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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.