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Roman Architecture
Mary Megan Heintz
CEP 817
What is Roman Architecture?
• Roman architecture stands today as a testament to the
ability and grandeur of this once great civilization that, at
one time, covered three continents. The common style of
architecture formed a thread that helped keep the vast
Roman empire connected.
• The Romans adopted the external language of classical
Greek architecture for their own purposes, which were so
different from Greek buildings as to create a new
architectural style. The two styles are often considered one
body of classical architecture. Sometimes that approach is
productive, and sometimes it hinders understanding by
causing us to judge Roman buildings by Greek standards.
Roman and Greek
Architecture
The architecture of Classical Greece
and Rome did not come about all at
once, but came in different stages of
design and style. There were five
different styles that the Romans and
Greeks used throughout classical
times, from pre 500 BC to the first
century AD.
The Five Architectual Styles
1~ Doric Style
2~ Ionic Style
3~ Corinthean
4~ Tuscan
5~ Composite Order
Learn more about
Roman Architecture
Doric Style
• Columns built in this style usually
had no base and consisted of a
massive shaft with 20 flutes. Doric
architecture predates the 5th century
BC.
Doric Style
• The earliest temples were
built in the Doric style.
Doric temples are simple
and strong.
• In Doric temples, the
columns have no base,
but just sit right on the
floor. At the top of the
columns, there's a capital
made of a sort of small
pillow in stone, and then
a square block, under the
architrave (ARR-kuh-trayv).
Examples
The Parthenon
in Greece
The Colosseum
in Rome
These are
examples in
which the
Doric columns
were used.
Back to the 5 Styles
 picture of Parthenon taken by Brian Heintz
Ionic Style
• More visibly complex than that of the
Doric style, being of slender
proportion, and their height being
generally about nine times the
column's lower diameter; the order is
always used with a base and the
column shaft usually has 24 flutings.
Ionic Style
•
In Ionic temples, the columns
have a small base to stand on,
instead of sitting right on the
floor. They are still fluted, but
they have more flutes than Doric
columns. At the top of the
columns, there's a double curve
in stone, under the architrave
(ARR-kuh-trayv). On the
architrave, there is a continuous
frieze (FREEZE) where the
triglyphs and metopes would be
on a Doric temple.
examples
Temple of Athena Nike
in the Acropolis in Athens
This is an
example in which
the Ionic column
was used.
Back to the 5 Styles
Triglyphs and Metopes
Most Greek temples have a pattern
under the pediment known as
triglyphs and metopes. The triglyphs
alternate with the metopes across the
front of the temple. Triglyphs have
three parts, and then in between the
triglyphs are the metopes.
Greek temple
at Agrigento, Sicily
Corinthian Style
• The Corinthian style is fancier and heavier than
the Ionic style.
• This is the most ornate of the classical styles
and is generally much more slender than the
Ionic style. The Romans used the Corinthian
order in numerous monumental works of
imperial architecture. They gave it a special
base, made carved additions to the cornice, and
created numerous capital variations, utilizing
florid leafage and sometimes human and animal
figures.
Corinthian Style
In Corinthian temples, the
columns have a fancier
base to stand on. At the top
of the columns, on the
capital, there's a stone
carving of acanthus leaves,
under the architrave (ARRkuh-trayv). On the
architrave, as in Ionic
temples, there is a
continuous frieze where the
triglyphs and metopes
would be on a Doric temple.
examples
Temple of Castor
in the Roman Forum
Maison Carrée
in Nimes, France
These are
examples in which
the Corinthian
columns were
used.
Back to the 5 Styles
Triglyphs and Metopes
Most Greek temples have a pattern
under the pediment known as
triglyphs and metopes. The triglyphs
alternate with the metopes across the
front of the temple. Triglyphs have
three parts, and then in between the
triglyphs are the metopes.
Greek temple
at Agrigento, Sicily
Tuscan Style
• The Tuscan column was the next form to
be introduced and it was introduced by
the Etruscans. The Tuscan Column is a
very simple, plain column with a base and
non-fluted shaft. No major examples of
this architectural type survive today.
Back to the 5 Styles
Composite Order
• The Composite form is a combination of Ionic and
Corinthian orders. This form was the most
complex due to the fact that it used the arch.
Due to the advances of the Composite style of
architecture and the skill that the Romans had
with concrete, the Romans were able to develop
such architectural marvels like the arch, the vault
and the dome.
examples
The Pantheon
• One of the most famous
domed buildings to come
from the ancient Romans
was the Pantheon built in
the last century BC by
Marcus Agrippa and later
refurbished by Hadrian.
This building was originally
built as a temple to all the
Roman gods but was later
converted into a Christian
temple. This building has
the honor of being the
oldest, and largest, free
standing dome in history.
The Pantheon
 picture of Pantheon taken by Brian Heintz
Inside the
Pantheon
Click on the picture to learn more
about the Pantheon
These are
examples in which
the Composite
Order was used.
The Pantheon
Arch of Titus
Back to the 5 Styles
 picture of Pantheon taken by Brian Heintz
Aqueducts
Pont du Gard
near Nimes, France
• The Roman development of the arch also led to
the building of the great aqueducts for which
were used to transport great amounts of water
over vast miles of land. The need for aqueducts
occurred in Rome during the mid republic due to
the fact that the Tiber river had gotten too
muddy and polluted from waste dumping and
other deeds. As time went on, numerous
aqueducts were built in Rome and throughout the
empire in general.
• Perhaps the most well preserved aqueduct is Pont
du Gard near Nimes, France
To transport the water over great
distances, the Roman Aqueduct
worked with the principals of gravity
and they also had special basins
between the source and the
destination that would help purify the
water. Once the water had reached
the destination, it was kept in a
storage tank where it would be
distributed by pipes to different
locations in the city. Some lucky
upper class people had water piped
directly to their residence, the earliest
known form of a sophisticated pipe
system.
Roman Baths
• With the water system that the
Aqueduct allowed, the Roman public
baths got more sophisticated and grew
in size as time went on.
• By the second century AD, public baths
had grown in size and variety. In these
new facilities, the pampered could do
everything from eat, to exercise, and
even read.
Roman Bath
Baths
•
in Bath, England
Under such famous emperors as
Titus, Caracalla and Diocletion,
magnificent baths were
constructed that could house
thousands of people at a single
time. These later baths were
constructed in different sections.
•
Upon entrance into the bath house, the patron would first
enter a changing room in which they would undress themselves
before continuing into the exercise room. After a period of
exercise, the patron would then go to the warm baths, in the
tepidarium, then to the cold baths, in the frigidarium. After their
bath, the patron could have a massage if he/she wished so.
Click on the picture of the Baths
of Caracalla to see the floor plan.
Baths of Caracalla
in Rome
Baths of Caracalla in Rome
(floor plan)
Key to Baths of Caracalla:
1.Original front entrance
2.Changing rooms
3.Gymnasia
4.Natatio (outdoor pool)
5.Frigidarium (cold room)
6.Tepidarium (warm room)
7.Caldarium (hot room)
8.Conference rooms
9.Greek and Latin libraries
10.Stadium
Great Advances
• The system that the Romans had for maintaining
their bath houses was an engineering wonder.
– In the cold and hot areas of the bath, the water
temperature was actually regulated by the use of
underground fire furnaces.
– Also, the dirty water in the baths was actually drained
and replaced regularly.
– The bath house also had a hookup to the complex
Roman water system and so always had an ample
source of water, for both bathing in, and for drinking.
The great sanitary conditions of the bath house
were major factors that helped to make the
Roman empire the cleanest society up until the
19th century.
Great Roman Structures
• The grand public structures that the Romans left
are the greatest legacy to their once great
empire. Their great amphitheaters and
monuments, such as the triumphal arch, were
great structures that were a marvel to the
Romans and are still a marvel to us today.
Amphitheathers and Monuments
Amphitheater
• The Roman Amphitheater, like most styles of
buildings, was influenced greatly by the Greek
civilization. These structures were generally
circular and used the arch as their style of
building but some were known to be built into a
mountain or hillside. The theaters and
amphitheaters were quite big in size and could
hold upwards of 50 000 spectators.
Examples of
the Colosseum
•The biggest, and most famous, Roman amphitheater was the
Colosseum which was built by the Flavian emperors
Vespasian and Titus. This building was used for everything
from mock sea battles to gladiatorial fights. A special fact
about the Colosseum is that it was originally built with a
huge removable canopy to protect the spectators from the
elements.
Colosseum
Inside the Colosseum
 picture of inside the Colosseum taken by Brian Heintz
Monuments
Arch of
Constantine
• The great monuments that the Romans leave
behind show a great skill and an admiration for
the accomplishments of their leaders and the
grandeur of their empire. Most Roman
monuments were constructed using the arch and
had the details carved into them. The arch was
usually very big and was a prominent feature of
the skyline of the town in which it was located.
Conclusion
From columns…
To aquaducts…
Arches…
Baths…
Those Romans and Greeks
were really amazing!
Amphitheaters and
Monuments…
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