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.
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 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.