Roman Architecture

  • Roman civilisation is distinguished by its use of the Roman Arch and the use of Roman Concrete.
  • This led to the creation of aqueducts, triumphal arches, amphitheatres, domes, vaults and baths on a monumental scale, many of which are still standing today.

Vitruvius

  • Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (c.88-c.26 BCE) was a Roman Engineer who described in ten books called De Architectura, how the Romans built their Aqueducts and other Great Works including a description of the machines that built them. In book I he described Roman town planning.
  • This knowledge was lost until he was rediscovered during the Renaissance.

The Roman Arch

  • The Roman Arch was a semi-circular arch known as the Rounded Arch, which became the basis for the expansion of the Roman Empire and of later Western Architecture.
  • Although the arch was used by Ancient Greece, Persia and Mesopotamia, it wasn’t used in Buildings. The Romans adopted this arch from the Etruscans and used it in all their buildings..
  • An arch directs pressure outwards and downwards known as compressive stress, which allows it to support great loads. When reinforced by walls or abutments the arch can support even greater loads.
  • The even distribution of force is done by the Keystone at the top which although bearing no weight, locks all the other stones into position.

The City of Rome

  • The Ancient city of Rome holds Monuments both ruined and still standing that cover one thousand years of Roman History.
  • At the heart of Roman social and political life was the Forum Romanum.

Roman Town Planning

  • The Romans were influenced by Greek ideas on Town Planning, in particular the Grid Plan favoured by Hippodamus of Miletus.
  • The Ruins of Timgad (c100 CE) in Algeria are notable for displaying a Grid Plan.
  • Roman Town Planning ensured that all Roman towns, cities or forts had a grid system of streets based on two intersecting roads:
    • Cardo Maximus
      • or Cardo, was the main north-south road.
    • Decumanus Maximus
      • was the main east-west road that intersected the Cardo.
    • Roman Forum
      • Every Roman town or city had a Forum placed at the intersection of these two main roads.
  • Forum Romanum
    • The centre of every Roman town and city was the Forum and the centre of Business and Social Life in the capital was the Forum Romanum.
    • Forums of Ancient Rome
  • Resort Towns of Ancient Rome
    • The wealthy Romans and the Emperors took their summer holidays on the Bay of Naples and other resort towns, where they built sumptuous villas.  Tivoli near Rome was another popular Resort where the Emperor Hadrian built a Villa.
  • Preserved Roman cities
    • Pompeii and Herculaneum
    • The Archeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius during the eruption of 79 CE, and have provided a time capsule of life in Roman cities.
  • Preserved North African Roman cities

Roman Villa Structures

  • Roman Villa or Domus
    • The Roman Villa was a country house for wealthy Romans during both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.
    • The villa urbana was a weekend or holiday country house near to a city, and the Villa rustica was a large farm estate dedicated to agricultural production.
  • Hypocaust
    • The Hypocaust was the Roman central heating system in the Roman Baths and in the Roman Villas.
    • The floors of the Roman Baths and villas were raised on pillars, to allow the hot air from the Praefurnium (Furnace) to circulate underneath them and heat the floors and walls.
  • Roman Mosaic
    • The Roman Mosaic was an art form used during the Roman Republic (509-27 BCE) and the Roman Empire (27 BCE- 576 CE).
    • They were displayed in private and public buildings, both on the floors and the walls.
  • Roman Roof
    • The Ancient Greek and Roman Roof used flat fired clay Tiles with overlapping ridges to create a waterproof roof covering.
    • The same design of tiles can still be seen in the Mediterranean today.

Roman Apartment Buildings

  • Insulae
    • Insulae were Roman Apartment Buildings in towns.
    • In Pompeii, Insulae have been found up to 5 storeys high.

Roman Buildings for Entertainment

  • Roman Amphitheatre
    • The Roman Amphitheatre was a giant oval or circular stone monument, usually built to hold around 50,000 spectators.
    • There are 230 known Amphitheatres existing across Europe today, with most Amphitheatres located in the western part of the Roman Empire.
    • Roman Cities competed to demonstrate their wealth and prestige by building these huge Monuments.
  • Roman Baths
    • The Roman Baths or Thermae was part of the fabric of Roman social life and was at the heart of Roman Civilisation. The great Public Baths were centres of entertainment.
    • Bathing and attending was a social ritual which took several hours. The architecture of Public Baths were designed to impress and reinforce Roman Civilisation both in Rome and throughout the Provinces of the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Circus
  • Roman Theatre
    • Roman Theatres were Greek in style, with a semi-circular seating area to maximise the acoustics and often built out of stone on their own foundations. They are found all over the Roman Empire.
    • Whereas Amphitheatres were for Races, Games and Gladiator Displays, Theatres were for Plays, Musical Performances, Choral Events, Orations and Recitations.

Roman Civic Buildings

Roman Triumphal Buildings

  • Triumphal Arch
    • The Triumphal Arch is a standalone monument most associated with the Roman Empire.
    • It consisted of one or more stone archways across a road usually bearing an inscription, with the walls decorated by sculpted reliefs and often topped by a statue.
    • There were 36 Triumphal Arches of Ancient Rome, although only 3 have survived today.
  • Columns of Ancient Rome
    • Trajan’s Column and Marcus Aurelius’ Column are two Roman Triumphal columns made of marble blocks sculpted with scenes displaying the Roman army at war.
    • They are probably Ancient Rome’s most original, unique and foremost sculptures.

Roman Transport Structures

  • Roman Bridges
    • The Roman Bridge used a semi-circular arch of stone which could carry a road or an aqueduct and became the basis for the expansion of the Roman Empire.
    • The Romans were able to bridge rivers and valleys by using an arcade of arches with the road or aqueduct on top.
  • Roman Roads
    • ‘All Roads lead to Rome’. During the Roman Empire travelers could journey by paved all weather roads from Rome to any part of the Empire.
    • Many of these roads are still visible today.
  • Roman Tunnels
    • Roman Tunnels were built to transfer water underground or to pass a road or aqueduct through a mountain. The Fucine Lake was drained by a tunnel.
    • Tunnels were also built for mines, sewers and for underground tombs. Several Roman tunnels still exist today.

Roman Water Structures

  • Roman Aqueducts
    • Roman Aqueducts are considered to be the eighth wonder of the world and are on a par with the Pyramids.
    • They were a marvel of engineering of the Ancient World and many are still standing tod
  • Roman Baths
    • Bathing and attending was a social ritual which took several hours. The architecture of Public Baths were designed to impress and reinforce Roman Civilisation, both in Rome and throughout the Provinces of the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Canals
    • The Romans built many canals for irrigation and to control flooding in deltas, but also for navigation.
  • Cistern
    • The Cistern was a receptacle for holding water and would be located at the terminus of a Roman Aqueduct.
  • Cloaca Maxima
    • The Cloaca Maxima is the ‘Great Sewer’ of Rome. It is an underground canal or conduit built around 600 BCE and is still in use today. Roman cities all had a network of sewers to carry waste water away.
  • Roman Dam
    • The Romans built many Dams throughout their Empire, some of which still exist today.
  • Fountains of Ancient Rome
    • Frontinus, who was Prefect of the Aqueducts of Rome or Curator Aquarum in 97 CE, stated that nine Aqueducts supplied water to 39 fountains and 591 public pools.
  • Roman Water Mill
    • The Romans used water power to grind grain and to provide power for some early mechanical forges. Water mills have been found throughout the Roman Empire.

Roman Harbour Structures

  • Docks of Ancient Rome
    • The Docks of Ancient Rome were a series of terraces and walls known as the Emporium. Behind the terraces stood a large warehouse to store the Goods known as the Porticus Aemilia.
  • Ostia
    • Ostia, also known as Ostia Antica, was the Port for Ancient Rome. The Republican Naval Fleet was also based here.
    • Cargo Ships transferred their Goods here onto barges which travelled up the Tiber to Rome.
  • Portus
    • Portus was the Port of Rome, built in 42 CE, which surpassed the port of Ostia and could accommodate the Grain Fleet.
  • Centumcellae
    • Centumcellae was a major Port built in 106 CE by Trajan to serve Rome.
  • Puteoli
    • Puteoli was the Roman name for Pozzuoli in the Bay of Naples, Italy, which was the main harbour for the Roman Republic and early Empire.
  • Roman Lighthouse
    • The Romans built lighthouses across the Roman Empire. They were usually modeled on the Pharos of Alexandria in Egypt.
    • The Roman Lighthouse at La Coruna, Spain, is still in use today.

Roman Military Structures

  • Aurelian Walls
    • The Aurelian Walls encircled Rome and were completed in five years between 270-275 CE by the Emperor Aurelian.
    • The walls were 26 ft (8m) high and constructed from tiled bricks and concrete. They were 12 miles (20km) long and had 14 Gates
  • Servian Wall
    • It was the first wall to be built to enclose Rome after Brennius and the Gauls had sacked an undefended Rome in c.390 BCE.
    • Built in stone, the wall was 33 feet (10m) tall, 12 feet (3.5m) wide and 7 miles (11.2km) long.
  • Hadrian's Wall
    • Hadrian’s Wall in Britain is a 74 mile (119km) Roman defensive stone wall in with Forts at intervals, built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian between 122-128 CE.
  • Roman Frontier Walls
    • Roman fortified frontiers were known as Limes and extended across all their frontiers such as the Limes Germanicus along the Rhine and the Danube Limes along the Danube.

Roman Decorative Structures

  • Aedicula
    • Aedicula (Plural Aediculae) is the diminutive of Aedes, meaning Temple, and meant a small Roman Shrine containing a Statue or Altar.
  • Gardens of Ancient Rome
    • The Gardens of Ancient Rome were either Public or Private spaces where exotic plants and fruit were grown in a structured landscape with pavilions and filled with works of art.
  • Roman Obelisks
    • The Romans were Impressed by the Obelisks they found in newly conquered Egypt, and in 10 BCE Augustus brought two Obelisks to Rome. Subsequent Emperors continued this trend whilst others made imitations.
  • Statues of Ancient Rome
    • Rome had many full size statues and equestrian statues in both stone and bronze, which were located in public places as well as in private villas.

Roman Building Materials

  • Roman Concrete
    • Roman Concrete was manufactured from 150 BCE onwards. The Romans created a two types of concrete, one durable and the other waterproof by mixing Pozzolana sand with Lime.
    • Using this concrete they were then able to construct Buildings, underwater Moles, Docks, Bridges and Domes.
  • Roman Bricks
    • Bricks were used extensively in both Private and Public buildings. Thin layers of bricks were often laid in masonry walls to act as a bonding agent. Bricks were often used to face a concrete wall.
  • Roman Glass
    • Glass started to be used in windows, at first from a mold then by the late 3rd century CE glass was formed into sheets.
  • Roman Lead
    • Lead was used in sheets for lining the interior of aqueducts and to sheath the hulls of sea going vessels.
    • It was used to make lead pipes for the distribution of water in towns and cities.
  • Roman Mortar
    • Chalk was an ingredient in the making of quicklime for use in Mortar for constructing buildings.
  • Roman Pottery
    • Chislehurst Caves are man made tunnels constructed by the creation of an Ancient chalk and flint mine that the Romans continued to develop.
  • Roman Roof Tile
    • The Ancient Greek and Roman Roof used flat fired clay tiles with overlapping ridges to create a waterproof roof covering.
  • Roman Stone
    • Stone was cut from quarries and brought to the building site to be dressed and used in buildings.

Roman Construction Methods

  • Roman Block and Tackle
    • The Romans used ropes run through a series of pulleys to create what is called a tackle. By this means heavy blocks of stone could be lifted by a tiny force.
  • Roman Crane
    • The Roman crane usually consisted of a drum rotated by a windlass which pulled a rope through several pulleys.
    • Cranes were used to lift heavy weights on Roman construction sites and were described by Vitruvius.
  • Roman Measurements
    • Roman Weights were mostly based on factors of twelve.
    • Roman linear Measures were based on the Roman foot.

 

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