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ARCHIECTURE
300 B.C- A.D. 365
Roman Architecture:
Prehistory: The Etruscans
Etruscan civilization( 170-100 BC)
– 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
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
Roman Architecture: Roman Characteristics
• 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
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
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
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 (Wedge-shaped stone building block used
in constructing an arch or vault)
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
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
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
Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
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
Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Photo: Sullivan
Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
Concrete
Roman concrete, also called opus caementicium, was the
core of every Roman wall after the 2nd century bc. Mostly
walls made in opus caementicium were covered with other
materials to make a more robust and workable surface. Opus
caementicium is a construction technique using an aggregate,
water and a binding agent. The aggregate functioned as a
filler like gravel, chunks of bricks or stones and rubble. The
binding agent is usually called mortar like lime, gypsum or
pozzolana (nowadays 'Portland' cement is used).
Opus mixtum;
Roman Architecture: Structural Revolution
References:
This is just a track line to the subject matter. students are requested to study the recommended books & also go after .