1. Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture
Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp

2. Topics Prehistory: The Etruscans Roman Characteristics
Building Materials
Architectural Ideals
Structural Revolution
Structures
Civic Architecture
Tombs

3. Roman Architecture: Prehistory: The Etruscans
Etruscan civilization
Preceded the Roman Empire in Italy
Most of their architecture was destroyed by the Romans
Only hidden structures, such as tombs, were spared
Much of their architecture was greatly influenced by the Greeks
The legacy of Etruscan architecture lives on through its influence in Roman architecture

4. Roman Architecture: Roman Characteristics
April 21, 753 B.C.
Pinpointed by the Romans as the day Rome was founded
Early Romans were militant and very disciplined
Lacking in artistic culture
Romans absorbed the Greek culture
Literature, philosophy, science, and painting
New appreciation of the arts

5. Roman Architecture: Roman Characteristics
Roman architecture emerged from Hellenistic and Etruscan influences
It held many original aspects, however
Materials and building techniques
Fulfilled practical purposes
Served commerce, industry, and shipping
Ports
Roads
Aqueducts

6. Roman Architecture: Building Materials
Building materials were very important to the success of Roman architecture
Access to a wide variety of building stone including:
Volcanic tufa
Limestone
Travertine
Nearly unlimited quantities of white marble
Quarry opened by Augustus north of Pisa
Other varieties were imported from the Far East

7. Roman Architecture: Building Materials
Brick
Romans perfected the art of brick-making
Concrete
Perfected this material
Became the most characteristic material in Roman structures
Was used to construct massive walls and great vaults

8. Roman Architecture: Architectural Ideals
Space
To the Romans, the space inside a structure was just as important as the exterior
Interior space was the primary focus of Roman architecture and was shaped by vaults, arches, and walls
Romans were fond of extravagance
Architecture for the powerful was gaudy and colorful, not like the ruins as seen today

9. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
The combination of arches, vaults, and concrete in architecture are a pure Roman creation
The individual elements had been used in earlier civilizations
Egyptians and Mesopotamians had used primitive arch forms
Greeks had experimented with the arch and concrete with little success
Etruscans had constructed vault-like forms

10. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Arches
More intricate than a simple post-and-lintel system
Formed by a multitude of small elements that curve over space by resting against each other in a delicate balance
Voussoirs
The elements used to create an arch
The shape of the structure keeps each voussoir in place
Held together by their own force

11. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Photo: Sullivan

12. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Vault
Created by extending an arch along its axis
Merely an extended arch
Supports and provides a roof for a given area
Types of vaults
Barrel/Tunnel vault
Cross/Groin vault
Dome

13. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Barrel/Tunnel Vaults
The earliest type of vault
Appear in limited form in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Hellenistic Greece
Has a few limitations
Exerts a continuous load, therefore needing constant support
Difficult to illuminate
Increases in length require thicker vault supports

14. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Photo: Sullivan

15. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Cross/Groin Vaults
Created to overcome the limitations of barrel vaults
Employed by the Romans very heavily
Formed by intersecting two barrel vaults at right angles
Limitations
Resistant to square plans

16. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Photo: Sullivan

17. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Dome
The grandest type of vault
Types
Cloister vault
An eight-sided vault, with an octagon-shaped dome
Formed by crossing barrel vaults over an octagonal plan
Rare in Rome, more prevalent in medieval architecture
True dome
Perfectly rounded dome, preferred by the Romans
Built up in complete rings wherein each ring forms a self-supporting component of the final dome

18. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Photo: Sullivan

19. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Photo: Sullivan

20. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Concrete
A mixture of mortar-like cement with an aggregate
Many advantages over traditional stone
Does not need to be quarried, shaped, or transported
Highly skilled labor was not needed to prepare the concrete
Can be cast in just about any shape imaginable
Arches and vaults could be economically fabricated

21. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Concrete
Surfaces
Romans developed many types of facings that were weather resistant and pleasant to the eye
Opus incertum
Random shaped stones of concrete
Opus testaceum
Brick facing; made concrete wall look as if it were constructed from bricks
Opus mixtum
Decorative patterns of tufa, stone, or brick

22. Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Opus mixtum; Photo: Sullivan

23. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Aqueducts
Used to supply the civilization with water from afar
Utilized an arch to create a continuous line of decent for water
Aqua Claudia
Brought water over solid masonry some ten miles into Rome
Some areas were over 100 ft. in height

24. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Photo: Sullivan

25. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Bridges
Were generally lower in height and broader than aqueducts
Two important Roman Bridges:
Pons Fabricus
Pons Milvius

26. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Photo: Sullivan

27. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Theatres
Adopted the Greek theatre and transformed it
The Roman theatre was closed, unlike the Greeks who preferred an open, outside theatre
Theatre of Marcellus
Integrated Roman style with that of the Greeks
Provided around 10,000 seats arranged in three tiers

28. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Photo: Sullivan

29. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Arenas
The Colosseum
Built by Flavian emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Doitian
Located on the site of an artificial lake that had been part of Nero’s Golden House
Extensive system of tunnels, chambers, and mechanical devices below the arena floor
Hydraulic provision used to flood the arena for naval displays and mock battles

30. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Photo: Sullivan

31. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Photo: Sullivan

32. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Circuses
Circus Maximus
Oldest and largest circus stadium
Rebuilt and destroyed from the first through third centuries A.D.

33. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Baths
Strenuous daily life prompted the Romans to construct large public baths
Wealthy citizens also constructed private baths in their domiciles
Featured elaborate heating systems
Furnaces beneath floors
Heat was transmitted to rooms by tile ducts, warming the floors and the walls

34. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Temples
Earliest Roman temples were indistinguishable from those of the Etruscans
Axial plan
Deep porch
Widely spaced columns
High podiums

35. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Temples
Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus
Originally built in the late sixth century B.C.
Rebuilt in 69 B.C.
Photo: Sullivan

36. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Temples
Pantheon
Located in Rome
Considered by many to be the greatest structure of antiquity to have survived in a state of near completeness
Built by Hadrian between A.D 118 and 128
Three notable parts:
Immense, domed cella
Deep, octastyle Corinthian porch
Block-like intermediate structure

37. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Photo: Sullivan

38. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Photo: Sullivan

39. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Basilicas
An important category of Roman architecture
Most important Roman source for early Christian architecture
Pure Roman style of architecture
Basilica
Essentially means a roofed hall, rectangular in plan, sometimes with an apse

40. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Basilicas
Basilica Ulpia
A.D
Finest example of the columnar basilica
Built by Trajan
Important model for later ages
Photo: Sullivan

41. Roman Architecture: Roman Structures
Roman Basilicas
Basilica in Trier, Germany
Early fourth century A.D.
Built by Constantine
The final Roman basilica
Served as an important model for the Romanesque period of architecture
Photo: Sullivan

42. Roman Architecture: Civic Architecture
Houses and Villas
Private domiciles reflected their inhabitants
Lower classes lived in meager, cramped apartments located on the upper floors of shops and other buildings
Middle classes lived on the lower floors and many homes had balconies, good ventilation, and running water
Upper classes usually owned a house, know as a domus.
Standalone structures
Featured courtyards and gardens
Many had running water

43. Roman Architecture: Tombs
Romans were great builders of tombs
Different from the Greeks and Egyptians in scale and religious style
Tomb of M. Vergilius Eurysaces
Citizen who made a fortune selling bread to Caesar's army
Built a tomb in the shape of an oven

44. Roman Architecture: Tombs
Photo: Sullivan

45. Roman Architecture: Tombs
Roman catacombs
Built by the poor as place of burial
Photo: Sullivan

46. References Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/
Trachtenburg/Hyman; Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity
Wodehouse/Moffett; A History of Western Architecture

47. Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture
Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp