files lecture slides module 7 roman

7/30/2019 Files Lecture Slides Module 7 Roman

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ARC 110

History of Architecture I

Module 7

Roman Architecture


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Learning Outcomes

We should expect to learn the following about the

civilization Structural revolution and invention of new

materials

Innovative use of structural solutions inengineering and buildings structures

The invention of new building types for differentpurposes

The invention of functional space in architecture

The use of the orders as decorative elements indesign


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Module 7 Lecture 22

Roman Architecture


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Outline of Lecture

Lecture 22

Historical BackgroundLocation and period

Social characteristics and beliefs


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Historical Background


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Location Roman architecture refers to thearchitecture of Rome and of theRoman Empire

The Roman Empire was one of thelargest early empires in history,stretching from England in NorthernEurope to the Ancient Near East andAfrica

The pink area of the Map shows thegreatest extent of the Roman Empire

Rome, located on the Italian peninsulawas the capital of the empire

From the capital, an infrastructure ofroads and communication systemswas established to connect the wholeempire

Rome is today the capital of Italy


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Period The city of Rome was founded in 753 BC.

Roman civilization with Rome as capitallasted for more than a thousand years.

The history of the civilization can bedivided into three periods;

753- 510 BC Etruscan Period

510 44 BC Republican Period

44 BC 476 A.D. Imperial Period


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Period- Etruscan Period Romans fix the date of the founding Rome at

753 B. C.

Prior to this date, the Etruscans establishedan urban culture in the Italian peninsula,

which reached the height of its developmentaround 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


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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 kingand established an independent city state

Further decline in the power of the Etruscanswas accompanied by the rising influence andincreasing significance of Rome


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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 establisheddominant force in the region

It conquered its rivals, defeating Cathage in146 B.C., Macedonia in 168 B. C., Greece in146 B.C., and Syria in 64 B. C.

With time Rome also developed a system ofRepresentative government


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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 whichbrought about the rise of some military dictators,of which J ulius Caesar was the most successful.

This brought about the end of the republican

period


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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 significantreorganization of the Roman Empire

The golden age of architectural developmentwas witnessed during this period

He revitalized national life and created new

building works


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Period Imperial Period 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 politicalconfusion 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


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Period Imperial Period Emperor Constantine was able to reunite theEmpire 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 Vandalsand Visigoths ending the history of that part

The Eastern Empire with its capital atConstantinople survived and became the focusof a civilization that lasted until 1453 A.D. when

it was sacked by the Ottoman Turks


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Social Characteristics & Beliefs Introduction

The Roman Empire consisted of Rome and all its

conquered provinces Rome was the capital and focus of the RomanCivilization

Roman society was made of the Latinized people

living on the Italian peninsula and other foreignpeople belonging to the conquered provinces

The society was not homogenous as its puts togetherpeople of different origins

Latin was the widely spoken language, particularly inRome and its environment

The Roman people were classified into citizens and

non citizens; citizenship can be conferred on noncitizens


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Social Characteristics & Beliefs Introduction

Citizenship confers the right to vote, makecontracts and have a legal marriage

Citizens are divided into two classes;

members of the Roman Senate belonging tothe 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

Hi t i l B k d


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Historical BackgroundSocial Characteristics & Beliefs

Social Life

Roman society had an active social life

The forum was the center of social life; it isvery similar to the Greek Agora

The forum was the place for social, political,recreational and religious activities

Romans participated in a lot of entertainmentactivities

Hi t i l B k d


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Social Life

These activities include spectator sports such

as drama, chariot racing, and gladiatorialcontest

They also had new unique social activitiessuch as recreational bathing

The practice saw Romans going to a publicbath at luxurious bathing through chambers ofdifferent temperature

In the process they engaged in bothintellectual and physical interaction

Hi t i l B k d


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Religious Beliefs

Roman people were not deeply religious, particularlyduring the early part of their development

They did not have religious beliefs and mythologiesof their own, but borrowed from societies they comeinto contact with.

Contact with other people always resulted in changesto their culture, art and way of life

Most of their religious beliefs were borrowed from theGreeks, and like the Greeks, they also believed in anumber of Gods

Hi t i l B k d


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Religious Beliefs

The Romans believed that the faith of theirempire 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 particulargod in his temple

The religious well being of the individual

Roman was his own concern

Hi t i l B k d


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System of Government The System of government in ancient Rome was

democratic

During the Republican period, Government consistedof two elected consuls, a senate and judiciary

The consuls acted as the executive arm ofgovernment 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

Hi t i l B k d


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System of Government

Members of the senate are elected from aseries of lower assemblies who areresponsible 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



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Roman Architecture

The Environment around Rome was not as rich asthe Greek mainland in construction materialespecially 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 discoverconcrete; Roman concrete is different from ourpresent day concrete

Romans made significant improvements to the archto address its shortcoming



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Roman Architecture 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 materialenabled the Romans to construct great buildings withvery large interior spaces

Roman construction also developed the system ofwooden truss construction

The architecture of Rome has its origin in HellenisticGreek Architecture and the architecture of theEtruscans

Most Roman architects were either of Greek origin or

Greek trained



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Roman Architecture 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 ofthe entire design.

While the Greeks are said to be the inventors of form,Roman architecture concentrated on the creation ofspace



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Roman Architecture 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 theproduction of a vast number of various building types

Roman buildings include bathhouses for bathing,circuses for racing, amphitheatres for gladiatorialcontest, temples for religion, domus for family life andthe forum as the center of public life and national

commerce



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Other Achievements Other contributions of the Romans include the Roman

alphabets which is widely used in Western and CentralEuropean languages and the Roman numerals

The Roman also introduced the calendar which even

thought it has changed several times before assumingits current form has endured to the present day

The influence of the Roman Empire's is visible in thegovernment, law, and monumental architecture, as wellas many other aspects of Western life

The various contributions of the Roman civilization tomodern life has resulted in its classification along with

the Greek civilization as Classical civilizations


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End of Module 7 Lecture 22


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Module 7 Lecture 23

Roman Architecture


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Outline of Lecture

Lecture 23

Architecture of the CivilizationEarly Influences- The Etruscans

Engineering Innovation andachievements

Roman Buildings

Theaters

Amphitheater- Coliseum


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Architecture of the Civilization

Roman Architecture


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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 ofwhat is now Italy, prior to the formation of the RomanRepublic.

During the 700s BC, the Etruscans developed into aseries of autonomous city-states: Rome was a part ofthese 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


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Roman Architecture

Early Influences- The Etruscans Not much has survived of

Etruscan buildings to thepresent however.

The temple shown in theimage is a reconstruction ofa typical Etruscan temple

The Etruscans introducedanother order of architecture

This order, known as theTuscan order becamepopular with the Romans

Roman Architecture


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Roman Architecture

Early Influences- The Etruscans The Tuscan order had a

simpler base and the shaftwas without flutes

The capital and entablaturewere also without decoration

In proportion it is similar tothe Doric order with a columnthat is seven diameters high

Compared with the otherorders, the Tuscan orderlooks the most solid

Engineering Achievement


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Engineering AchievementIntroduction

Romans created what can be referred to as a structuralrevolution

This revolution centers on their understanding and use ofthe arch and vault

They also discovered the groin vault

Because of this structural revolution, they were able tospan large openings in buildings and other structureswith 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 totheir cities



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Structural Innovation- Arches The arch was not a new

building form, as it had been

known by other civilizationsincluding the Egyptians andthe Greeks

But the Romans used it to itsfullest potential

The arch is an organicstructure with the elements of

the arch resting on each otherand transferring load to thecolumn

It was particularly useful overdoors and openings



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Structural Innovation- Arches With an arch, there are no

tensile stresses as all the

forces are in compression andbuilding stone has enormouscompressive strength

Up to a certain point also, themore an arch is loaded thestronger it becomes

Arches were used over doorsand openings and sometimes,they are built over a lintel to

deflect the load to thesurrounding walls.



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Vaults Vaults are used to cover an area as aroof

The simplest of the vaults is the Barrel

vault, which is just made up of an archextended over a certain distance

It can be adapted to suit differenttypes of plans by making simple

modifications to it The disadvantage of the vault is that it

exerts a continuous load and thereforeneeds 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



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Vaults The cross vault was created

from the barrel vault to

overcome some of theproblems 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 isconcentrated at the cornerseliminating the need for

continuous support The opening of the space in 4

directions means that amplelight can be provided to the

area below it



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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



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Concrete The Romans were the first to develop concrete

The concrete developed by the Romans isdifferent from modern concrete and is made up oflime, sand and water

Around the 2nd century BC, Pozzolana orvolcanic ash was also added

Concrete did away with the need for stone

quarries It also did away with the need for the shaping andtransportation of stone and for high skilled labor

for stonemasonry



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Concrete Concrete has the advantage that it can be cast

in any shape and in far larger sizes than themegalithic 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


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Introduction The structural revolution introduced by the

Romans enabled them to introduce a variety of

new civil structures and building programsnever seen before their time

The ability of the Romans to create large

structures enabled them to build significant civilstructures including aqueducts, bridges andsewers

The Romans lived principally in cities andgenerally cities need a steady supply of freshwater

Rome itself was projected to have a populationof more than a million at the peak of its power



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Introduction Arcuated structures or Structures built with

arches played a major role in bringing thiswater 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



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g g

Road and Bridges The Trojans Bridge Alexandria is an

example of ancient Roman structuralachievement

It is also amongst the mostimpressive of the surviving Romanbridges

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; thecommemorative arch bears the

name of the architect of the bridge



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g g

Aqueducts Aqueducts were used to

supply water to Roman cities

The Pont Du Gard is probablythe most magnificent of theRoman aqueducts

It was constructed around 50A.D. to supply water to thecity of Nimes

The Aqueduct in some placesis almost 50 meters abovethe deep valley of the River

Gard



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Aqueducts It was constructed of 3

tiers of arches



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Aqueducts The Aqua Claudia is

also another example ofRoman aqueduct

The Aqua Claudia wasone of the elevenaqueducts that suppliedRome with water

The aqueduct supplieswater to Rome over adistance of 66kilometers

Roman Buildings


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Introduction The focus of Roman building design was on functionalspaces

The Roman people demanded buildings of variousfunctions from the Roman architect

The architects were able to respond, creating buildingsthat answer to their functional requirement by providingappropriate interior spaces

The buildings types include theaters, amphitheaters,basilicas, circuses, basilicas, temples and baths

All of these buildings were erected within the densefabric of the city

We will examine each of these building types

Roman Buildings


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Theaters The Romans adopted the Greektheater transforming it intosomething Roman

There was an expansion of thestage and the whole theater wascontained within a high-unbrokenwall

The Greek Theater was blendedinto the landscape

In contrast, the Roman Theaterwas an urban form located in aflat city

The structure of the theaterconsists of massive structural

arcades on piers

Roman Buildings


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Theaters A purely cosmetic layer oftrabeation was added to thefront

The trabeation was of theGreek orders and gave scale tothe building

It also creates a rhythm ofsolids and voids on theelevation

The three orders of Greekarchitecture were used on thetheater elevation

Theaters were built in everyRoman City

Roman Buildings


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Theaters The Theater was used for actingand drama

The Theater Marcellus

constructed between 23 to 13B.C. was the first theaterconstructed in the capital Rome

It is a good example of a Roman

theater Access to its banked seat is

from the rear, providing accesscircumferentially

A stage runs from end to end infront

The stage is enclosed by a tall

wall

Roman Buildings


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Amphitheater-Introduction The amphitheater is a romanstructure with no Greekequivalent

Amphitheatre is a publicbuilding used for spectatorsports, games and displays

Apart from function, theimportant outward distinctionbetween an amphitheatre anda theatre is that amphitheatre is

round or oval in shape An amphitheater was first builtin Pompeii in 80 BC, but thebest example of the Roman

amphitheater is the colosseum

Amphitheater


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Coliseum, Rome The Colosseumis an amphitheaterin Rome

Its construction began under the

Emperor Vespasian in 72 A.D. andwas 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 hundredinaugural days celebrating itsopening

The Colosseumhosted large-scale

spectacular games that included;fights between animals, the killing ofprisoners by animals and otherexecutions, naval battles via floodingthe arena, and combats between

gladiators

Amphitheater


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Coliseum, Rome It has been estimated thatabout 500,000 people died inthe Colosseumgames

The colosseumis elliptical inshape

It measured 48 metres high,

188 metres long, and 156metres wide

The wooden arena floor was

86 metres by 54 metres, andcovered by sand

The colosseumhad a seatingcapacity for 50,000 spectators

Amphitheater


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Coliseum, Rome The Colosseumwas

ingeniously designed; most

spectacle venues have beeninfluenced by the Colosseum'sstructure into modern times

The seating formed a uniform

elliptical ring capable ofsupporting the 50,000 spectatorcapacity of the facility

The substructure of the

amphitheater is very much likethat of the theater Vaulting was used both radially

and concentrically to support

the structure

Amphitheater


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Coliseum, Rome The Colosseumalso had a passageway

that opens into a tier of seats from below orbehind

Each entrance and exit was numbered, as

was each staircase The passages quickly dispersed people

into their seats and upon conclusion of theevent disgorged them with abruptness intothe surrounding streets

Seating was divided into different sections

Above the podium was the maenianumprimum, for the other Roman aristocratswho were not in the senate

The third level, the maenianumsecundum,was divided into three sections

The lower part, the was for wealthycitizens, while the upper part was for poorcitizens

A third, wooden section was a woodenstructure at the very top of the building,added by Domitian

Amphitheater


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Coliseum, Rome The most ingenious part ofthe Colosseumwas itscooling system

It was roofed using a canvascovered net-like structuremade of ropes, with a hole inthe center

The Arena where the actiontakes place is located at thecenter of the ellipse

Underneath the arena wasthe "underground", a networkof tunnels and cages wheregladiators and animals were

held before contests began

Amphitheater


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Coliseum, Rome The arena floor no longer exists,and the hypogeum walls andcorridors are clearly visible in

the ruins of the building The orders were used in the

elevation in the same manner ason the theater

The Colosseumwas incontinuous use until 217, when itwas damaged by fire fromlightning

It was restored in 238 andgladiatorial games continueduntil Christianity gradually put anend to some sports


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Module 7 Lecture 24Roman Architecture

Outline of Lecture


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Outline of Lecture

Lecture 24Roman Buildings

Circuses

Bath

TemplesBasilica

Residential Buildings

Other ElementsTriumphal Arches

Roman Buildings


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Circuses The Romans developed circuses or stadium for

horse and chariot racing

Every city usually had one located close to theforum

The circuses had stalls at one end where thechariots emerge at the beginning of the race anda track which they race around

The structure of the circus is very similar to thatof theaters and amphitheaters

Circus Maxima is an example of a Roman Circus

CircusesCircuse Maxentius


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Circuse Maxentius It is located in Rome and is one

of the oldest It went through a series of

transformation over the period ofits existence The image shown is its final

form around 400 A.D.

Its is 600 meters in length by200 meters in width

The circus had 3 tiers of seat,

and there are stalls for 12 racehouses or chariots Each race was of 7 laps

covering a distance of about 3.6

kilometers

Roman BuildingsBath


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Bath

The Romans had a unique need forexercise, bathing and relaxation and they

devised a unique architectural element, theBath 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


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Bath The bathing procedure involves a pattern of exposing thebody 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 heatedrooms, 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 hotsummer days or a cool unheated room called thefrigidarium

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 thepopulace

Roman Bath


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Bath of Caracalla The bath of caracalla is agood example of a

Roman bath and amongthe best preserved

The bath is set free

standing within a squareprecinct enclosed bywalls

The precinct has a waterreservoir to the south,supplied by an aqueduct

to service its water need

Roman Bath


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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 culturalactivities such as library,music performance,philosophical lectures, etc

The front wall has a series ofshops with the entrance atthe center

Roman BathBath of Caracalla


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Bath of Caracalla

The main bath buildingis rectangular, 225

meters by 115 metersand is situated withinthe walled precinct

It has a perfect bilateralsymmetry along itsnorth-south axis

The bath has a largedressing hall,apodyteriumat the

center of the building

Roman BathBath of Caracalla


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A swimming pool or Notato is locatedto the north of it, while a tepidariumand a domed circular cauldariumislocated to the south of it, where it ismore sunny

A series of supplementary rooms,including Gymnasium and bathroomsuits are arranged symmetrically ontwo sides of the building

The structure of the bath of carracallais made up of vaults, arches, groin

vaults and domes The interior also shows how the

Romans have been able to adapt theGreek orders and treatment to arch

and vault construction

Roman BuildingsTemples


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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 Etruscanand Greek prototypes

The typical temple had an axial plan, an entrance porchwith 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 inMaison Carree in Nimes

The best preserved of the temples and the one showingthe highest achievement in temple architecture is thePantheon

Roman TemplesMaison Caree Nimes


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Maison Caree, Nimes

Maison Carree is located inNimes France

It was built by the EmperorAgrippa

The temple shows Greekinfluence on early roman

temples The temple is 26.5 meterslong, 15.5 meters wide andraised on a podium 3.3

meters high It is a temple with 6Corinthian columns in front,10 diameters high

Roman Temples


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Maison Caree, Nimes Its podium is threeand half times the

height of theentablature with 15access steps in front

It has an entranceporch that is 3columns deep

The temple has a cellathat is one and halftimes long as its wide

Roman Temples


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Maison Caree, Nimes The walls of the

cella have attached

half Corinthiancolumns on itsvisible three sides

Roman TemplesPantheon


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Pantheon

The Pantheon is the bestsurviving of all classicalbuildings

It is also represents thehighest achievement ofRoman architecture

It was built between AD 118and 128 by the EmperorHandrian on the site of anearlier temple by Agrippa

It was built as a templededicated to all the RomanGods, hence the namePantheon

Roman Temples


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Pantheon The Pantheon essentiallyconsist of two parts; the anentrance portico and a

circular part or rotunda The portico is 8 columns

wide and 3 columns deepand 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 brickfaced concrete and supportthe dome roof of the temple

Roman TemplesPantheon


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a eo

The interior has eightlarge niches with one

serving as the entranceand the remaining sevenused dedicated to theseven major RomanGods

The Dome roof forms aperfect sphere with adiameter of 142 feet inthe interior

Roman Temples


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Pantheon At the head of the dome is a30ft wide occulus, that opens

up the great dome to theoutside and illuminates thespace with light

The interior was built ofEgyptian granites, Africancolored marbles and purewhite marbles from the

Aegean

The Pantheon combinesscale, boldness and mastery

of every architectural art.

Roman BuildingsBasilica


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Basilicas are among the most importantcategories 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 anapse at one end

The central aisle tended to be wide and washigher than the flanking aisles, so that light couldpenetrate through the clerestory windows

The function of the basilica is close to that of theGreek stoa

Roman BuildingsBasilica


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It is also the place where magistrates to holdcourt 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 oneconstructed for traditional purposes during thereign of the pagan emperor Maxentius andfinished by Constantine after 313

In the early Imperial period, a basilica for largeaudiences also became a feature of the palaces

We will examine the Basilica Ulpia and theBasilica Maxentius

Roman BuildingsBasilica Ulpia


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p

The Basilica Ulpia was builtby Emperor Trajan in theperiod A.D 98-117 for his

imperial forum Basilica Ulpia stretches for

120 meters in length over thewidth of the Trajan forum

The Basilica consists of acentral hall, 25 meters widesurrounded on all sides by

double colonnades The Basilica had two semi-

circular apses at its twoends

Roman BuildingsBasilica Ulpia


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p The walls of the Basilica

were finished with multi-colored marble; also

referred to aspolychromatic 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 theChristians for their church

Roman BuildingsBasilica Maxentius


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The Basilica Maxentius wasstarted by the EmperorMaxentius in A.D. 308 but was

completed by the EmperorConstantine in A.D. 312 It is also sometimes referred to

as Basilica of Constantine

It is one of the impressivebuildings of the ForumRomanum

The Basilica Maxentius is

different from other traditionbasilicas, because its designwas derived from the centralhalls of imperial Roman Baths

Roman BuildingsBasilica Maxentius


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It is however larger in scale thanany 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 25meters and was covered by 3groin vaults with a maximumheight of 35 meters

The side isles were 16 meterswide, divided into three sections

There is very little that is left of

the Basilica now

Roman BuildingsResidential Buildings


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Roman cities had a range ofvarious types of privatedwellings

The private dwellings reflectedthe rank and wealth of theinhabitants

At the lowest level are the multi-

story tenements where a largeproportion of the populationstayed

They consisted of shops on the

ground floor and apartments onthe upper floors

The apartments were builtaround a courtyard for light and

air

Roman Buildings

id i l ildi


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Residential Buildings The common roman house

was the domus

These were reserved for themore well off members of theRoman society

The domus was essentially acourtyard house, with aperistyle colonnaded

courtyard It had few or no windows to

the outside

Residential BuildingsDomus Augustana


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At the high end areelaborate palaces and

villas for the very rich The Domus Augustana,also called flavianspalace, is an example of

the high-end residentialpalaces

Domus Augustana was

both a house for theemperor as well as hispalace for officialfunctions

Residential BuildingsDomus Augustana


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It was laid out around twoperistyle 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 thecourtyard located to the right

To the right of the residential

part is a sunken garden in theform of a stadium This is the private garden of the

emperor, where he can interact

with nature

Residential BuildingsHandrians Villa


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Romans also built countryvillas or houses, where they

could go to be close to nature A very good example of the

country villas, is the

Handrians villa built for theEmperor Handrian

The Handrian villa displays anexample of the level of wealthdisplayed in buildings

This was a large countryestate spread on a vast terrain

Residential BuildingsHandrians Villa

The structure was made of a


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The structure was made of aloose arrangement of peristylehalls, fountains, dining halls,dormitories, baths, libraries

and other facilities The most characteristics

feature of the villa is the playof curves and curved form

This is most evident in theCanopus

This is an elongated pool

surrounded by a colonnade The colonnade is topped byalternating straight entablatureand segmental arch sections

framing statuary

Other Architectural ElementsTriumphal Arches


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Other Than buildings, ancient Romans alsocontributed to the development of severalarchitectural elements

The most prominent of the elements is thetriumphal arch

A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of amonumental gate, usually built to celebrate avictory 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


Some triumphal arches are made of stone and


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Some triumphal arches are made of stone andintended to be permanent.

A number of arches from the city's imperial eracan still be seen in modern Rome.

Temporary triumphal arches were alsoconstructed 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 couldperform a triumph celebration and be atriumphator as the victorious generals are known



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The ceremony consisted of a spectacular parade,opened by the chiefs of conquered peoples who areafterward executed

The triumphator rode on a biga, a chariot pulled by twowhite horses

The parade followed a precise route in the streets of

Rome It traveled along the Forum until it reached the Temple of

J upiter Optimus Maximus, where the laurels of victorywere offered to the god.

Monuments may then be erected to celebrate thetriumph

Two examples of such monuments in the republican

forum are the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine

Triumphal ArchesArch of Constantine


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The arch was built in A.D.81 and dedicated to theemperor Titus

It was built to commemoratethe military victory over

J erusalem in A.D. 70 The arch has a height of

15.4 meters, a width of 13.5meters and was constructedof stone

The marvel of its stoneconstruction is evident in thekeystone, which ensures thestability of the arch



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It has a single openingflanked on each side byattached columns of theComposite order

The composite order has acapital that joins the

acanthus leaves of theCorinthian order with thevolutes of the ionic order

The face of the arch isdecorated with sculpturalrelief depicting thedestruction of the temple in

J erusalem



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The arch of Constantinewas built much later that

than of Titus It was built to

commemorate the victory

of Emperor Constantineover Maxentius in A.D.312

Its form shows an attemptto create an arch moremajestic than that of Titus



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It has three archedopenings, a larger one in

the center flanked by twosmaller ones

There are four freestanding columns in frontframing the archedopenings

It is also abundantlydecorated, depicting thevictory in relief sculpture


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Module 7 Lecture 25

Roman Architecture

Outline of Lecture


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Lecture 25 Roman City Planning and Design

Architectural Characteristics

Buildings and other architectural elements

Building materials, construction andtechnologies

Architectural Organizing principles

Roman City Planning & DesignPrinciples


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Roman cities fall intotwo broad categories

Majority grew in anunplanned manner overthe centuries forming

complex organicentities, to whichsometimes order was

introduced Rome is a good

example


The other category consist of


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The other category consist ofCastrumtype cities, a type ofmilitary camp developed with

an inflexible regularity ofshape-

A well preserved example is

the city of Timgad in NorthAfrica

This was a city laid out byTrajan 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


The planning of most cities fall in between the two


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The planning of most cities fall in between the twoextremes 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 withpublic spaces and residential neighborhoods

Each public building had interior spaces that responded

to functional requirement with the spaces also linked andconnected with the public spaces of the city

The Forum was the center of the Roman city

Roman City Planning & DesignForum

The forum was the descendant of the Greek agora forh


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gthe Romans

It began as a market place

It rapidly became the commercial, political andceremonial 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, andwhose buildings are subordinate to the space, in theroman forum, the organization is more formal

The buildings surrounding it are normally large anddominate the space

Buildings commonly found in the forum include temples,basilicas, and bath

Roman City Planning & DesignForum

Each individual major building in the forumwas given a


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Each individual major building in the forum was given acentral inside space

Governmental function were usually arranged on the

West End; religious ceremonies were celebrated at theeast end

The inside space of buildings was connected to one ormore exterior space of the city

Columns, statues and triumphal arches were erected asa memorial to the conquering rulers and to the glories ofthe empire

No two roman forums are really alike, as there arealways differences between the forums in different cities In Rome with its two forums, we find a good example of

the Roman forums

Roman City Planning & Design

Republiclan Forum The Republican Forumis


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Republiclan Forum The Republican Forum isalso called the Forum

Romanum It was the oldest and most

important forum in the city

Soon it became animportant market place

By the 5th Century B.C.

the various functionsassociated with the forumbegan to assume their

architectural shape

Roman City Planning & DesignRepublican Forum

Additions, modification and


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growth by successive republicansand emperors led to its

development By 400 A.D. the forum had

accumulated not less than 10

temples, 4 basilicas, 4 triumphalarches and many othermonuments and shrines

All of these were arranged withno preordained order

The buildings therefore loosely

define the space of the forum

Roman City Planning & DesignImperial Forum

During the reign of J uliusCeasar he attempted to


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Ceasar, he attempted toreorganize the Republican

forum but realized that it hadbecome too congested forrational order

He therefore decided to build anew forum adjacent to butoutside the republican forum

This idea was picked bysuccessive emperors, whoadded to it to create theimperial forum

Roman City Planning & DesignImperial Forum

The imperial forum is not oneforum but five forums with


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forum, but five forums witheach supporting the other

There was variety in their form,but they displayed rationalorder in their organization

Each of the forum consisted of

colonnaded atrium with atemple at its head

Of the five temples that of

Trojan was most majestic, withthe basilica Ulpia sitting acrossit and two libraries on eitherside of the central court

Roman City Planning & DesignArchitecture and Urban Design in Rome

In Rome we find the bestexample of both Roman


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example of both Romanarchitecture and city design

The image shows areconstruction module of a partof Rome at the height of itsdevelopment

From the image, the organicgrowth of the city is evident andis reflected in the fabric of thecity

Buildings are densely packedtogether, separated by anetwork of narrow pathways

Roman City Planning & DesignArchitecture and Urban Design in Rome

Within the fabric, all the Romanbuilding types can be identified


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building types can be identified

These include The circus

Maxentius, The DomusAugustana, Roman Theater,An Aqueduct, A Roman

Temple, The BasilicaMaxentius, and TheRepublican and ImperialForums

From the image, the clusteringof important buildings close tothe forum is highly evident


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Architectural Characteristics


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Buildings & Other ArchElements

Buildings & Other Arch. ElementsBuilding Types

The genius of the roman architect was not in the designof a particular building


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of a particular building Rather, it is in the way they were able to meet the

needs of a complex society for different building typesfor a thousand years

They produced a wide range of buildings that had neverbeen built before

Roman buildings included bathhouses for bathing,circuses for races, amphitheaters for gladiatorialcontest, temples for religion, domus for family life andthe forum as the center of public life

Roman architects design the buildings with interiorspaces configured for specialized activities The Greek order was reduced to a decorative element

rather than as a form generator in Greek Architecture

Buildings & Other Arch. ElementsEngineering Structures

Romans also contributed several engineering


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Romans also contributed several engineeringand architectural objects to human civilization

The most prominent engineering contributionsare in road and bridge structures and in theconstruction of aqueducts

Road and bridge construction allowed theRomans to connect the various parts of theirempire

Aqueducts allowed them to supply their citieswith water

Buildings & Other Arch. ElementsThe Orders

Romans also contributed to the development of theorders


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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 twostorey and the miniature order used to decoratewindows

The Romans also contributed in the development of the

Triumphal arches Triumphal arches were constructed in Roman cities to

celebrate victories in battles


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Materials, Const. & Tech.

Materials, Construction & Tech.Materials

The choice of building materials contributed to thesuccess of Roman architecture


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success of Roman architecture.

Roman building materials were very diverse and rich

Materials that were not available locally could usually beimported 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 enabledRoman architects to design and vast buildings fordifferent uses

Materials, Construction & Tech.Construction

The Roman Civilization had the most innovativeconstruction system of the civilizations so far


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construction system of the civilizations so farstudied

Roman architects understood the underlyingprinciples of arch and vault construction and wereable to innovate to address their shortcomings

The combination of arch and vault constructionwith concrete and fire brick formwork providedthe 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

Materials, Construction & Tech.Construction

In fact, roman architecture was essentially space


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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 constructiontechnology at the height of its application

Materials, Construction & Tech.Technology

The greatest contribution of the Romans inBuilding services and technology is in the aspect


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g gy pof water

The development of the aqueduct enabledancient 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 millioninhabitants 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 fordisposal


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Principles of Arch.Organization

Principles of Arch. OrganizationPrinciples

Three forces appear to shape the


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pp pdirection and form of Roman architecture

Function

Construction Technology

Adaptation to new ideas and knowledge

Principles of Arch. OrganizationFunction

The principal organizing principle of Roman


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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 therigidness in the use of the Greek orders

They transformed the orders from a determinantof building form to decoration on giganticbuildings

Principles of Arch. OrganizationConstruction Technology

Understanding Roman buildings also requiresunderstanding their construction technology


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g gy 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 Romanarchitects to produce buildings with vast interiorspaces

Construction technology enabled Romans totransform the orders from structural elements tomere decorative ones

Principles of Arch. OrganizationAdaptation to New Ideas and Knowledge

Roman architecture can also only beunderstood by understanding the Roman


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y gattitude to innovation

Romans were constantly in contact withdifferent people and places

As they come into contact the differentpeople and places, they are also exposedto different ideas and ways of doing things

Roman people were always willing to leannew ideas and knowledge and adapt thesefor their use

Principles of Arch. OrganizationAdaptation to New Ideas and Knowledge

Such adaptation allowed them toassimilate ideas from different places,


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pincluding the Greeks, the Egyptians and

the Carthaginians But when Roman people learn new ideas

and knowledge, they were also able toadapt them and create ideas that wereuniquely Roman

It is this will to learn and adapt that led totheir innovative social life and to theevolution of Roman architecture


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