Download Roman Architecture - Ms Faughnan`s Notes

Roman Archictecture
Leaving Certificate Classical Studies
Trajan's Column P.177
 100 foot in height, the carved
bands winds spirally for 215
yards up ward- it was erected
in the Roman forum in AD 113
to commemorate and
illustrate the emperors two
Dacian campaigns
 It is a “masterpiece of Roman
historical art” –the great relief
was tricked out with colour it could be seen at easier
range from the roofs of the
two libraries that lay at either
side of the column
Illustration 157 P.179
 At the bottom the roman army
emerges from a fortified city and
cross the Danube in two columns,
one of the columns is led by Trajan
himself – the busy life of the river is
vividly shown – the river god
Danube, surveys the goings on from
a nearby cave – then the emperor is
seen outside the camp – later on he
holds a war council- there after he is
veiled as the high priest readying a
sacrifice to mark the beginning of
the campaign. He “harangues” his
troops whilst fortifications are being
built –later on a captured spy is
brought before him. Trajan is
everywhere!
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Through a long succession of mounting
episodes details of the campaigns, (some
of them very ordinary) are shown with
authority and liveliness – we learn more
about the roman army in the field than
any other single document
The action flows un- hesitatingly from
episode to episode
The strange convention of the continuous
style works , as does that other convention
whereby further figures rise head and
shoulders above nearer ones
The perspective is at sixes and sevens but
this serves to add to the “Tumultuous
vivacity of the scene”
We find ourselves committed to the midst
of a crowd of men hurrying about with
their business - the calm commanding
figure of the emperor is close at hand.
Trajan’s column is “ history scribed around
the presence of a great man- the
apotheosis of the individual”
Trajan’s Column
The Great Trajanic Frieze P. 180 Illustration 159
 From the 2nd century – reworked
into the arch of Constantine at
Rome AD 312 – the features of the
mounted Trajan were altered to
resemble those of Constantine
 The frieze originally came from the
temple of the deified Trajan – the
monument also depicts the Dacian
wars, but in a more “monumental
and constrained manner” – the
display on the frieze seems over
crowded and lacks the easy
continuity that marks the display of
events on Trajan's column
 “never again ..was the full mastery
of that column repeated”
Arch of Titus P.191 Illustration 176
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The Arch of Titus located in the Roman
forum, constructed AD 81
The triumphal procession swings through
the depicted triumphal gate shown in
three quarter view, this is “is nearly right”
– “The figures in behind the front series
are shown effectively in low relief”
Soldiers parade through the arch, bearing
the spoils from the Jewish wars of AD 70
There was a failure in classical art to work
out the mechanism of perspective..this
helped a little to impede the further
development of landscape as a mode in its
own right” – referring to Vitruvius, the
appearance of buildings were rendered
conventionally in stage scenery – some of
these background scenes may seem to be
receding, other projecting P.186.
In other words the background landscape
with its buildings adding to the overall
narrative of the event being shown had not
yet reached a maturity in terms of
perspective
Arch of Titus P. 192 –Illustration 177
 The imperial chariot
faces the
front – the horses are in “awkward
echelon” – the “spatial problem”
fails to be understood or
comprehended. “The failure was
final” – The chariot of Titus marks
a “turning point in classical art”.
 Wheeler seems to be saying that
the perspective is not done right
 In this scene the emperor returns
in triumph after his conquests of
Judea 71 AD – the sculpture made
an
incomplete
attempt
at
perspective and there is a hint of
the frontality which was more
evident in later reliefs.
Arch of Septimus Severus P. 193, Illustration 178
 This is a relief from the arch of the emperor
Septimus Severus at Lepcis magna AD 200
 The emperor is in his chariot and his
attendants
“confront
the
viewer,
conforming with the Eastern principal of
“frontality”
 The problem is that the emperor confronts
the viewer from a distorted vehicle
 The figures behind are carved in serried
rows that was conventional in western art
from the time of Trajan but survived longer
in the east.
 The idea of the emperor facing us was to
highlight his importance, lesser figures line
up at the back – they are not significant.
Overall the promotion of the emperor,
(cult, propaganda etc.) was more important
than
having
the perspective and
background landscape right, this seems to
be Wheelers point?
Capitolium at Ostia P39 Illustration 18
 Built of brick with marble
veneer, (i.e. outside of the
building faced with marble) Wheeler describes it as an
“imposing structure”
 The building is raised on a
lofty podium and approached
by a flight of steps
 The building is situated to
the northern end of the
Forum
 The temple is dedicated to
Jupiter to , Juno and Minerva
Maison Carree at Nimes P. 92 Illustration 68
“An example of monumental Augustan architecture”
 located in southern France
 Built probably 16 BC
 “The most complete remaining example
of temple architecture of the Augustan
Age”
 It is externally complete – the original
podium stood on a platform surrounded
by porticos which framed the forum
 Its deep porch has 3 open bays on each
side
 The attached columns extend around the
sides and back of the shrine
 The order is Corinthian (and the
columns are fluted)
 Carved in local limestone – the frieze is
of tendril pattern – the abaci show the
band
of
flute-like
leaves,
are
“characteristic of the early empire”
Temple of Bacchus P.93-94,95,98
 External – Unusual is the
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surrounding colonnade, (for a
Roman temple)
It stands on a high podium
Peripheral, (i.e. colonnade
around the outside of the
temple), colonnade is of unfluted Corinthian columns
It has a deep porch, at the front,
with six fluted columns in width
The surrounding portico is
roofed with a convex ceiling of
richly carved blocks with framed
busts of the gods: Mars,
Ganymede, Ceres, Vulcan and
others
Convex Ceiling Of Temple of Bacchus and Plan of Temple
Temple of Bacchus P.93-94,95,98
 Interior – The cella is flanked by
Corinthian pilasters, set on a dado
and enlarged by fluted Corinthian
half columns on pedestals
 Between the pilasters are two tiers
of niches, the lower round headed,
the
upper
with
triangular
pediments.
 At the western end (inside the
temple) through a monumental
stairway one approached an
“elaborate baldachin”
 The
whole
concept
was
astonishingly rich – stone “groaned
underneath the weight of its own
Luxuriance”
 The temple holds a “unique place
in the history of architecture”
The Pantheon P.104-105
 Externally – It is an “outstanding
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survivor of a circular, (Roman)
temple”
It was the work of Hadrian about AD
126
It was dedicated to the 7 planetary
deities,
Externally it is a building, - even when
you remove the veneer and stucco - of
“no special account”
The disharmony of the portico and
rotunda
is
“thoroughly
uncomfortable”
It, (the portico) seems detached from
the great building it screens, (i.e. the
rotunda)
“the traditional portico was attached
disharmoniously to the rotunda”
The Pantheon P.103
 Interior – “is unsurpassed” – the
weight of the building is lightened
by wall recesses – “strong is the
walled lines of the coffered dome”.
 The opening in its summit is
“bold” – this interior is one of
man’s “rare master pieces”
 “Technically the Pantheon owes
its design and quality to the use of
concrete and brickwork for the
structure of its immense dome”
 The dome was a Roman
contrivance
aided
by
the
“development of concrete, or
stiffly mortared rubble in the 2nd
Cen’ BC
Stabian Baths P.108, Illustration 85
 The many baths of the Roman
empire made “an outstanding
contribution to the general
development of plan and
structure”
 Even a small town might well have
two or more baths – the gathering
of rooms of varying shapes and
sizes within the discipline of a
“systematized function” provided
a recurring creative exercise which
had far reaching consequences
 Early baths such the stabian baths
at Pompeii lacked “coherence –
these
baths
illustrate
this
“immaturity” , the plans were
“untidy”
Hadrian’s Baths P.108, Illustration 86
 In this bath building a
“succession” of interior and
different buildings were
reconciled “in an overall
harmony”, by means of vaulted
and colonnaded openings
 An open air swimming pool was
surrounded on three sides by
three Corinthian porticos and
flanked by a pair of colonnaded
halls
 Beyond these on each side was
the latrine
 From the swimming pool four
doors opened on to a corridor
surrounding the cold room,
(Frigidarium”)
Hadrian’s Baths P.110, Illustration 88
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This splendid hall is paved and panelled with
marble
The roof has three concrete cross vaults
springing from 8 Corinthian columns
At each end of the hall arched doorways
opened on to the cold plunge-baths
A central door way at the back connected the
hall with the warm room “Tepidarium”
Beyond that was a hot room “Caldarium” – this
was a large barrel vault room with arched
windows
On each side of this hot room – there was a
pair of superheated rooms – these rooms were
the “Laconica” or sweating baths.
Wheeler is implying here that these baths had
a tidy, coherent and harmonious structure and
plan. This plan was aided by a system of
vaulted ceilings, arched open ways, supported
by columns etc.
Roman Baths, (Caracalla P.16)
 Baths of Caracalla –AD 211-
217 – When you went to the
baths to meet your friends
and to work off the night
before – there is one thing
you did not do, “you never
glanced at the untidy
complex of domes and
gables outside as you
entered” – a notable
example of this are the
hunting baths at Lepcis
magna, whose functional
exterior is “confused”
Baths of Diocletian, P. 17 and 18
 Built AD 302 – It was the inside
that mattered, with its towering
wall spaces that stretched the
minds of architect and sculptors
and gave a sense of “well being
and importance to patron or
client”
 Illustration 5 is a reconstruction
of the bath house of Diocletian
here we view the tepidarium
towards the frigidarium
Basilica at Lepcis Magna P.56 illustration 36
 The emperor Septimus Severus was born
here – he made the city of his birth more
splendid by adding a new forum and
building to the settlement – these new
buildings were “both architecturally and
sculpturally of outstanding distinction
among the buildings of the empire” – the
forum was surrounded by colonnades with
arches springing from stiffed leafed capitals
 At the north eastern end of the forum is an
imposing basilica
 It has three isles hall with an apse at each
end, the height is about 100 feet
 Its columns were of red Egyptian granite
and green Euboean marble
 The Pilasters of white marble at both ends
were carved with reliefs of Dionysus and
Hercules – patron gods of the Severan
family.
Basilica Roman London P. 83
 Was the administrative centre of
Roman London
 The building was 500 feet long with
3 isles and an apse at the eastern
and probably western end
 There was a row of 18 offices and
along the northern side
 It was probably build after the
destruction of the old town after a
revolt in AD 60-61
 “The magnitude of this central
official building, combining the
functions of a town hall, law court
and general business centre shows
“the administrative and commercial
importance “ of Roman London at
that time.
Basilica at Cosa P. 113, Illustration 90
 This small basilica is from middle
of 2nd century BC
 Vitruvius describes this type of
basilica with the entrance on the
long side and the magistrates
tribunal opposite the entrance
 Colonnaded halls or basilica were
not unknown to the Greeks
 The building of municipal basilica
annexed (beside) the market place
was a “Roman invention”
 The earliest known examples go
back to the middle of the 2nd cen’ BC
when the romans used concrete ant
the dome parallel with high vaulted
ceilings, this marked a new era in
“architectural thinking”
Basilica Pompeii P.113, Illustration 91
 Built before 78 BC
 Differs from the Vitruvius Basilica at
Cosa
 Here the hall is oblong, it has an internal
ambulatory, (entrance) –which leads one
into the building from the short side
 The tribunal is marked out within the far
end
 The functional axis of the building is
that of the “length and not the breadth”
 Both the Pompeian and Vitruvian
basilica were in existence side by side, at
the end of the Republican period and
early Empire, (circa 45-30 BC)
 The Pompeian Basilica later on
influenced the design of Christian
churches
Basilica Nova P.114-115
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Basilica Nova is the “most imposing” of them
all – it is situated in the Roman forum
Began by Maxentius AD –finished by
Constantine after AD 313
Three massive cross vaults of the nave reach
114 feet, their lateral thrust was eased by
partitions carried across a broad isle on either
side
The western end was strengthened by an apse
The eastern end had a narrow entrance lobby
pierced by five doors
Externally the roof was enriched by bronze
tiles, inside the walls were faced with marble.
With the combination of light and colour the
whole spectacle must have been “memorable”
Constantine changes the functional axis of the
building by adding an apse on the northern
side and a formal entrance on the southern
Triumphal Arches
 Early arches were functional – but in a
society as showy and as wealthy as the
Romans it was only a matter of time
before the were used for commemorative
or memorial purposes
 “Triumphal arches became a symbol of
empire – travelled emperors such as
Trajan or Hadrian built many of them. In
Rome alone there was least 50
 The Arches with their strongly lettered
and beautiful dedications are a outward
sign of the personality cult which lies at
the heart of the imperial idea
 As early as the 3rd century AD the
Roman writer Pliny could still describe
the triumphal arch as a “new fangled
idea”
Arch of Titus P.157, Illustration 139
 Majority of these arches had a single
opening, especially in the western
half of the empire
 This single opening was flanked by
attached or detached columns with
sculptured panels
 On the top of the arch was a
surmounted attic which bore an
inscription, - letters cut into the
stone – sometimes with free
standing figures, sometimes made
of gilded bronze and often
including a chariot drawn by horses
or elephants
 The arch of Titus, 81 AD (Rome)
above its single opening the attic
has a carved inscription – on top
was a surmounted “Quadriga”, or 4
horses lead by charioteer
Arch of Constantine P.158, Illustration 140
 Built
by
the
emperor
Constantine, Ad 312-315
 Earlier works and reliefs were
taken from other monuments
and reworked into the arch
 The three way arch allowed for a
more extensive attic, above
 Also in this arch we have richer
decoration and ornamentationthe
development
of
the
triumphal arch as an art form
had come some way since those
simple
un-decorative,
sometimes
very
functional
arches we see at Timgad P. 154,
or Lepcis Magna, P. 155
Roman Villa’s P. 126 – 127, 128
 At Pompeii, the oldest houses consisted
of rooms grouped around a court yard or
atrium, which usually contained a tank
for rain water
 This was considered the principal room
 The introduction of four or more columns
about the tank, was a further elaboration
and gave the room the appearance of a
Greek portico
 Sometimes above the tablinium there
was a room of limited height with a
balcony. At the back of the house there
might be a small garden.
 Wealthier houses were able to
construct a peristyle, or colonnaded
garden (along Greek lines) with rooms
around the garden.
 Outside Italy the atrium scarcely
existed
 Beyond the atrium was the tablinium,
either open fronted or screened by a
curtain – two recess at the right and left
lead to the back of the villa and this
meant that one did not have to go
through the tablinium to access the back
of the villa
 There was another type of villa called a
Rhodian. Here the inner range of
courtyard was higher than the porticos
at each end – the roof of the portico’s
rested on brackets jutting out from its
“angled columns”, (P.127, Illustration,
107)
 Between these passageways at the front of
the house were private rooms
 This all emphasised the importance of
the inner room – which was equal to
the importance of the tablinium of the
Pompeian villa
Roman Villas
Roman Villas
Insulae P. 129 - 130
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These tenement blocks needed to be built for
the increase in population and rising ground
rents especially in cites such as Ostia and
Rome
Building grew upward rather than outward
As early as the 3rd cen’ BC Vitruvius was
writing about these buildings which were
made of brick and concrete, (wood being
frequently used for the upper stories)
Dangers included fire and collapsing
The emperor Augustus limited them to 70 feet
in height, later on Trajan to 60 feet
Blocks of five to six stories were easily within
the law
Externally the buildings were “ severely
functional” – they were built of unfaced brick,
arches or lintels of doors tended to be
enriched, by vermillion paint. Pillars or
pilasters might adorn main entrances
 Sometimes
balconies were
carried on projecting stone or
timber corbels or brick
corbelled vaulting
 The flats or apartments were
reached from courtyards or
from the streets by a stairs
often set between ground floor
shops
 Walls and ceilings in the better
off
establishments
were
elaborately painted
 There is an absence of
structural heating or private
sanitation
Insulae
The Colosseum
 Exterior
“the greatest work
of
architectural engineering left to us by
Roman antiquity”
 It was built by the Flavian emperors
within the last quarter of the of the first
century AD on the site of the lake of
Nero’s Golden House
 Its tiers of arches, its superimposed
orders in the form of half columns and
its crowning range of pilasters – (i.e.
arches flanked by the three orders of
classical half columns, Dorian, Ionic
and Corinthian – with square pilasters
on the top tier)
 It was to become the pattern for
“Renaissance architecture”
The Colosseum
 Interior – the floor has been
excavated to reveal its “intricate
vaulted substructure”, (rooms below
the floor of the arena)
 Could hold 45000 seated spectators
 “behind the sorry story of human
and animal bloodshed which they
represent, these sombre memorials,
(i.e. amphitheatres) have a creative
aspect which may not be ignored” –
Wheeler
believes
these
amphitheatre have left a legacy of
architectural
creative
genius,
irrespective of why they were built –
i.e. blood sport
The amphitheatre at Pompeii
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The original gladiatorial games were held in
the open market
The first (“earliest structural”) amphitheatre
was at Pompeii
Built after 80 BC
This is a paradox – because this part of Italy
owed much to Greek colonisation – and we
must remember that the blood games were a
Roman invention – In the Greek speaking part
of the Roman Empire this less edifying form of
entertainment rarely took hold - “to the credit
of the humane Greek tradition”
The Amphitheatre is oval in shape and could
hold 20,000 spectators.
Gladiators and wild beasts entered through
tunnels on each end.
A external stairs, outside the amphitheatre:
steps led the viewers up to rows of seats
Theatres
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The Greek theatre was essentially a structure
of open air – Roman theatres whether it had a
permanent roof or not, “conformed with the
Roman trend towards enclosed interiors”
Its scaenae frons, the elaborately adorned back
wall of the stage, rose to the full height of the
semicircular auditorium and was joined to it
by lateral returns so that the audience were
“entirely withdrawn from the world without”
A large theatre could be sheltered by an
awning, and holes for the attachment of the
front ropes can be observed in the forward
edges of some of the lower tiers of seats
The scaenae frons of the theatre of Aspendos
– shown here - built in the second century AD
“is the best preserved theatre in Asia Minor”
Theatre at Orange
 It is possible that masonry
corbels (on the roof of this
theatre) carried masts at the top
of the auditorium and stage
buildings for securing the backs
of the awning, (awning is the
canvass roof that sheltered over
the stage area)
 In some cases there was a
“permanent pent roof above the
stage”
Roman Theatres
 In Greek stages the orchestra was
circular with a central altar and was used
by the cast during performances
 In Roman theatres the orchestra was
“reduced to semicircular” embodied in
the auditorium and “reserved for
movable of semi-permanent stalls”
 Although based on Greek prototypes,
the Roman theatre was a “Roman
creation”
 Note the theatre shown here at Lepcis
Magna built in AD 1-2. The back scene or
scaenae frons and curved rows of seats
are well preserved
The theatre at Sabratha
 “The
outstanding feature of the
major imperial theatres was the
back scene, the scaenae frons”
 These back scene might be
sumptuously enriched by tiers of
colonnaded niches with statues”
 These backgrounds were “elegant”
but the entertainment they were
build for “must often” have not been
particularly edifying , (or graceful)
 Note the theatre at Sabratha – with
its elegant colonnaded scaenae frons
– or stage background
Elaborate Architrave over a temple door, (1st picture) and single
Colonnade lining a street in a Roman provincial town, (2nd picture)
Cross vaulted ceiling (old Roman Bath house) - - and arches springing from capitals
Fluted Corinthian Capital on Architrave, (1st picture) – Columns of the Dorian order, (2nd picture )
Cornice decoration and Pediment over a door of a warehouse (1st picture
Capitals of the Ionic order – capitals designed like scrolls, (2nd picture)
Arch decorated with vermillion painting (1st photograph) and lay out of a Roman town, (2nd
Photograph) - note position of the arch)