Download roman architecture - the Redhill Academy

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
Orders: Tuscan, Roman Doric, Ionic, Corinthian (favourite), Composite
(invented by the Romans)
Whereas Greek architecture is built up from a logical series of
horizontals and verticals, Roman architecture uses rounded forms such as
arch, vault and dome, so that buildings tended to look as if they had been
made of concrete poured into a mould.
Vault – an arched ceiling or roof of stone, brick or concrete.
Dome – a vault of even curvature erected on a circular base.
In Greek architecture the column was the most important member; in
Rome the column was frequently degraded to merely decorative uses, while
the wall became the essential element. Hence the Roman preference for the
Pseudo-peripteral temple.
Pseudo-peripteral Temple – a temple with porticos at either end and
engaged columns or pilasters along the sides.
Portico – a roofed space, open or partly closed, forming the entrance and
centrepiece of the façade of a temple, house or church, often with detached
columns and a pediment.
Pilaster – a shallow pier or rectangular column projecting only slightly from
a wall and, in classical architecture, conforming to one of the orders.
Façade – the front or face of a building, emphasised architecturally.
Pediment – a low pitched gable above a portico formed by running the top
member of the entablature along the sides of the gable; also a similar
feature above a door, window etc. It may be straight-sided or curved
segmentally.
Gable – the triangular upper portion of a wall at the end of a pitched roof,
corresponding to a pediment in a classical architecture. It normally has
straight sides, but there are variants.
Examples of a pseudo-peripteral temple are the Temple of Fortuna Virilis in
Rome (mid first century B.C.) and the Maison Carre at Nimes (begun 19
B.C.).
The Romans had a preference for the Corinthian Order and for
elaborately carved ENTABLATURES and other ornamentation.
It was the development of concrete used together with brick that
made possible the construction of the great Roman domes and vaults.
Concrete proved as economical of materials as of labour, since the masons’
rubble could be used for filling. Surfaces were either stuccoed or clad in
marble.
Stucco – hard plasterwork usually rendered very smooth or modelled as in
stucco ceilings.
Roman architecture reached its high point in the PANTHEON in Rome,
c. A.D. 100-125, with a dome 43.5 metres in diameter, which is both a feat
of engineering and a masterpiece of simple yet highly satisfying proportions.
It is based on a sphere, the height of the walls being equal to the radius of
the dome. (Do not confuse the Roman Pantheon with the Greek Parthenon!)
Other typical Roman buildings are:I. BASILICA a large meeting hall, as used in public administration in
Roman times. Early Christian churches evolved from basilicas of this
type. They were oblong buildings with aisles and galleries, and with
an apse opposite the entrance. The Roman basilica with its interior
colonnades (rows of columns carrying an entablature or arches) is like
a Greek temple turned outside in.
II. THERMAE or public baths were usually large and richly decorated, e.g.
the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.
III. AMPHITHEATRES of which the Colosseum at Rome (A.D. 69-79) is the
largest. They are an elliptical or circular space surrounded by rising
tiers of seats and were used by the Romans for gladiator contests and
public spectacles.
IV. TRIUMPHAL ARCHES a purely decorative type of building to
commemorate victories and other events, of which the earliest
recorded examples are temporary structures of the second century
B.C. Always of the Corinthian or Composite order, these arches vary
from severe to elaborate. An example is the Arch of Constantine, c.
312-15 A.D., in Rome.
V. AQUEDUCTS An artificial channel for carrying water, usually an
elevated masonry or brick structure supported on arches; invented by
the Romans and used to supply towns with pure water. An example is
the Pont du gard (late 1st. century B.C.) near Nimes.
DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE
There are three types of building:
1. DOMUS or town house.
This is derived from the Greek house, and was usually of one
storey only, and inward-looking with the rooms grouped axially and
symmetrically around an atrium (an inner court open to the sky and
surrounded by the roof), and one or more peristyles (a ring of columns
surrounding a building or open court) courts. The street façade was
plain and either without windows or let out as shops (as can still be
seen at Pompeii).
2. INSULA, a multi-storey apartment house or tenement block. These
had several identical but separate floors and were often vaulted
throughout with concrete construction. Their height was limited by
Augustus to 75 feet. After the fire of 64 A.D. during Nero’s rebuilding
of Rome, new quarters of insulae were laid out symmetrically along
arcaded streets and round public squares.
3. VILLA. A Suburban or country house. This was derived from the
traditional farmhouse and was more casual and straggling in plan than
the domus. It was more outward-looking and a great variety in
planning and room shapes was attained in the more luxurious
examples, such as Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli, Italy, C.125-135 A.D. The
exteriors were enlivened with portico’s and colonnades, rooms were
designed to catch the view, or the sun in winter or the shade in
summer.
The last great architectural monument of the Roman Empire is
Diocletian’s Palace at Spilt in Yugoslavia (c.300 A.D., probably in Croatia
at present), which was laid out on the plan of a Roman fort.
Temple of Bacchus – A.D. 2nd century
Nearly intact peristyle – it has lost its roof and pediments. Trabeated
(post and lintel type), derived from the Greek. Note the differences from
the Greek. The ‘stylobate’ (Greek style with steps all around) has been
replaced by a ‘podium’ (a continuous pedestal with steps only at the
entrance front). The capitals are composite.
Temple of Bel A.D.32
Columns only at the entrance, forming a ‘portico’. Sides are decorated
with pilasters (not known to the Greeks). The order used here is
Corinthian.
Temple of Augustus 19 B.C
Again we see a portico. There is also a pediment and approaching steps.
(These parts are probably restorations)
PANTHEON Mainly A.D. 120-124 Rome.
Here we see 3 great innovations from the Romans- the dome, the arch,
and stone vaulting. The first great dome was on the Pantheon. It is the
most complete and the most important of the Roman temples. Dedicated
to the deities of the Universe and specifically to those associated with the
7 planets. In 608 A.D. it was consecrated as a Christian Church. Note
the portico and the body of the temple which is a rotunda crowned by a
dome. (It is the oldest large building in the world which has its roof
intact).
Plan and section – The wall of the rotunda is 20ft. thick, enough to absorb
the thrust of the dome. This allowed for the weakening of the lower
stage by the 7 recesses cut into it to accommodate the statues of the 7
deities. The diameter of the interior is 43 and one half metres, the same
as the height in the centre. The dome is a perfect hemisphere (so if it
were a sphere it would touch the floor like a ball.) There are no windows
in the walls but in the top centre of the dome is a circular unglazed hole,
strengthened by its original bronze ring (the oculus – the ‘eye’ of the
Gods). This is the only light, and the effect is solemn and sacrosanct.
The geometric pattern of circles symbolises the divine planets, which, in
Roman astronomy, included the sun, the source of light.
Dome of the Pantheon – Constructed in brick and concrete. The sunken
panels are called coffers and they get smaller as they get closer to the
oculus producing an illusion of even greater height. Each panel originally
contained a bronze star, the star of the heavens. (Coffering also reduced
the weight of the dome).
Pont du Gard 16 B.C. Nimes, in France.
The aqueduct shows the use of the round headed arch in concrete. It has
3 storeys of arches. A functional building, it was part of a system to
carry water to Nimes from a source 25 miles away.
The Arch of Constaintine A.D. 312. Rome.
A triumphal arch, it was of no practical use but was used to glorify
emperors and victorious generals. It is highly decorative. Note the 4
corinthian columns carrying no weight. There are lots of statues and
relief’s, mostly stolen from earlier arches.
Arc de Triomphe 1806-1835 in Paris. By Chalgrin and others.
A monument to Napolean from the 19th century, in the Neo-classical style
favoured at the time.
COLOSSEUM A.D. 70-82. Rome.
An amphitheatre used for entertainment (sometimes cruel). It has
three quarter columns in doric, ionic and Corinthian orders and the top
storey is decorated with Corinthian pilasters. It seated about 50,000
people with access similar to modern stadiums. (Very influential on
Alberti’s Palazzo Rucellai, during the Italian renaissance.)
Theatre in Jerash c.A.D.100. Jersusalem.
Greek theatres, like Epidaurus, (see Greek notes), were fir religious
ceremonious in dramatic form, whereas Roman theatre was dramatic
entertainment. The layout however was similar. The chief difference was
that the circular Greek orchestra (a dancing place), was used by the
actors, but the Roman semi-circular orchestra was part of the auditorium
and was reserved for senators and other high dignitaries. It corresponds
to the modern stalls in a theatre. Also the Roman permanent set was
larger and more elaborate than the Greek.
BATHS OF CARACALLA Early 3rd century A.D. Rome.
These are the remains of the original thermae (Bath house – healthy
body healthy mind).
The core was composed of three baths ranging from cold to hot (seen
vertically from bottom to top in the centre of the slide), like modern
Turkish baths. The lowest was the frigidarium (a cold swimming pool
but open to the sky). Above it was a central hall, vaulted room 183ft
long, where people assembled. Between this hall and the circular ‘hot’
room, called the calidarium, a crowned by a dome, were tepid plunge
baths. On each side of the axis there was a complex of gymnasium,
private rooms, and rooms for poets, philosophers and politicians where
they could hold seminars.
Outside the building, but within its precincts, there was a stadium and
provision for games and physical training. The baths were open day and
night for both sexes. In the ‘frigidarium’ prostitutes gathered with the
naked bathers, slaves and torch bearers. They paraded in an interior of
marble and gilded walls, columns and statues, reliefs and mosaics. The
was a groin vaulted high centre.
Barrel Vault (see diagram sheet) – Formed by a continuous series of
round headed arches.
Groin Vault (also see diagram sheet) – Formed by 2 barrel vaults
intersecting one another at right angles.
The elliptical lines of
intersection are called ‘groins’ and give the vaulting its name.
Groin vault in the Baths of Diocletian A.D. 302 Rome.
Barrel vaults had to be supported by continuous walls but the advantage
of the ‘groin vault’ was that the thrust was concentrated down the groins
so that it only needed support where the groins met, at the four corners
of each square. That is why there are open arches under the sides of
each square.
Hadrians Villa A.D. 124 Tivoli.
The villa is a country estate, about 15 miles from Rome. It was built for
the emperor in his declining years. The estate covered 7 square miles
(little remains) and it was lavishly decorated with statues. We see
columns, arches and statues such as a Roman river god and a copy of a
Greek statue.
Bust of the Emperor Vespasian A.D.69-79
Portrait busts were virtually a Roman invention. They were probably
likenesses. Vespasian was a tough ruler, moderately cruel, like a modern
tycoon.
Bust of Emperor Antoninus Pius A.D.138 - 161
By the 2nd century A.D. the bust had been extended to include the whole
chest and this had an influence on later sculptors. Antoninus Pius was a
dull, dutiful man and he looks it!
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius c. A.D.161-180 Rome (bronze)
Erected to a just Emperor and a liberal philosopher.
This famous
sculpture was very influential on works of art by Donatello, Verriochio,
Uccello, Castagno and countless other artists, during the Italian
Renaissance.