Lecture slides module_7_roman

ARC 110
History of Architecture I

Module 7
Roman Architecture

Module Outline
• Lecture 22
– Historical Background
• Location and period
• Social characteristics and beliefs
• Lecture 23
– Architecture of the Civilization
• Early Influences- The Etruscans
• Engineering Innovation and achievements
• Roman Buildings
• Lecture 24
• Roman Buildings
• Lecture 25
• Other architectural elements
• Roman city Planning and Design
– Architectural Characteristics
• Buildings and other architectural elements
• Building materials, construction and technologies
• Architectural Organizing principles

Learning Outcomes
• We should expect to learn the following about the
civilization
– Structural revolution and invention of new
materials
– Innovative use of structural solutions in
engineering and buildings structures
– The invention of new building types for different
purposes
– The invention of functional space in architecture
– The use of the orders as decorative elements in
design

Module 7 Lecture 22
Roman Architecture

Outline of Lecture
• Lecture 22
– Historical Background
• Location and period
• Social characteristics and beliefs

Historical Background
Location
• Roman architecture refers to the
architecture of Rome and of the
Roman Empire
• The Roman Empire was one of the
largest early empires in history,
stretching from England in Northern
Europe to the Ancient Near East and
Africa
• The pink area of the Map shows the
greatest extent of the Roman Empire
• Rome, located on the Italian peninsula
was the capital of the empire
• From the capital, an infrastructure of
roads and communication systems
was established to connect the whole
empire
• Rome is today the capital of Italy

Period
• The city of Rome was founded in 753 BC.
• Roman civilization with Rome as capital
lasted for more than a thousand years.
• The history of the civilization can be
divided into three periods;
– 753- 510 BC Etruscan Period
– 510 – 44 BC Republican Period
– 44 BC – 476 A.D. Imperial Period

Period- Etruscan Period
• Romans fix the date of the founding Rome at
753 B. C.
• Prior to this date, the Etruscans established
an urban culture in the Italian peninsula,
which reached the height of its development
around 600 B.C.
• They had conquered and established their
authority over a loose federation of cities
• Rome at its foundation was a minor city and
became a colony of the Etruscans

Period- Etruscan Period
• Rome was ruled by Etruscan Kings aided by
a popular assembly
• Towards the end of the 6th century B.C.,
Etruscan power began to decline
• In 509 B.C. Rome revolted against their king
and established an independent city state
• Further decline in the power of the Etruscans
was accompanied by the rising influence and
increasing significance of Rome

Period – Republican Period
• After the expulsion of its Etruscan Kings, Rome
gradually assumed leadership of a number of
settlements for mutual defense
• This gradually led to the expanding influence
and dominance of Rome
• By 273 B. C. Rome became the established
dominant force in the region
• It conquered its rivals, defeating Cathage in
146 B.C., Macedonia in 168 B. C., Greece in
146 B.C., and Syria in 64 B. C.
• With time Rome also developed a system of
Representative government

Period – Republican Period
• Rome was government by a body of elected male
representatives of the population known as the
Senate
• This is why the period is referred to as republican
or in other word democratic
• Towards the end of the last millennium B.C.
Rome entered into a series of civil wars which
brought about the rise of some military dictators,
of which Julius Caesar was the most successful.
• This brought about the end of the republican
period

Period – Imperial Period
• Following a series of civil wars that ended in 27
B.C. Caius Ocatavius, who later took the name
Caesar Augustus assumed the title of emperor
• This ushered in the Imperial period of Roman
history
• Emperor Augustus undertook a significant
reorganization of the Roman Empire
• The golden age of architectural development
was witnessed during this period
• He revitalized national life and created new
building works

• Augustus was credited with saying that he
met Rome a city of brick and left it a city of
marble
• Later it was to transform to a city of concrete
• The 3rd century A.D. was a period of political
confusion in the Roman Empire
• The Barbarian people living in the north of
Europe started attacking the Empire
• In 286 A.D. Roman Empire was split into
two; a western empire and an Eastern
empire

• Emperor Constantine was able to reunite the
Empire again in 324 A.D. and established a new
capital for the empire at the city of Byzantium,
which he renamed Constantinople
• After his death, the Empire was split again and
each had a different destiny
• In 476 A.D. the western empire with its capital at
Rome fell after century of attacks by Vandals
and Visigoths ending the history of that part
• The Eastern Empire with its capital at
Constantinople survived and became the focus
of a civilization that lasted until 1453 A.D. when
it was sacked by the Ottoman Turks

Social Characteristics & Beliefs
• Introduction
– The Roman Empire consisted of Rome and all its
conquered provinces
– Rome was the capital and focus of the Roman
Civilization
– Roman society was made of the Latinized people
living on the Italian peninsula and other foreign
people belonging to the conquered provinces
– The society was not homogenous as its puts together
people of different origins
– Latin was the widely spoken language, particularly in
Rome and its environment
– The Roman people were classified into citizens and
non citizens; citizenship can be conferred on non
citizens

• Introduction
– Citizenship confers the right to vote, make
contracts and have a legal marriage
– Citizens are divided into two classes;
members of the Roman Senate belonging to
the highest social class and other citizens
– The Roman people were essentially farmers
and traders
– Many also aspired to became solders and
warriors; being a warrior provided one of the
best means of advancing in the society

• Social Life
– Roman society had an active social life
– The forum was the center of social life; it is
very similar to the Greek Agora
– The forum was the place for social, political,
recreational and religious activities
– Romans participated in a lot of entertainment
activities

• Social Life
– These activities include spectator sports such
as drama, chariot racing, and gladiatorial
contest
– They also had new unique social activities
such as recreational bathing
– The practice saw Romans going to a public
bath at luxurious bathing through chambers of
different temperature
– In the process they engaged in both
intellectual and physical interaction

• Religious Beliefs
– Roman people were not deeply religious, particularly
during the early part of their development
– They did not have religious beliefs and mythologies
of their own, but borrowed from societies they come
into contact with.
– Contact with other people always resulted in changes
to their culture, art and way of life
– Most of their religious beliefs were borrowed from the
Greeks, and like the Greeks, they also believed in a
number of Gods

• Religious Beliefs
– The Romans believed that the faith of their
empire lies in the hands of their various Gods
– The state spent money to built temples to the
various gods
– Public assemblies, such as senate meetings,
war victories and most state functions were
always started with sacrifices to a particular
god in his temple
– The religious well being of the individual
Roman was his own concern

• System of Government
– The System of government in ancient Rome was
democratic
– During the Republican period, Government consisted
of two elected consuls, a senate and judiciary
– The consuls acted as the executive arm of
government overseeing the activities of the senate,
army and other executive institutions such as tax
collectors and police
– The senate was an assembly of selected land owners,
the upper class of Roman society, who approve
budgets and suggest laws


• System of Government
– Members of the senate are elected from a
series of lower assemblies who are
responsible for enacting the laws suggesting
by the senate and also implementing them;
– The judicial branch consist of 6 judges who
were elected every two years, who decide
punishment for criminals
– During the imperial period, the Consuls were
replaced by Emperors who wielded a lot of
power


• Roman Architecture
– The Environment around Rome was not as rich as
the Greek mainland in construction material
especially marble
– Romans construction material consists of Stone,
principally local travertine and timber
– Roman also invented a system of firing brick and
used brick widely in construction
– Romans were also the first people to discover
concrete; Roman concrete is different from our
present day concrete
– Romans made significant improvements to the arch
to address its shortcoming

– They also developed new construction systems
based on the arch and dome
– The combination of arch and vault construction with
brick as formwork and concrete as bonding material
enabled the Romans to construct great buildings with
very large interior spaces
– Roman construction also developed the system of
wooden truss construction
– The architecture of Rome has its origin in Hellenistic
Greek Architecture and the architecture of the
Etruscans
– Most Roman architects were either of Greek origin or
Greek trained

– The Romans adopted the external language of
classical Greek architecture
– In Roman architecture, the orders survived simply as
ornaments applied to great concrete buildings.
– But the Romans also made unique additions to the
orders that are very important.
– New orders evolved and were added to the Greek
orders to form the classical language of architecture
– Romans also made additions in the entablature of
temples, in the scale of buildings and the proportion of
the entire design.
– While the Greeks are said to be the inventors of form,
Roman architecture concentrated on the creation of
space

– The Greek and Roman architecture are referred to as
classical architecture
– The first book on architecture was produced by
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio in 100 A.D.
– The ten books of architecture written sets down rules
and procedures for creating architecture of value
– The genius of Roman architecture was expressed not
in the design of a particular building, but in the
production of a vast number of various building types
– Roman buildings include bathhouses for bathing,
circuses for racing, amphitheatres for gladiatorial
contest, temples for religion, domus for family life and
the forum as the center of public life and national
commerce

• Other Achievements
– Other contributions of the Romans include the Roman
alphabets which is widely used in Western and Central
European languages and the Roman numerals
– The Roman also introduced the calendar which even
thought it has changed several times before assuming
its current form has endured to the present day
– The influence of the Roman Empire's is visible in the
government, law, and monumental architecture, as well
as many other aspects of Western life
– The various contributions of the Roman civilization to
modern life has resulted in its classification along with
the Greek civilization as Classical civilizations

Module 7 Lecture 23
Roman Architecture

Outline of Lecture
• Lecture 23
– Architecture of the Civilization
• Early Influences- The Etruscans
• Engineering Innovation and
achievements
• Roman Buildings
– Theaters
– Amphitheater- Coliseum

Architecture of the Civilization

Roman Architecture
Early Influences- The Etruscans
• The Earliest civilization in the region around Rome were
the Etruscans
• The Etruscan civilization existed in the northern part of
what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman
Republic.
• During the 700s BC, the Etruscans developed into a
series of autonomous city-states: Rome was a part of
these city states
• Knowledge about the Etruscans is fragmentary, and
usually filtered through Roman eyes;
• The Etruscans created the first visible civilization in Italy.
• They brought sophisticated Eastern and Greek culture to
the region.

Roman Architecture
• Not much has survived of
Etruscan buildings to the
present however.
• The temple shown in the
image is a reconstruction of
a typical Etruscan temple
• The Etruscans introduced
another order of architecture
• This order, known as the
Tuscan order became
popular with the Romans

Roman Architecture
• The Tuscan order had a
simpler base and the shaft
was without flutes
• The capital and entablature
were also without decoration
• In proportion it is similar to
the Doric order with a column
that is seven diameters high
• Compared with the other
orders, the Tuscan order
looks the most solid

Engineering Achievement
Introduction
• Romans created what can be referred to as a structural
revolution
• This revolution centers on their understanding and use of
the arch and vault
• They also discovered the groin vault
• Because of this structural revolution, they were able to
span large openings in buildings and other structures
with economy and strength
• They were also able to design and construct buildings
with large interior spaces
• The revolution also allowed the Romans to construct
large engineering structures such as bridges to connect
all parts of their empire, and aqueduct to supply water to
their cities

Structural Innovation- Arches
• The arch was not a new
building form, as it had been
known by other civilizations
including the Egyptians and
the Greeks
• But the Romans used it to its
fullest potential
• The arch is an organic
structure with the elements of
the arch resting on each other
and transferring load to the
column
• It was particularly useful over
doors and openings

Structural Innovation- Arches
• With an arch, there are no
tensile stresses as all the
forces are in compression and
building stone has enormous
compressive strength
• Up to a certain point also, the
more an arch is loaded the
stronger it becomes
• Arches were used over doors
and openings and sometimes,
they are built over a lintel to
deflect the load to the
surrounding walls.

Vaults
• Vaults are used to cover an area as a
roof
• The simplest of the vaults is the Barrel
vault, which is just made up of an arch
extended over a certain distance
• It can be adapted to suit different
types of plans by making simple
modifications to it
• The disadvantage of the vault is that it
exerts a continuous load and therefore
needs some form of continuous
support
• It is also difficult to light the space
under a vault except from the ends
• The Romans invented unique ways of
overcoming these difficulties

Vaults
• The cross vault was created
from the barrel vault to
overcome some of the
problems of the ordinary vault
• This is formed by intersecting
two barrel-vaults at right angle
and is called a “groin vault”
• The weight of the groin vault is
concentrated at the corners
eliminating the need for
continuous support
• The opening of the space in 4
directions means that ample
light can be provided to the
area below it

Vaults
• The image shows an example
of the use of arches, vaults and
groin vaults in a Roman building
• The major limitation of the groin
vault is that it is limited to a
square plan
• The dome was another
structure that was used in
roman architecture.
• The Romans used the true
dome with its fully rounded
perfection

Concrete
• The Romans were the first to develop concrete
• The concrete developed by the Romans is
different from modern concrete and is made up of
lime, sand and water
• Around the 2nd century BC, Pozzolana or
volcanic ash was also added
• Concrete did away with the need for stone
quarries
• It also did away with the need for the shaping and
transportation of stone and for high skilled labor
for stonemasonry

Concrete
• Concrete has the advantage that it can be cast
in any shape and in far larger sizes than the
megalithic blocks of stone used in buildings
• With concrete, it was possible to construct
monolithic vaults and arches
• Concrete buildings were normally faced with
other materials to hide the ugly look of the
concrete.
• Fired brick used as formwork was the most
popular covering material

Engineering Structures
Introduction
• The structural revolution introduced by the
Romans enabled them to introduce a variety of
new civil structures and building programs
never seen before their time
• The ability of the Romans to create large
structures enabled them to build significant civil
structures including aqueducts, bridges and
sewers
• The Romans lived principally in cities and
generally cities need a steady supply of fresh
water
• Rome itself was projected to have a population
of more than a million at the peak of its power

Introduction
• Arcuated structures or Structures built with
arches played a major role in bringing this
water to the city
• The technique of arcuated construction was
also applied to the construction of bridges
• Rome also had a sanitary system to take away
waste water from the city and large warehouses
to service the needs of its port

Road and Bridges
• The Trojan’s Bridge Alexandria is an
example of ancient Roman structural
achievement
• It is also amongst the most
impressive of the surviving Roman
bridges
• The bridge consist of tall piers and
wide spanning arches
• The central arches are slightly above
27 meters in length
• The roadway is carried 48 meters
above the River
• A commemorative arch stands at the
center of the Bridge; the
commemorative arch bears the
name of the architect of the bridge

Aqueducts
• Aqueducts were used to
supply water to Roman cities
• The Pont Du Gard is probably
the most magnificent of the
Roman aqueducts
• It was constructed around 50
A.D. to supply water to the
city of Nimes
• The Aqueduct in some places
is almost 50 meters above
the deep valley of the River
Gard

Aqueducts
• It was constructed of 3
tiers of arches

Aqueducts
• The Aqua Claudia is
also another example of
Roman aqueduct
• The Aqua Claudia was
one of the eleven
aqueducts that supplied
Rome with water
• The aqueduct supplies
water to Rome over a
distance of 66
kilometers

Roman Buildings
Introduction
• The focus of Roman building design was on functional
spaces
• The Roman people demanded buildings of various
functions from the Roman architect
• The architects were able to respond, creating buildings
that answer to their functional requirement by providing
appropriate interior spaces
• The buildings types include theaters, amphitheaters,
basilicas, circuses, basilicas, temples and baths
• All of these buildings were erected within the dense
fabric of the city
• We will examine each of these building types

Roman Buildings
Theaters
• The Romans adopted the Greek
theater transforming it into
something Roman
• There was an expansion of the
stage and the whole theater was
contained within a high-unbroken
wall
• The Greek Theater was blended
into the landscape
• In contrast, the Roman Theater
was an urban form located in a
flat city
• The structure of the theater
consists of massive structural
arcades on piers

Roman Buildings
Theaters
• A purely cosmetic layer of
trabeation was added to the
front
• The trabeation was of the
Greek orders and gave scale to
the building
• It also creates a rhythm of
solids and voids on the
elevation
• The three orders of Greek
architecture were used on the
theater elevation
• Theaters were built in every
Roman City

Roman Buildings
Theaters
• The Theater was used for acting
and drama
• The Theater Marcellus
constructed between 23 to 13
B.C. was the first theater
constructed in the capital Rome
• It is a good example of a Roman
theater
• Access to its banked seat is
from the rear, providing access
circumferentially
• A stage runs from end to end in
front
• The stage is enclosed by a tall
wall

Roman Buildings
Amphitheater-Introduction
• The amphitheater is a roman
structure with no Greek
equivalent
• Amphitheatre is a public
building used for spectator
sports, games and displays
• Apart from function, the
important outward distinction
between an amphitheatre and
a theatre is that amphitheatre is
round or oval in shape
• An amphitheater was first built
in Pompeii in 80 BC, but the
best example of the Roman
amphitheater is the colosseum

Amphitheater
Coliseum, Rome
• The Colosseum is an amphitheater
in Rome
• Its construction began under the
Emperor Vespasian in 72 A.D. and
was completed in A. D. 80
• It was used for spectator sports
including gladiatorial combat
• It is said that 9,000 wild animals
were killed in the one hundred
inaugural days celebrating its
opening
• The Colosseum hosted large-scale
spectacular games that included;
fights between animals, the killing of
prisoners by animals and other
executions, naval battles via flooding
the arena, and combats between
gladiators

Amphitheater
Coliseum, Rome
• It has been estimated that
about 500,000 people died in
the Colosseum games
• The colosseum is elliptical in
shape
• It measured 48 metres high,
188 metres long, and 156
metres wide
• The wooden arena floor was
86 metres by 54 metres, and
covered by sand
• The colosseum had a seating
capacity for 50,000 spectators

Amphitheater
Coliseum, Rome
• The Colosseum was
ingeniously designed; most
spectacle venues have been
influenced by the Colosseum's
structure into modern times
• The seating formed a uniform
elliptical ring capable of
supporting the 50,000 spectator
capacity of the facility
• The substructure of the
amphitheater is very much like
that of the theater
• Vaulting was used both radially
and concentrically to support
the structure

Amphitheater
Coliseum, Rome
• The Colosseum also had a passageway
that opens into a tier of seats from below or
behind
• Each entrance and exit was numbered, as
was each staircase
• The passages quickly dispersed people
into their seats and upon conclusion of the
event disgorged them with abruptness into
the surrounding streets
• Seating was divided into different sections
• Above the podium was the maenianum
primum, for the other Roman aristocrats
who were not in the senate
• The third level, the maenianum secundum,
was divided into three sections
• The lower part, the was for wealthy
citizens, while the upper part was for poor
citizens
• A third, wooden section was a wooden
structure at the very top of the building,
added by Domitian

Amphitheater
Coliseum, Rome
• The most ingenious part of
the Colosseum was its
cooling system
• It was roofed using a canvas
covered net-like structure
made of ropes, with a hole in
the center
• The Arena where the action
takes place is located at the
center of the ellipse
• Underneath the arena was
the "underground", a network
of tunnels and cages where
gladiators and animals were
held before contests began

Amphitheater
Coliseum, Rome
• The arena floor no longer exists,
and the hypogeum walls and
corridors are clearly visible in
the ruins of the building
• The orders were used in the
elevation in the same manner as
on the theater
• The Colosseum was in
continuous use until 217, when it
was damaged by fire from
lightning
• It was restored in 238 and
gladiatorial games continued
until Christianity gradually put an
end to some sports

Module 7 Lecture 24
Roman Architecture

Outline of Lecture
• Lecture 24
• Roman Buildings
–Circuses
–Bath
–Temples
–Basilica
–Residential Buildings
• Other Elements
–Triumphal Arches

Roman Buildings
Circuses
• The Romans developed circuses or stadium for
horse and chariot racing
• Every city usually had one located close to the
forum
• The circuses had stalls at one end where the
chariots emerge at the beginning of the race and
a track which they race around
• The structure of the circus is very similar to that
of theaters and amphitheaters
• Circus Maxima is an example of a Roman Circus

Circuses
Circuse Maxentius
• It is located in Rome and is one
of the oldest
• It went through a series of
transformation over the period of
its existence
• The image shown is its final
form around 400 A.D.
• Its is 600 meters in length by
200 meters in width
• The circus had 3 tiers of seat,
and there are stalls for 12 race
houses or chariots
• Each race was of 7 laps
covering a distance of about 3.6
kilometers

Roman Buildings
Bath
• The Romans had a unique need for
exercise, bathing and relaxation and they
devised a unique architectural element, the
Bath to address that need
• The roman bath was more that just merely
swimming or washing
• This practice became so popular that at
some point, they took it more serious than
their gods
• It was a daily practice of almost all Romans
to go to a Bath once a day to relieve stress

Roman Buildings
Bath
• The bathing procedure involves a pattern of exposing the
body to various levels of heater air and water
• The core program of the bath consist of a disrobing
room, the apodyterium, a series of at least two heated
rooms, the tepidarium, and a hot room or cauldarium
• Besides the heated rooms, the bath may also have a
swimming pool, or natatio for cold plunges on hot
summer days or a cool unheated room called the
frigidarium
• Bathing also dries the skin so baths also provided rooms
with special attendants to oil and towel bathers dry
• Wealthy people and Emperors had private both, but the
greatest baths were the public ones built for the
populace

Roman Bath
Bath of Caracalla
• The bath of caracalla is a
good example of a
Roman bath and among
the best preserved
• The bath is set free
standing within a square
precinct enclosed by
walls
• The precinct has a water
reservoir to the south,
supplied by an aqueduct
to service its water need

Roman Bath
Bath of Caracalla
• The reservoir is located
beneath a stadium used for
athletic contest
• The east and west walls
have a curved exedra that
defines space for cultural
activities such as library,
music performance,
philosophical lectures, etc
• The front wall has a series of
shops with the entrance at
the center

Roman Bath
Bath of Caracalla
• The main bath building
is rectangular, 225
meters by 115 meters
and is situated within
the walled precinct
• It has a perfect bilateral
symmetry along its
north-south axis
• The bath has a large
dressing hall,
apodyterium at the
center of the building

Roman Bath
Bath of Caracalla
• A swimming pool or Notato is located
to the north of it, while a tepidarium
and a domed circular cauldarium is
located to the south of it, where it is
more sunny
• A series of supplementary rooms,
including Gymnasium and bathroom
suits are arranged symmetrically on
two sides of the building
• The structure of the bath of carracalla
is made up of vaults, arches, groin
vaults and domes
• The interior also shows how the
Romans have been able to adapt the
Greek orders and treatment to arch
and vault construction

Roman Buildings
Temples
• Temples were a significant part of roman architecture
• Scores of temple were built during every period
• Most of the roman temples were combination of Etruscan
and Greek prototypes
• The typical temple had an axial plan, an entrance porch
with widely space columns in front
• The temple also had a cella or sanctuary
• The whole temple is raised on a high podium with frontal
steps providing access
• A good example of the early form of the temple is seen in
Maison Carree in Nimes
• The best preserved of the temples and the one showing
the highest achievement in temple architecture is the
Pantheon

Roman Temples
Maison Caree, Nimes
• Maison Carree is located in
Nimes France
• It was built by the Emperor
Agrippa
• The temple shows Greek
influence on early roman
temples
• The temple is 26.5 meters
long, 15.5 meters wide and
raised on a podium 3.3
meters high
• It is a temple with 6
Corinthian columns in front,
10 diameters high

Roman Temples
Maison Caree, Nimes
• Its podium is three
and half times the
height of the
entablature with 15
access steps in front
• It has an entrance
porch that is 3
columns deep
• The temple has a cella
that is one and half
times long as its wide

Roman Temples
Maison Caree, Nimes
• The walls of the
cella have attached
half Corinthian
columns on its
visible three sides

Roman Temples
Pantheon
• The Pantheon is the best
surviving of all classical
buildings
• It is also represents the
highest achievement of
Roman architecture
• It was built between AD 118
and 128 by the Emperor
Handrian on the site of an
earlier temple by Agrippa
• It was built as a temple
dedicated to all the Roman
Gods, hence the name
Pantheon

Roman Temples
Pantheon
• The Pantheon essentially
consist of two parts; the an
entrance portico and a
circular part or rotunda
• The portico is 8 columns
wide and 3 columns deep
and leads to the entrance of
the temple
• The columns are of unfluted
Corinthian order
• The wall of the rotunda is 3
storeys high on the outside;
they are made up of brick
faced concrete and support
the dome roof of the temple

Roman Temples
Pantheon
• The interior has eight
large niches with one
serving as the entrance
and the remaining seven
used dedicated to the
seven major Roman
Gods
• The Dome roof forms a
perfect sphere with a
diameter of 142 feet in
the interior

Roman Temples
Pantheon
• At the head of the dome is a
30ft wide occulus, that opens
up the great dome to the
outside and illuminates the
space with light
• The interior was built of
Egyptian granites, African
colored marbles and pure
white marbles from the
Aegean
• The Pantheon combines
scale, boldness and mastery
of every architectural art.

Roman Buildings
Basilica
• Basilicas are among the most important
categories of roman architecture
• There were no basilicas before the Roman era
• The basilica are rectangular and usually
contained interior colonnades that divided the
space into aisles at one or both sides, with an
apse at one end
• The central aisle tended to be wide and was
higher than the flanking aisles, so that light could
penetrate through the clerestory windows
• The function of the basilica is close to that of the
Greek stoa

Roman Buildings
Basilica
• It is also the place where magistrates to hold
court to dispose of legal matters
• The oldest known basilica, the Basilica Porcia,
was built in Rome in 184 BC
• The most splendid Roman basilica is the one
constructed for traditional purposes during the
reign of the pagan emperor Maxentius and
finished by Constantine after 313
• In the early Imperial period, a basilica for large
audiences also became a feature of the palaces
• We will examine the Basilica Ulpia and the
Basilica Maxentius

Roman Buildings
Basilica Ulpia
• The Basilica Ulpia was built
by Emperor Trajan in the
period A.D 98-117 for his
imperial forum
• Basilica Ulpia stretches for
120 meters in length over the
width of the Trajan forum
• The Basilica consists of a
central hall, 25 meters wide
surrounded on all sides by
double colonnades
• The Basilica had two semi-
circular apses at it’s two
ends

Roman Buildings
Basilica Ulpia
• The walls of the Basilica
were finished with multi-
colored marble; also
referred to as
polychromatic marble
• The whole structure was
covered with a truss roof
• Basilica Ulpia represent
the generic form of the
Roman Basilica,
• It is this form that will later
be adopted by the
Christians for their church

Roman Buildings
Basilica Maxentius
• The Basilica Maxentius was
started by the Emperor
Maxentius in A.D. 308 but was
completed by the Emperor
Constantine in A.D. 312
• It is also sometimes referred to
as Basilica of Constantine
• It is one of the impressive
buildings of the Forum
Romanum
• The Basilica Maxentius is
different from other tradition
basilicas, because its design
was derived from the central
halls of imperial Roman Baths

Roman Buildings
Basilica Maxentius
• It is however larger in scale than
any of the baths that was built
• The ground plan covers 100
meters by 65 meters
• The building is divided into a
central nave and side isles
• The central nave was 80 by 25
meters and was covered by 3
groin vaults with a maximum
height of 35 meters
• The side isles were 16 meters
wide, divided into three sections
• There is very little that is left of
the Basilica now

Roman Buildings
Residential Buildings
• Roman cities had a range of
various types of private
dwellings
• The private dwellings reflected
the rank and wealth of the
inhabitants
• At the lowest level are the multi-
story tenements where a large
proportion of the population
stayed
• They consisted of shops on the
ground floor and apartments on
the upper floors
• The apartments were built
around a courtyard for light and
air

Roman Buildings
• The common roman house
was the domus
• These were reserved for the
more well off members of the
Roman society
• The domus was essentially a
courtyard house, with a
peristyle colonnaded
courtyard
• It had few or no windows to
the outside

Domus Augustana
• At the high end are
elaborate palaces and
villas for the very rich
• The Domus Augustana,
also called flavian’s
palace, is an example of
the high-end residential
palaces
• Domus Augustana was
both a house for the
emperor as well as his
palace for official
functions

Domus Augustana
• It was laid out around two
peristyle atriums
• The atrium to the left is for
state function
• Entry is from an inconspicuous
door from the top
• The residential part of the
palace is arranged around the
courtyard located to the right
• To the right of the residential
part is a sunken garden in the
form of a stadium
• This is the private garden of the
emperor, where he can interact
with nature

Handrians Villa
• Romans also built country
villas or houses, where they
could go to be close to nature
• A very good example of the
country villas, is the
Handrian’s villa built for the
Emperor Handrian
• The Handrian villa displays an
example of the level of wealth
displayed in buildings
• This was a large country
estate spread on a vast terrain

Handrians Villa
• The structure was made of a
loose arrangement of peristyle
halls, fountains, dining halls,
dormitories, baths, libraries
and other facilities
• The most characteristics
feature of the villa is the play
of curves and curved form
• This is most evident in the
Canopus
• This is an elongated pool
surrounded by a colonnade
• The colonnade is topped by
alternating straight entablature
and segmental arch sections
framing statuary

Other Architectural Elements
Triumphal Arches
• Other Than buildings, ancient Romans also
contributed to the development of several
architectural elements
• The most prominent of the elements is the
triumphal arch
• A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of a
monumental gate, usually built to celebrate a
victory in war
• They are almost always built in the Form,
framing the paths that people follow
• Romans started it as a way to celebrate their
victories in battles

Triumphal Arches
• Some triumphal arches are made of stone and
intended to be permanent.
• A number of arches from the city's imperial era
can still be seen in modern Rome.
• Temporary triumphal arches were also
constructed for use for celebratory parades or
ceremony and later dismantled
• A Roman Triumph was a civil ceremony and
religious rite held to publicly honour the military
commander of a notably successful foreign war
• Only men of senatorial or consular rank could
perform a triumph celebration and be a
triumphator as the victorious generals are known

Triumphal Arches
• The ceremony consisted of a spectacular parade,
opened by the chiefs of conquered peoples who are
afterward executed
• The triumphator rode on a biga, a chariot pulled by two
white horses
• The parade followed a precise route in the streets of
Rome
• It traveled along the Forum until it reached the Temple of
Jupiter Optimus Maximus, where the laurels of victory
were offered to the god.
• Monuments may then be erected to celebrate the
triumph
• Two examples of such monuments in the republican
forum are the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine

Triumphal Arches
Arch of Constantine
• The arch was built in A.D.
81 and dedicated to the
emperor Titus
• It was built to commemorate
the military victory over
Jerusalem in A.D. 70
• The arch has a height of
15.4 meters, a width of 13.5
meters and was constructed
of stone
• The marvel of its stone
construction is evident in the
keystone, which ensures the
stability of the arch

Triumphal Arches
Arch of Constantine
• It has a single opening
flanked on each side by
attached columns of the
Composite order
• The composite order has a
capital that joins the
acanthus leaves of the
Corinthian order with the
volutes of the ionic order
• The face of the arch is
decorated with sculptural
relief depicting the
destruction of the temple in
Jerusalem

Triumphal Arches
Arch of Constantine
• The arch of Constantine
was built much later that
than of Titus
• It was built to
commemorate the victory
of Emperor Constantine
over Maxentius in A.D.
312
• Its form shows an attempt
to create an arch more
majestic than that of Titus

Triumphal Arches
Arch of Constantine
• It has three arched
openings, a larger one in
the center flanked by two
smaller ones
• There are four free
standing columns in front
framing the arched
openings
• It is also abundantly
decorated, depicting the
victory in relief sculpture

Module 7 Lecture 25
Roman Architecture

Outline of Lecture
• Lecture 25
– Roman City Planning and Design
– Architectural Characteristics
• Buildings and other architectural elements
• Building materials, construction and
technologies
• Architectural Organizing principles

Roman City Planning & Design
Principles
• Roman cities fall into
two broad categories
• Majority grew in an
unplanned manner over
the centuries forming
complex organic
entities, to which
sometimes order was
introduced
• Rome is a good
example

Principles
• The other category consist of
Castrum type cities, a type of
military camp developed with
an inflexible regularity of
shape-
• A well preserved example is
the city of Timgad in North
Africa
• This was a city laid out by
Trajan in A.D. 100 as a colony
for military veterans
• The town was laid in a grid of
12 blocks within a square
1,200 feet wide

Principles
• The planning of most cities fall in between the two
extremes of organic growth and rigid grid planning
• All cities had a forum, theater, bath, market etc.
• Many of the cities contained buildings that were copies or
local versions of key monuments in Rome
• Focus in city design is on integrating civic buildings with
public spaces and residential neighborhoods
• Each public building had interior spaces that responded
to functional requirement with the spaces also linked and
connected with the public spaces of the city
• The Forum was the center of the Roman city

Forum
• The forum was the descendant of the Greek agora for
the Romans
• It began as a market place
• It rapidly became the commercial, political and
ceremonial center of the civilization
• In the process it developed into an elaborate
architectural space that became a part of all roman cities
• Unlike the Greek agora which is informal in plan, and
whose buildings are subordinate to the space, in the
roman forum, the organization is more formal
• The buildings surrounding it are normally large and
dominate the space
• Buildings commonly found in the forum include temples,
basilicas, and bath

Forum
• Each individual major building in the forum was given a
central inside space
• Governmental function were usually arranged on the
West End; religious ceremonies were celebrated at the
east end
• The inside space of buildings was connected to one or
more exterior space of the city
• Columns, statues and triumphal arches were erected as
a memorial to the conquering rulers and to the glories of
the empire
• No two roman forums are really alike, as there are
always differences between the forums in different cities
• In Rome with its two forums, we find a good example of
the Roman forums

Republiclan Forum
• The Republican Forum is
also called the Forum
Romanum
• It was the oldest and most
important forum in the city
• Soon it became an
important market place
• By the 5th Century B.C.
the various functions
associated with the forum
began to assume their
architectural shape

Republican Forum
• Additions, modification and
growth by successive republicans
and emperors led to its
development
• By 400 A.D. the forum had
accumulated not less than 10
temples, 4 basilicas, 4 triumphal
arches and many other
monuments and shrines
• All of these were arranged with
no preordained order
• The buildings therefore loosely
define the space of the forum

Imperial Forum
• During the reign of Julius
Ceasar, he attempted to
reorganize the Republican
forum but realized that it had
become too congested for
rational order
• He therefore decided to build a
new forum adjacent to but
outside the republican forum
• This idea was picked by
successive emperors, who
added to it to create the
imperial forum

Imperial Forum
• The imperial forum is not one
forum, but five forums with
each supporting the other
• There was variety in their form,
but they displayed rational
order in their organization
• Each of the forum consisted of
colonnaded atrium with a
temple at its head
• Of the five temples that of
Trojan was most majestic, with
the basilica Ulpia sitting across
it and two libraries on either
side of the central court

Architecture and Urban Design in Rome
• In Rome we find the best
example of both Roman
architecture and city design
• The image shows a
reconstruction module of a part
of Rome at the height of its
development
• From the image, the organic
growth of the city is evident and
is reflected in the fabric of the
city
• Buildings are densely packed
together, separated by a
network of narrow pathways

Architecture and Urban Design in Rome
• Within the fabric, all the Roman
building types can be identified
• These include The circus
Maxentius, The Domus
Augustana, Roman Theater,
An Aqueduct, A Roman
Temple, The Basilica
Maxentius, and The
Republican and Imperial
Forums
• From the image, the clustering
of important buildings close to
the forum is highly evident

Buildings & Other Arch
Elements

Buildings & Other Arch. Elements
Building Types
• The genius of the roman architect was not in the design
of a particular building
• Rather, it is in the way they were able to meet the
needs of a complex society for different building types
for a thousand years
• They produced a wide range of buildings that had never
been built before
• Roman buildings included bathhouses for bathing,
circuses for races, amphitheaters for gladiatorial
contest, temples for religion, domus for family life and
the forum as the center of public life
• Roman architects design the buildings with interior
spaces configured for specialized activities
• The Greek order was reduced to a decorative element
rather than as a form generator in Greek Architecture

• Romans also contributed several engineering
and architectural objects to human civilization
• The most prominent engineering contributions
are in road and bridge structures and in the
construction of aqueducts
• Road and bridge construction allowed the
Romans to connect the various parts of their
empire
• Aqueducts allowed them to supply their cities
with water

The Orders
• Romans also contributed to the development of the
orders
• They made the Tuscan order developed by the Etruscan
very popular in use
• They developed the composite order, which combines
Corinthian and Ionic capitals
• They developed the giant order which spans up to two
storey and the miniature order used to decorate
windows
• The Romans also contributed in the development of the
Triumphal arches
• Triumphal arches were constructed in Roman cities to
celebrate victories in battles

Materials, Construction & Tech.
Materials
• The choice of building materials contributed to the
success of Roman architecture.
• Roman building materials were very diverse and rich
• Materials that were not available locally could usually be
imported from other Roman colonies
• Roman building materials included stone, marble, brick,
and timber
• The art of producing fired brick was a Roman invention
• Romans also invented concrete
• The combination of concrete and brick formwork enabled
Roman architects to design and vast buildings for
different uses

Construction
• The Roman Civilization had the most innovative
construction system of the civilizations so far
studied
• Roman architects understood the underlying
principles of arch and vault construction and were
able to innovate to address their shortcomings
• The combination of arch and vault construction
with concrete and fire brick formwork provided
the Romans with the technology to achieve their
architectural dreams
• No previous civilization had an architecture that
involved the manipulation of space like that of the
Romans

Construction
• In fact, roman architecture was essentially space
shaped by vaults, and walls for the purpose of
ordered activities
• In terms of building technology, the contribution
of the Romans includes the development of the
arch and barrel vault on freestanding piers.
• Romans also introduced the use of timber trusses
in roofing
• In the Pantheon, we find Roman construction
technology at the height of its application

Technology
• The greatest contribution of the Romans in
Building services and technology is in the aspect
of water
• The development of the aqueduct enabled
ancient Romans to supply water to their cities
• Rome at the height of its development had to
supply water to meet the needs of its one million
inhabitants
• Along with water supply, the Romans developed
a system of waste water collection and disposal
• Sanitary sewers were used to collect waste
water that is channeled outside the city for
disposal

Principles of Arch.
Organization

Principles of Arch. Organization
Principles

• Three forces appear to shape the
direction and form of Roman architecture
– Function
– Construction Technology
– Adaptation to new ideas and knowledge

Function
• The principal organizing principle of Roman
buildings is function
• Function is evident in the emphasis on spaces
• Almost all Roman buildings provided spaces for
functional use
• Roman architecture also de-emphasized the
rigidness in the use of the Greek orders
• They transformed the orders from a determinant
of building form to decoration on gigantic
buildings

Construction Technology
• Understanding Roman buildings also requires
understanding their construction technology
• Development in construction technology freed the
Romans from any creative limitations
• They were therefore able to experiment, in the
process creating new building types and form and
also pushing the limits of structural possibilities
• Construction technology also allowed Roman
architects to produce buildings with vast interior
spaces
• Construction technology enabled Romans to
transform the orders from structural elements to
mere decorative ones

Adaptation to New Ideas and Knowledge
• Roman architecture can also only be
understood by understanding the Roman
attitude to innovation
• Romans were constantly in contact with
different people and places
• As they come into contact the different
people and places, they are also exposed
to different ideas and ways of doing things
• Roman people were always willing to lean
new ideas and knowledge and adapt these
for their use

Adaptation to New Ideas and Knowledge
• Such adaptation allowed them to
assimilate ideas from different places,
including the Greeks, the Egyptians and
the Carthaginians
• But when Roman people learn new ideas
and knowledge, they were also able to
adapt them and create ideas that were
uniquely Roman
• It is this will to learn and adapt that led to
their innovative social life and to the
evolution of Roman architecture

Lecture slides module_7_roman

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