ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

• The Foundation of Rome is of uncertain date, but is generally taken at 750 BC.

• Colourful tales about the founding of Rome emerges – Aeneas descendant Romulos/(Remus) founded Rome.

• Rome become conquest oriented, and one by one the neighbouring cities specifically Etruscan cities were
brought under its control.

343 BC - Began the Roman conquest of Italy.

264 to 241 BC - First Punic War against Carthage, and Sicily become the first province of Rome.

218 to 201 BC - Second Punic War. Roman armies were defeated by a great Carthegean General “Hanibal”, entering
Italy from Spain.

149 to 146 BC – Third Punic War. Carthage become a Roman province in Africa.

146 BC – Greece becomes a province of Rome.

133 BC – Western Asia becomes part of the Roman Republic

 With the conquest of Spain & Syria, Roman Empire extended from Atlantic Ocean to Euphrates.

59 BC – Caesar victoriously conquered the whole of Gaul (France & Belgium)

55 BC – Caesar crossed Rhine & English Channel to invade Britain.

44 BC - Caesar was murdered.

Augustus Ceasar (Julius Ceasar’s nephew) was made emperor , 27 BC, & governed until his death, 41 AD.

Constantine (306 – 337 AD) vigorously revive the weakened Architecture mainly to the new force - Christianity

The central and commanding position of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea enabled Rome to act as an intermediary in
spreading art and civilization over Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa.

The Romans were not a seafaring people like the Greeks, and they depended for the extension of their power, not on
colonization, but on conquest

GEOLOGY / MATERIALS :

• In Rome the chief and almost the only building material is marble; whereas in addition to marble the Romans
could procure terra-cotta, stone, and brick, all of which they used, even for important buildings.

• The Romans were not a seafaring people like the Greeks, and they depended for the extension of their power,
not on colonization, but on conquest.

CLIMATE

The North has the climate of the temperate region of continental Europe.

Central Italy has genial and sunny climate.

South is almost tropical

RELIGION

Roman were originally mixed people, their polytheistic religion was the fusion of several cults

Roman gods derived attributes from those of Greek gods

SOCIAL & POLITICS

• From its legendary foundation C753 B.C and throughout the sixth century B.C Rome was under Etruscan
domination and ruled by Etruscan Kings, aided by senators and popular assembly

• The declaration and development of constitutional republic and civil service are indicative of Roman
characteristic; they were great organizers, thrifty, patient farmer-soldiers, dutiful to authority and the law and
concerned with efficiency and justice.

• The reform and control of which was exasperated ineffective republican government and gave rise to a
succession of military dictatorships of which Julius Caesar is the most famous.

• The Building Acts of Augustus, Nero, Trajan had a considerable influence on the development on Rome

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER: (Etruscan Architecture “750-100 B.C)

• The Etruscans, who were the early inhabitants of west-central Italy, were great builders, and their methods
were taken over by the Romans.

• They made remarkable advances in the organization of the large scale undertakings, such as construction of city
walls and sewers, the draining of marshes and the control of rivers, and the cutting of channel to regulate the
water level of lakes.

• The Romans adopted the columnar and trabeated style of the Greeks, and the developed also the arch and the
vault from the beginnings made by the Etruscans. This combined use of column, beam and arch in the keynote
of the Roman style in its early stages.

• The Tuscan order is the simplified version of doric order, about 7 diameters high
with base, unflated shaft, and simply moulded capital, ad with a plain entablature

• The Composite order combines the prominent volutes of Ionic with the acanthus of the Corinthian on its capital
and is thus the most decorative the shaft may be fluted or plain. The composite order was not evolved until the
first century A.D
CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

• 1) Wall of Opus Incertum Stones became quite small, and on the wall faces appeared in a loose patterns roughly
resembling the polygonal work.

• 2) Wall of Opus Recticulatum at the time Augustus it had assumed the net-like effect, with fine joints running
diagonally.

• 3)Wall of Opus Testaceum brick facing superseded

• 4) Wall of Opus Mixtum - final type an alteration of course of Brickwork and small, squared stone blocks.

• The Romans developed the Stone Arch of the Etruscans but it was above all, the use of concrete which allowed
the Roman to build vaults of a magnitude never equaled till the introduction of steel for buildings in the
nineteenth century.

• Concrete vaults had the advantage over stone in that they could be accommodated to complicated plan forms
without involving difficult and laborious stone cutting. The vaults were supported on “Centering” or temporary
wooden framework until the concrete filling, the object being to lighten the load imposed on the centering and
to guard against cracks.

• Concrete - a composite material which consists essentially of binding medium within which are embedded
particles or fragments of aggregate.

• Vaults - an arch covering in stone or brick over any building.

• Keystone the wedge-shaped often embellished voussoir , at the crown of an arch, serving to lock the other
voussoir in place.

• Voussoir any of the wedged shape units in a masonry arch or vault, having side cuts converging at one of arch
centers.

• Extrados exterior curve , surface or boundary of the visible face of an arch. Also called back

• Springer The first voussoir resisting on the impost of an arch

• Impost the uppermost part of an abutment, often in the form of a block capital or molding from which an arch
springs

• Haunches either side of an arch curving down from the crown to the impost.

• Crown the highest part or point of a convex construction, as an arch, vault, or roadway

• Intrados the inner curve or surface of an arch forming the concave underside

• Spring line the poin in which an arch,vault or dome rises from it’s support. Also called springing.

• Rise the height of an arch from the springing line to the highest point of the intrados.

• A) Roman Waggon Vault – semi-circular or waggon-headed

vault otherwise known as the Barrel or Tunnel vault was

borne throughout it’s length on the two parallel walls of a

rectangular apartment.
• B) Roman waggon w/ Intersecting Vault– semi-circular or waggon-headed vault otherwise known as the Barrel
or Tunnel vault was borne throughout it’s length on the two parallel walls of a rectangular apartment.

• C) Cross Vault – formed by the intersection of two semi-circular vaults of equal span, was used over a square
apartment and the pressure was taken by the four angles.

• The lines of intersection of these cross vaults are known as “GROINS”

ROMAN STRUCTURE:

• 1) Forums - was a central open space used as a meeting place, market, or gathering place for political discussion
or demonstration, a central city location critical for communicating ideas and news.

A) Forum Romanum MOST IMPORTANT

B) Imperial Forums

C) Forum of Trajan

• 2) Temples - was a place for personal vows, ritual ceremonies, advertising state acts, deeds and documents.

• The temple provided a means of informing the public of what was going on in government, the military, and
other official organizations.

• Additionally, and most importantly for their role in empire, the temple was a symbol of authority, and as Livy
described, worthy of kings and men, and the might of Rome.

• TWO TYPES OF ROMAN TEMPLE

• 2.a) Rectangular temples Roman temples are an analgamation of Etruscan and Greek types; the typical
prostyle of portico and podoium were derived from Etruscan Temples. The most characteristics is pseudo-
peripteral, which, instead of side colonnades,has half columns attached to the walls with prostyle portico in
front

• 2.b) Circular temples Temple of Vesta Rome

• Temple of Vesta, Tivoli

• Temple of Panthenon

4) Thermae/Bath - The Roman baths provided a practical expression of empire because the baths were an essential
component of the everyday life of Roman citizens and served as meeting places as well as a place to get clean in
warm water

5. Theaters/Amphitheaters - were a means of entertainment rather than pleasure but were also luxury
experienced by the Romans because of the Empire. With basic needs provided, the populace was allowed to
turn its attention to non-essential activities. The theater was one of several entertainment facilities
produced by the Romans in addition to the amphitheater and the circus.

6) Circuses - The Roman circus was built to accommodate horse and chariot racing, and those
built were grand and magnificent structures, exceeding the grandeur of the amphitheater..
7. Dwellings- There were four types of Roman dwellings:

1. Domus or private home,

2. Villa or country house,

3.Imperial palace

4.Insula or many-storied tenement..

6) Triumphal Arches - is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched
passageways. More elaborate triumphal arches may have multiple archways.

• 7) Tombs- Roman practice both forms of burial ,crenation,and interment. The Roman have five class of burial
places

1. Coemetria

2. Monumental Tombs

3.Temple - shaped tombs

4.Sculptured Tombs

5.Pyramidal Tombs

8) Aqueducts- Roman aqueducts have been the subject of much study and are familiar even to casual observer. The
romans gave importance to an adequate water supply.
CLASSICAL
GREEK ARCHITECTURE

The Minoans

= lived in CRETE, an island in the Aegean Sea.

= named after a legendary king, MINOS.

= as early as 2,600 B.C., people on Crete are working with bronze and gold.

The Myceneans

= Indo-European invaders of Crete named after the palace at Mycenae

around 1900 B.C.

= Mycenae was the homeland of Agamemnon, a king in Greek mythology.

= Culture was based around citadels on the mainland of Greece.

 MEGARONS = domestic houses

 TYPES OF WALL CONSTRUCTION

Cyclopean = huge stone blocks

Polygonal = polygonal stones

Rectangular = cut stones w/ dowels

The architecture of Ancient Greece is the architecture produced by the Greek-speaking

people (Hellenic people) whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands,
and in colonies in Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest
remaining architectural works dating from around 600 BC.