ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

PREPARED BY: Ar. AMOL S. HOLEY

B A C K G R O U N D
• Geography
• Politics
• Geology
• Climate
• Religion
• Socio-cultural

M A T E R I A L S & C O N S T R U C T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y
• Arches
• Concrete: Masonry
• Roads
• Bridges
• Aqueducts

C O L U M N O R D E R S

A R T
• Sculptures
R E L I G I O U S A R C H I T E C T U R E
• Rectangular temples: Maisson Carree
• Circular temples: Pantheon

P U B L I C A R C H I T E C T U R E
• Forum
• Basilica

E N T E R T A I N M E N T
• Thermae
• Theatre
• Amphitheatre
• Circus

R E S I D E N T I A L A R C H I T E C T U R E
• Domus
• Villa
• Insulae
BACKGROUND
GEOGRAPHY
POLITICAL

Rome: believed to be founded by Romulus 753 BC

Romans overthrew the Etruscans in 510 BC and
started building their Empire
Two Phases:

Romulus and Remus 1. REPUBLICAN ROME (250 BC to 27 BC)

Elected rulers.
Towards the end, empire grew vast and
revolts broke out. Military rule
2. IMPERIAL ROME (27 BC to about 450 AD)
Dynastic rule
empire grew further
Barbarian attacks
Decentralisation by Constantinople
Empire split in two- 364 AD
GEO-CLIMATIC

•Wide range of climatic and geographical conditions

•Sub-tropical sunshine and high temperatures of the east
•Duller, colder conditions of the north and the west
•Romans were masters rather than slaves of topography.
•The same attitude reflected in response to climate.

•Materials:
•Pozollona clay
•Imported marble- Carrara marble
•Locally available stone- tufa and peperino
(volcanic), travertine (limestone)
•Standardised sizes of bricks
RELIGION

Followed a religion similar to the Greeks.

A Pantheon of Gods.
Religion was not the centre of life.
Christianity spread among the underprivileged. By 2nd Cent. AD it had many followers and
was regarded as a threat. This led to persecutions.
Christianity was later accepted made the State Religion in 313 AD by Constantine
SOCIO-CULTURAL

Roman society: hierarchical, with slaves (servi) at the bottom, freedmen (liberti) above them,
and free-born citizens (cives) at the top.
Republican Rome and Early Roman Empire:
• patriarchal. But also worshipped Goddesses
• sense of duty and dislike of luxuries
This slowly changed-
• small landowners replaced by rich landlords- large estates
• hired laborers and slaves ran the estates
• Cities- large number of war captives, slaves, dispossessed farmers.
• high density housing and public works/ entertainment facilities to keep them
engaged
Later Roman Empire:
• subjects of the Empire were left to conduct their own affairs
free to follow their own religion
Romans were pragmatic in spirit
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY &
MATERIALS

• Romans invented materials and construction techniques that allow them to

build multi-storey buildings – concrete, brick and the arch.

• Ceramic is the most durable material in the world. Indoor plumbing,

hypocaust heating.

• Roman engineers no longer depend on the landscape, they can alter it to

their needs.
ROMAN ROADS

A strong network of roads was

developed:

To move the military and goods for

trade in all weathers
Appian Way-
important military road.
major route from Rome to
Greece.
Materials were changed, but
route remained unchanged.
ROMAN BRIDGES
ARCHES: SEMI-CIRCULAR ARCHES
VAULTS: BARREL VAULTS VS GROIN VAULT
MASONRY TECHNIQUES

•The Roman ability to build massively was largely

determined by their discovery of slow-drying
concrete, made with pozzolana sand.
•This allowed not only bases, but also walls to be
constructed of mainly concrete or concrete and
rubble.
•Facings could be made of more expensive stone or
inexpensive brick.
•The result was strong structures that could be
formed in any desirable shape.

Note the use of a brick outer facing

and a fill of concrete and rubble.
 AQUEDUCTS

Aqueducts were built to carry water to the residential areas from distant sources.
Example- aqueduct at Pont du Gard near Nîmes, France, built between 1st cent BC and 1st cent AD.
 COLUMN ORDERS

The Romans adopted the three column orders of the Greeks. To this they added two more:
TUSCAN- simpler than the Doric. Plain design, with a plain shaft, a simple capital, base, and frieze
COMPOSITE- more ornamental than the Corinthian. Combined the volutes of the Ionic
with the leaves of the Corinthian order
 Composite order-
simplified capital

SUPERPOSED COLUMN ORDERS

Successive stories have different orders.
The heaviest orders at the bottom, the lightest
at the top. i.e.:
•Doric order at the ground floor,
•the Ionic order for the middle story
•the Corinthian or the Composite order for
the top story.
ART

• Same as architecture, art is practical, realistic, used for entertainment, not religion.

• Art was in the form of:

– Statues

– Relief work

– Mosaics

– Paintings

• Etruscan terracotta statues, mostly on sarcophagus – memorial for the deceased.

• Republican art – bronze portraits, realistic. Legends – Capitoline She-Wolf, marble and
bronze copies of Greek originals (gods and heroes). Simple paintings.

• Imperial art – more idealized images, marble portraits of emperors and empresses,
historical relief, mosaics, and wall painting (Pompeii). Much more nudity than in Greek art.
Scenes from mythology or leisure, not sports. Local influences in the provinces (e.g. Faiyum
portraits).
SCULPTURE

Etruscan Terracotta
Caesar Augustus Claudius Nero

Constantine the
Trajan Hadrian Marcus Aurelius Great
Relief – Column of Trajan and Arch of Trajan
Mosaics - Pompeii
Wall paintings - Pompeii
RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE

• Religion was a very public function in Rome. Temples accommodate several gods.

• The chief temple of a Roman city, the capitolium, was generally located at one end of the
forum.

• The standard Roman temple was a blend of Etruscan and Greek elements; rectangular in
plan, it had a gabled roof, a deep porch with freestanding columns, and a frontal staircase
giving access to its high plinth, or platform.

• Romans often built round temples accessible through only one door. Some have internal
atrium.
MAISON CARREE, NIMES, FRANCE

• Greek and Etruscan influence

• High plinth

• Wider cella

• Pseudo-peripteral
PANTHEON, ROME

• Emperor Hadrian built the temple of all gods – Pantheon.

• 1st Cent AD
• Constructed in concrete.

• Composition of basic geometric

forms: drum to form the Rotunda,
cuboid (Portico), hemisphere
(dome) and triangle (pediment).

• Diameter of rotunda- 43.3 m

• The magnificent interior space of the

Pantheon was achieved by:

– Employing a dome over a

drum.

– Coffering the dome to reduce

weight.

– Placing an occulus to allow

light to enter.
 PUBLIC SPACES
FORUM

• The forum is an open area

bordered by colonnades and
shops,
• chief meeting place of the
town.
• the site of the city's primary
religious and civic buildings,
among them are the Senate
house, records office, and
basilica.
BASILICA

Function of Basilica- government offices, business

transactions, legal proceedings (courtrooms)
The later churches were based on the plan of a
Basilica

They had two or more stories.

The first basilicas -early 2nd century BC in
Rome's
Earliest well-preserved example of the
basilicas (120 BC) is found at Pompeii.

Central nave, flanked by aisles on both sides.

Naves and aisles separated by a row of
columns
Semicircular apse at one end BASILICA OF CONSTANTINE
Basilica of Constantine was begun by the
emperor Maxentius between 307 and 310
and completed by Constantine the Great
after 312
THERMAE
 ARCHTECTURE FOR ENTERTAINMENT
CIRCUS

•The Circus Maximus (Latin for great or

large circus) is an ancient Roman chariot racing
stadium and mass entertainment venue
•It was the first and largest stadium in the
Roman Empire.
•It measured 621 m in length and 118 m in width,
and could accommodate about 150,000
spectators.
•The site is now a public park.
THEATRES
• Public spectacles –gladiatorial combat or
theatricals

• Theatres and arenas had capacities multiple

thousands of people

• Planned to allow quick and effective entry

and exit.

• Roman theatres first appeared in the late

Republic.

• Semicircular in plan and consisted of a tall

stage building abutting a semicircular
orchestra and tiered seating area (cavea).

• Unlike Greek theatres, which were situated on

natural slopes, Roman theatres were
supported by their own framework of piers
and vaults and thus could be constructed in
the hearts of cities.
 AMPHITHEATRES

•Amphitheaters (literally, double

theaters) were elliptical in plan
• central arena: gladiatorial and
animal combats
•a surrounding seating area built
on the pattern of Roman theaters.
•The earliest known amphitheater
(75 BC) is at Pompeii, and the
grandest, Rome's Colosseum
(AD70-80), held approximately
50,000 spectators, roughly the
capacity of today's large sports
stadiums.

Amphitheater at Nimes
COLOSSEUM (FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATRE), ROME

A circular structure having rising tiers of stone seats contained within an arched stone
outer wall.

It was used by Romans for circus performances and gladiatorial contest.

RESIDENTIAL ARCHTECTURE
DOMUS

Villa Adrianna

• The Roman house – accommodates the extended family. Comfort and durability.

• Well decorated – mosaics, wall paintings.

• The Roman villa – a cottage in the country or by the sea, eventually some of them
developed into country estates.
INSULAE

• Insulae: Large apartment

buildings housed most of the
population of a Roman city.

Insulae
VILLA