ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

HISTORY
Ancient roman architecture is a mix of different
aspects of ancient Greek architecture and newer te
chnologies like the arch and the dome to create a
new architectural style.

The romans were also known to employ greek craft

smen and engineers to construct roman buildings.

Factors like wealth and high population densities in

cities forced the ancient romans to discover new
architectural solutions.
 Their passion for size and excess
pushed them to unsustainable levels
of consumption and territorial expans
ion.
They were much about
demonstrating imperial power as abo
ut gaining access to water.
City of Rome had 1352 fountains and
967 free baths
CITY PLAN
Roman cities are basically composed of Identical
components disposed in a special way- parallel
and equal distance separated by streets.

It forms a unit of rectangular design surrounded

by a wall with watchtowers.

.All streets are equal except for two: the North-

South and East-West which are wider and placed
at the end of four doors of the exterior wall.
Romans were the 1st one to use defense
technique with walls.

Walls consists of 2 parallel covers or

paraments of masonry of different sizes.

Romans new city plan was protected with

big wall with rectangular perimeter.
The city plan solved the following practical
purpose:

Easy to layout

Easy to administer

Breezes could flow through for natural

ventilation

Easy to defend
.Necessary if walledfor public
components
buildings: amphitheatre, theatre, market,
forum, etc.
 MAJOR FEARTURES
The Forum:
It was bordered by everything important like
temples, offices, jails etc. Public processions and cere
monies take place there.

The amphitheatre : was layout of a modern stadium

which allows efficient flow of thousands of spectators

The aqueducts provided gravity fed streams of water

for drinking supplies and baths and were essentialy
stone channeled
 Lighthouses: these were build to
facilitate transport and travel overlan
d. Lighthouses were also build to facil
itate marine navigation.
Residential buildings were mainly of two
kinds the domus and the insula.
The domus comprised of a collection of
rooms around a central hall or an atrium and
was owned by the upper class of the people
while the insula was for the lower or middle
class people were thre ground floor was used
for shops and the upperstorey provided living
space.
insula