Introduction

The Roman Empire lasted from 509 BC to AD 330. Early Roman art reflected its past in Etruscan civilization, but as the empire expanded, a distinctly Roman art emerged, the art of many different peoples and classes, from emperors to slaves. The architecture of the Romans was, from first to last, an art of shaping space around ritual". In other  words, Ancient Roman architecture was regulated by their custom of a system of rites. Throughout this page, you will see the history and actual buildings of Roman architecture, how it relates to Roman rituals, and why the Romans were great builder of places of worship, country house, and public building carved out of  marble.

The first Roman architects were priests. The religious leaders wanted a location were they could say that "whatever happens here is a sign from the gods". They would just declare a space for the gods and the place's dimensions for their ritual of worship. For the most part, the Romans were taught to build with solid materials during this primitive stage to form their visions.
The Romans learned most of their architectural techniques by the Etruscans and the Greeks. They utilized natural materials to form plaster and brick to make their structures. The Romans also connected each building with a network of streets.
Once Ancient Rome became a dominating world power, a revolution in architecture began. It was the explosion of being freed from customs that brought this architectural rebirth and was inspired by Greece. One of the architectural techniques that came into use by experimentation was the arch and vault. This renewed architecture art also was the origin of the amphitheater, monumental avenue, and public baths.
During this time period the theater, Colosseum, and the race track was constructed.

Remains of ancient public and private buildings give a very clear picture of Roman architecture. A Roman city's focal point was its forum, usually in the city center at the intersection of the two main streets. An open area bordered by colonnades with shops, it was the city's chief meeting place and the site of the primary religious and civic buildings. One civic building was the basilica, a roofed hall with a wide central area flanked by side aisles and often two or more stories high. The chief temple was at one end of the forum. The standard Roman temple, blending Etruscan and Greek elements, was rectangular with a gabled roof and a deep porch with freestanding columns.
Roman theaters were semicircular, with a tall stage building joined to a semicircular orchestra and tiered seating area. A framework of piers and vaults supported the theater seats, unlike those of Greek theaters, which depended on natural slopes. The framework enabled Roman theaters to be constructed in the hearts of cities. Amphitheaters such as the Colosseum were elliptical, with a central arena and a surrounding seating area similar to Roman theaters.

Among the Roman Empire's most noteworthy public building projects were its extensive networks of bridges and roads. Great aqueducts brought water from mountain sources to the empire's towns. Many of these Roman works still stand.

Roman tombs reflect an extraordinary variety of personal tastes. One wealthy person chose a pyramid tomb, others built towers, and one emperor's huge mausoleum was eventually converted to a fortress. Less wealthy people usually had their ashes deposited in communal tombs containing hundreds of small niches marked with simple plaques.

Marble gave splendor to buildings, but it was concrete, a Roman invention, that revolutionized architecture and enabled previously impossible construction. Concrete permitted architects to cover vast spaces with great vaults, allowing the construction of great amphitheaters and baths. Romans covered concrete with a variety of face materials, but the most popular was brick.

• Colosseum
• Pantheon

The Aqueducts

Aqueducts are channels constructed of brick or stone designed to carry water to a location in which it can be used. Although Rome didn't have the first aqueduct of the world, it was the only major city reasonably supplied with water and therefore most famous for them. By A.D. 97, a water commissioner named Marcus Agrippa supplied Rome with 85 million gallons of water from a mountain spring through nine different aqueducts. Other Roman colonies that were deprived of a water source soon had aqueducts to supply them with the "source of life".

Typical Houses

In the city of Ancient Rome, only the wealthy could afford a house. The picture on the left shows the peristyle of a Roman house. Houses had different-purposed small windowless rooms surrounding a large reception room called an atrium. The atrium would be brilliantly colored with wall hangings, paintings, and floor tiles. The color would be lit with an opening in the roof and also aired by this same opening. More valuable houses had a second courtyard called a peristyle. It was planted with natural art of trees, flowers, small shrubs, and a pond. Some houses, interesting enough, had small shops on the exterior of the house facing the road.
 

Columns

 
Although not the only empire to practice the architectural legacy of the column, Ancient Rome was still a major user for them. The columns were utilized as a support and decoration. The Ancient
Roman came up with five different types of columns, which are the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. Most of these, however, were adopted from Greek columns.

Arches

 The architectural technique of the arch is a trademark of Ancient Rome. The Romans applied the arch to many of their buildings for two reasons: as a support and for decoration. Two of the first structures to carry arches are bridges and aqueducts. Triumphal arches were later constructed to honor their leaders, and vaults came into practice, which are arched roofs.

 Public baths

Public baths were an important part of Roman life. Early baths generally had dressing room suites and bathing chambers with hot- , warm- , and cold-water baths alongside an exercise area. Later, baths became progressively grander, incorporating libraries, lecture halls, and vast vaulted public spaces elaborately decorated with statues, mosaics, and paintings.

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