lined with
concrete.
• The Romans invented concrete.• The Romans invented concrete.
Arches, especially the arches constructed in the Pont du Gard, were built around wooden
frames. The frames were removed upon completion.
-An arch was constructed from each end up to the top until the center piece, known as the
keystone, was ready to be placed.
-The keystone exerted a force on the adjacent stones so that this one stone at the top held the
entire arch together. Thus, it is the key to the structure.
CANQ?Characteristics of a triumphal arch
1. Combined columns
2. Arcuated system2. Arcuated system
3. Nike figures
4. Quadriga
Triumphal Arch of Titus
-Combined columns
-Arches
-Nike figures
-Quardriga
Triumphal Arch of Constantine, Rome
The Colosseum-
a place for sports
-Although the Colosseum is a triumph, it is not
triumphal.
-With the idea of an arch being a new Roman
technology in architecture, this mammoth
structure is a great achievement.
-It was the first large, permanent amphitheatre
in Rome.
-The parts of the Colosseum were made out
of different materials such as travertine,
tufa, and concrete.
-The travertine held together the façade.
-The inside walls are made of tufa blocks.
-Concrete was laid above the arches and
mainly used in the platform.
• Domus = house
• Atrium = entrance to house
• Outside plain, inside elaborate.
• Homes were considered sanctuaries
Domestic Architecture
Homes were considered sanctuaries
• Atrium would often have sculptures of family members
Floor plan of a Roman house
Atrium
House of Vettii Garden
Conclusion!
� Position of each structure with
respect to adjacent structures
emphasizes the importance of
direction, space, and ritual
� Geometrical shapes are present
in the construction and décor of
each building
� The most popular vaults, the
barrel, cross, and domical vaults, all
come from the idea of the round arch
� Arches were not sturdy because of
mortar, but because of the keystone
� Triumphal arches had a different each building
� There are three orders of
columns, but Corinthian is the most
prominent in Ancient Rome
� The majority of the Roman
population lived in insulae, which
were located in the city, poorly built,
yet a comfortable living space
� Triumphal arches had a different
purpose depending on who they were
built for, but all arches maintained
CANQ.
� Two major floor plans in Roman
architecture are the basilica and
circular plan