Roman

• Architectural styles


  • Roman
  • Egyptian
  • Neo-Babylonian
  • Assyrian
  • Greek
• Egyptian architecture


  • Lotus, papyrus, palm capitals
• Neo-Babylonian architecture


  • Heraldic animal figures
• Assyrian architecture


  • Chiseled alabaster slab, crenellation
• Greek architecture


  • Doric, Ionic, Corinthian order, trabeated system
• Roman architecture


  • Arch, vault, dome, Composite and Tuscan orders
• First civilization on the Italian peninsula, now known as Tuscany


  c. 1500-86 BC
• The Etruscan civilization declined with the expulsion of the Tarquin dynasty from Rome in 510 BC
• Etruscan civilization


  • Dominated by Greek colonies
  • Famed for their tombs
  • Religion involved gods similar to Greeks, believed in life after death
• Etruscan temple at Veii

  • Wooden columns, terracotta tiled roof, walls of sun-dried brick
  • Narrow staircase at center of front of temple, temple sat on a high stone podium, columns in front, deep porch
  • 3 cellas

  
• Romulus and Remus were twin brothers and central characters of Rome's foundation myth
• Romulus and Remus were abandoned as babies and raised by a she-wolf
• Romulus and Remus quarreled and Remus is killed
• Romulus founds the new city and names it Rome
• Rome was located in Italy
• Rome was split into two eras: the Roman republic which began in 510 BC, and the Roman empire which began in 27 BC
• Social classes in Rome

  • Patrician
  • Plebian
• The Romans were the dominant force in Europe for almost 1000 years
• The First Triumvirate consisted of Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar
• The Roman Empire conquered most of Western Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East
• The Roman Empire was governed by emperors
• Romans venerated their emperors more than their gods, resulting in fewer temples for worship
• The Roman Empire promoted the spread of a common culture derived from Hellenism (koine Greek)
• The rise of cities in the Roman Empire was around the Mediterranean
• Concrete


  Made up of sand, water, lime and pozzolana (binder), with pozzolana being an important ingredient derived from volcanic deposits
• Monumentality in Roman architecture

  • Highly important in representing the power and prestige of the Roman Empire
• Arch


  • Able to span much wider distances, defining feature of Roman architecture
• Parts of an arch

  • Impost
  • Abutment
  • Springer
  • Spring
  • Spandrel
  • Rise
  • Spring line
  • Extrados
  • Intrados
  • Archivolt (face)
  • Haunch
  • Voussoir
  • Keystone
• The Arch of Septimius Severus was erected by the "Senate and people of Rome" to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the accession of Emperor Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla
• The Arch of Septimius Severus is faced with marble and bears profuse relief decoration celebrating the emperor's victory over the Parthians and Arabs
• The Arch of Constantine is the largest and best preserved of Roman war memorials, adopting the triple archway model of the Arch of Septimius Severus and using polychrome varieties of marble
• Romans generally ascribed less importance to colonnades, particularly on side elevations, as seen in the Maison Carrée in Nimes
• Roman orders


  • Adapted and augmented the Greek orders to reflect changing circumstances and new uses, creating their own version of the Doric Order
• Parts of a Roman order

  • Supercolumniation
  • Pedestal
  • Cornice or cap
  • Dado
  • Base moulding
  • Plinth
• Composite order


  • Combination of Ionic & Corinthian capital
• Vaults and domes


  • Vault created by the extrusion of an arch along an axis, dome formed by rotating the arch 360 degrees through its center, with geometrical purity having important symbolic connotations
• Types of vaults


  • Barrel vault
  • Cross vault
  • Hemispherical dome
• The Pantheon has an oculus, a large opening at the top of the dome
• Mosaics


  • Thousands of small stones or glass tiles set in mortar to form a pattern, showing pictures of Roman life
• Roman construction techniques


  • Opus incertum
  • Opus reticulatum
  • Opus testaceum
  • Opus quadratum
  • Opus quasi reticulatum
  • Opus vittatum