ARC 110 History of Architecture I - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 129
About This Presentation
Title:

ARC 110 History of Architecture I

Description:

The influence of the Roman Empire's is visible in the government, law, and ... The stage is enclosed by a tall wall. Roman Buildings. Amphitheater-Introduction ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:2103
Avg rating:5.0/5.0
Slides: 130
Provided by: shaibuba
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: ARC 110 History of Architecture I


1
ARC 110History of Architecture I
  • Module 7
  • Roman Architecture

2
Module Outline
  • Lecture 22
  • Historical Background
  • Location and period
  • Social characteristics and beliefs
  • Lecture 23
  • Architecture of the Civilization
  • Early Influences- The Etruscans
  • Engineering Innovation and achievements
  • Roman Buildings
  • Lecture 24
  • Roman Buildings
  • Lecture 25
  • Other architectural elements
  • Roman city Planning and Design
  • Architectural Characteristics
  • Buildings and other architectural elements
  • Building materials, construction and technologies
  • Architectural Organizing principles

3
Learning Outcomes
  • We should expect to learn the following about the
    civilization
  • Structural revolution and invention of new
    materials
  • Innovative use of structural solutions in
    engineering and buildings structures
  • The invention of new building types for different
    purposes
  • The invention of functional space in architecture
  • The use of the orders as decorative elements in
    design

4
Module 7 Lecture 22Roman Architecture
5
Outline of Lecture
  • Lecture 22
  • Historical Background
  • Location and period
  • Social characteristics and beliefs

6
Historical Background
7
Historical BackgroundLocation
  • Roman architecture refers to the architecture of
    Rome and of the Roman Empire
  • The Roman Empire was one of the largest early
    empires in history, stretching from England in
    Northern Europe to the Ancient Near East and
    Africa
  • The pink area of the Map shows the greatest
    extent of the Roman Empire
  • Rome, located on the Italian peninsula was the
    capital of the empire
  • From the capital, an infrastructure of roads and
    communication systems was established to connect
    the whole empire
  • Rome is today the capital of Italy

8
Historical BackgroundPeriod
  • The city of Rome was founded in 753 BC.
  • Roman civilization with Rome as capital lasted
    for more than a thousand years.
  • The history of the civilization can be divided
    into three periods
  • 753- 510 BC Etruscan Period
  • 510 44 BC Republican Period
  • 44 BC 476 A.D. Imperial Period

9
Historical Background Period- Etruscan Period
  • Romans fix the date of the founding Rome at 753
    B. C.
  • Prior to this date, the Etruscans established an
    urban culture in the Italian peninsula, which
    reached the height of its development around 600
    B.C.
  • They had conquered and established their
    authority over a loose federation of cities
  • Rome at its foundation was a minor city and
    became a colony of the Etruscans

10
Historical Background Period- Etruscan Period
  • Rome was ruled by Etruscan Kings aided by a
    popular assembly
  • Towards the end of the 6th century B.C., Etruscan
    power began to decline
  • In 509 B.C. Rome revolted against their king and
    established an independent city state
  • Further decline in the power of the Etruscans was
    accompanied by the rising influence and
    increasing significance of Rome

11
Historical Background Period Republican Period
  • After the expulsion of its Etruscan Kings, Rome
    gradually assumed leadership of a number of
    settlements for mutual defense
  • This gradually led to the expanding influence and
    dominance of Rome
  • By 273 B. C. Rome became the established dominant
    force in the region
  • It conquered its rivals, defeating Cathage in 146
    B.C., Macedonia in 168 B. C., Greece in 146 B.C.,
    and Syria in 64 B. C.
  • With time Rome also developed a system of
    Representative government

12
Historical Background Period Republican Period
  • Rome was government by a body of elected male
    representatives of the population known as the
    Senate
  • This is why the period is referred to as
    republican or in other word democratic
  • Towards the end of the last millennium B.C. Rome
    entered into a series of civil wars which brought
    about the rise of some military dictators, of
    which Julius Caesar was the most successful.
  • This brought about the end of the republican
    period

13
Historical Background Period Imperial Period
  • Following a series of civil wars that ended in 27
    B.C. Caius Ocatavius, who later took the name
    Caesar Augustus assumed the title of emperor
  • This ushered in the Imperial period of Roman
    history
  • Emperor Augustus undertook a significant
    reorganization of the Roman Empire
  • The golden age of architectural development was
    witnessed during this period
  • He revitalized national life and created new
    building works

14
Historical Background Period Imperial Period
  • Augustus was credited with saying that he met
    Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble
  • Later it was to transform to a city of concrete
  • The 3rd century A.D. was a period of political
    confusion in the Roman Empire
  • The Barbarian people living in the north of
    Europe started attacking the Empire
  • In 286 A.D. Roman Empire was split into two a
    western empire and an Eastern empire

15
Historical Background Period Imperial Period
  • Emperor Constantine was able to reunite the
    Empire again in 324 A.D. and established a new
    capital for the empire at the city of Byzantium,
    which he renamed Constantinople
  • After his death, the Empire was split again and
    each had a different destiny
  • In 476 A.D. the western empire with its capital
    at Rome fell after century of attacks by Vandals
    and Visigoths ending the history of that part
  • The Eastern Empire with its capital at
    Constantinople survived and became the focus of a
    civilization that lasted until 1453 A.D. when it
    was sacked by the Ottoman Turks

16
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Introduction
  • The Roman Empire consisted of Rome and all its
    conquered provinces
  • Rome was the capital and focus of the Roman
    Civilization
  • Roman society was made of the Latinized people
    living on the Italian peninsula and other foreign
    people belonging to the conquered provinces
  • The society was not homogenous as its puts
    together people of different origins
  • Latin was the widely spoken language,
    particularly in Rome and its environment
  • The Roman people were classified into citizens
    and non citizens citizenship can be conferred on
    non citizens

17
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Introduction
  • Citizenship confers the right to vote, make
    contracts and have a legal marriage
  • Citizens are divided into two classes members of
    the Roman Senate belonging to the highest social
    class and other citizens
  • The Roman people were essentially farmers and
    traders
  • Many also aspired to became solders and warriors
    being a warrior provided one of the best means of
    advancing in the society

18
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Social Life
  • Roman society had an active social life
  • The forum was the center of social life it is
    very similar to the Greek Agora
  • The forum was the place for social, political,
    recreational and religious activities
  • Romans participated in a lot of entertainment
    activities

19
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Social Life
  • These activities include spectator sports such as
    drama, chariot racing, and gladiatorial contest
  • They also had new unique social activities such
    as recreational bathing
  • The practice saw Romans going to a public bath at
    luxurious bathing through chambers of different
    temperature
  • In the process they engaged in both intellectual
    and physical interaction

20
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Religious Beliefs
  • Roman people were not deeply religious,
    particularly during the early part of their
    development
  • They did not have religious beliefs and
    mythologies of their own, but borrowed from
    societies they come into contact with.
  • Contact with other people always resulted in
    changes to their culture, art and way of life
  • Most of their religious beliefs were borrowed
    from the Greeks, and like the Greeks, they also
    believed in a number of Gods

21
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Religious Beliefs
  • The Romans believed that the faith of their
    empire lies in the hands of their various Gods
  • The state spent money to built temples to the
    various gods
  • Public assemblies, such as senate meetings, war
    victories and most state functions were always
    started with sacrifices to a particular god in
    his temple
  • The religious well being of the individual Roman
    was his own concern

22
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • System of Government
  • The System of government in ancient Rome was
    democratic
  • During the Republican period, Government
    consisted of two elected consuls, a senate and
    judiciary
  • The consuls acted as the executive arm of
    government overseeing the activities of the
    senate, army and other executive institutions
    such as tax collectors and police
  • The senate was an assembly of selected land
    owners, the upper class of Roman society, who
    approve budgets and suggest laws

23
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • System of Government
  • Members of the senate are elected from a series
    of lower assemblies who are responsible for
    enacting the laws suggesting by the senate and
    also implementing them
  • The judicial branch consist of 6 judges who were
    elected every two years, who decide punishment
    for criminals
  • During the imperial period, the Consuls were
    replaced by Emperors who wielded a lot of power

24
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Roman Architecture
  • The Environment around Rome was not as rich as
    the Greek mainland in construction material
    especially marble
  • Romans construction material consists of Stone,
    principally local travertine and timber
  • Roman also invented a system of firing brick and
    used brick widely in construction
  • Romans were also the first people to discover
    concrete Roman concrete is different from our
    present day concrete
  • Romans made significant improvements to the arch
    to address its shortcoming

25
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Roman Architecture
  • They also developed new construction systems
    based on the arch and dome
  • The combination of arch and vault construction
    with brick as formwork and concrete as bonding
    material enabled the Romans to construct great
    buildings with very large interior spaces
  • Roman construction also developed the system of
    wooden truss construction
  • The architecture of Rome has its origin in
    Hellenistic Greek Architecture and the
    architecture of the Etruscans
  • Most Roman architects were either of Greek origin
    or Greek trained

26
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Roman Architecture
  • The Romans adopted the external language of
    classical Greek architecture
  • In Roman architecture, the orders survived simply
    as ornaments applied to great concrete buildings.
  • But the Romans also made unique additions to the
    orders that are very important.
  • New orders evolved and were added to the Greek
    orders to form the classical language of
    architecture
  • Romans also made additions in the entablature of
    temples, in the scale of buildings and the
    proportion of the entire design.
  • While the Greeks are said to be the inventors of
    form, Roman architecture concentrated on the
    creation of space

27
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Roman Architecture
  • The Greek and Roman architecture are referred to
    as classical architecture
  • The first book on architecture was produced by
    Marcus Vitruvius Pollio in 100 A.D.
  • The ten books of architecture written sets down
    rules and procedures for creating architecture of
    value
  • The genius of Roman architecture was expressed
    not in the design of a particular building, but
    in the production of a vast number of various
    building types
  • Roman buildings include bathhouses for bathing,
    circuses for racing, amphitheatres for
    gladiatorial contest, temples for religion, domus
    for family life and the forum as the center of
    public life and national commerce

28
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Other Achievements
  • Other contributions of the Romans include the
    Roman alphabets which is widely used in Western
    and Central European languages and the Roman
    numerals
  • The Roman also introduced the calendar which even
    thought it has changed several times before
    assuming its current form has endured to the
    present day
  • The influence of the Roman Empire's is visible in
    the government, law, and monumental architecture,
    as well as many other aspects of Western life
  • The various contributions of the Roman
    civilization to modern life has resulted in its
    classification along with the Greek civilization
    as Classical civilizations

29
End of Module 7 Lecture 22
30
Module 7 Lecture 23Roman Architecture
31
Outline of Lecture
  • Lecture 23
  • Architecture of the Civilization
  • Early Influences- The Etruscans
  • Engineering Innovation and achievements
  • Roman Buildings
  • Theaters
  • Amphitheater- Coliseum

32
Architecture of the Civilization
33
Roman Architecture Early Influences- The
Etruscans
  • The Earliest civilization in the region around
    Rome were the Etruscans
  • The Etruscan civilization existed in the northern
    part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation
    of the Roman Republic.
  • During the 700s BC, the Etruscans developed into
    a series of autonomous city-states Rome was a
    part of these city states
  • Knowledge about the Etruscans is fragmentary, and
    usually filtered through Roman eyes
  • The Etruscans created the first visible
    civilization in Italy.
  • They brought sophisticated Eastern and Greek
    culture to the region.

34
Roman Architecture Early Influences- The
Etruscans
  • Not much has survived of Etruscan buildings to
    the present however.
  • The temple shown in the image is a reconstruction
    of a typical Etruscan temple
  • The Etruscans introduced another order of
    architecture
  • This order, known as the Tuscan order became
    popular with the Romans

35
Roman Architecture Early Influences- The
Etruscans
  • The Tuscan order had a simpler base and the shaft
    was without flutes
  • The capital and entablature were also without
    decoration
  • In proportion it is similar to the Doric order
    with a column that is seven diameters high
  • Compared with the other orders, the Tuscan order
    looks the most solid

36
Engineering Achievement Introduction
  • Romans created what can be referred to as a
    structural revolution
  • This revolution centers on their understanding
    and use of the arch and vault
  • They also discovered the groin vault
  • Because of this structural revolution, they were
    able to span large openings in buildings and
    other structures with economy and strength
  • They were also able to design and construct
    buildings with large interior spaces
  • The revolution also allowed the Romans to
    construct large engineering structures such as
    bridges to connect all parts of their empire, and
    aqueduct to supply water to their cities

37
Engineering Achievement Structural Innovation-
Arches
  • The arch was not a new building form, as it had
    been known by other civilizations including the
    Egyptians and the Greeks
  • But the Romans used it to its fullest potential
  • The arch is an organic structure with the
    elements of the arch resting on each other and
    transferring load to the column
  • It was particularly useful over doors and openings

38
Engineering Achievement Structural Innovation-
Arches
  • With an arch, there are no tensile stresses as
    all the forces are in compression and building
    stone has enormous compressive strength
  • Up to a certain point also, the more an arch is
    loaded the stronger it becomes
  • Arches were used over doors and openings and
    sometimes, they are built over a lintel to
    deflect the load to the surrounding walls.

39
Engineering Achievement Vaults
  • Vaults are used to cover an area as a roof
  • The simplest of the vaults is the Barrel vault,
    which is just made up of an arch extended over a
    certain distance
  • It can be adapted to suit different types of
    plans by making simple modifications to it
  • The disadvantage of the vault is that it exerts a
    continuous load and therefore needs some form of
    continuous support
  • It is also difficult to light the space under a
    vault except from the ends
  • The Romans invented unique ways of overcoming
    these difficulties

40
Engineering Achievement Vaults
  • The cross vault was created from the barrel vault
    to overcome some of the problems of the ordinary
    vault
  • This is formed by intersecting two barrel-vaults
    at right angle and is called a groin vault
  • The weight of the groin vault is concentrated at
    the corners eliminating the need for continuous
    support
  • The opening of the space in 4 directions means
    that ample light can be provided to the area
    below it

41
Engineering Achievement Vaults
  • The image shows an example of the use of arches,
    vaults and groin vaults in a Roman building
  • The major limitation of the groin vault is that
    it is limited to a square plan
  • The dome was another structure that was used in
    roman architecture.
  • The Romans used the true dome with its fully
    rounded perfection

42
Engineering Achievement Concrete
  • The Romans were the first to develop concrete
  • The concrete developed by the Romans is different
    from modern concrete and is made up of lime, sand
    and water
  • Around the 2nd century BC, Pozzolana or volcanic
    ash was also added
  • Concrete did away with the need for stone
    quarries
  • It also did away with the need for the shaping
    and transportation of stone and for high skilled
    labor for stonemasonry

43
Engineering Achievement Concrete
  • Concrete has the advantage that it can be cast in
    any shape and in far larger sizes than the
    megalithic blocks of stone used in buildings
  • With concrete, it was possible to construct
    monolithic vaults and arches
  • Concrete buildings were normally faced with other
    materials to hide the ugly look of the concrete.
  • Fired brick used as formwork was the most popular
    covering material

44
Engineering Structures Introduction
  • The structural revolution introduced by the
    Romans enabled them to introduce a variety of new
    civil structures and building programs never seen
    before their time
  • The ability of the Romans to create large
    structures enabled them to build significant
    civil structures including aqueducts, bridges and
    sewers
  • The Romans lived principally in cities and
    generally cities need a steady supply of fresh
    water
  • Rome itself was projected to have a population of
    more than a million at the peak of its power

45
Engineering Structures Introduction
  • Arcuated structures or Structures built with
    arches played a major role in bringing this water
    to the city
  • The technique of arcuated construction was also
    applied to the construction of bridges
  • Rome also had a sanitary system to take away
    waste water from the city and large warehouses to
    service the needs of its port

46
Engineering Structures Road and Bridges
  • The Trojans Bridge Alexandria is an example of
    ancient Roman structural achievement
  • It is also amongst the most impressive of the
    surviving Roman bridges
  • The bridge consist of tall piers and wide
    spanning arches
  • The central arches are slightly above 27 meters
    in length
  • The roadway is carried 48 meters above the River
  • A commemorative arch stands at the center of the
    Bridge the commemorative arch bears the name of
    the architect of the bridge

47
Engineering Structures Aqueducts
  • Aqueducts were used to supply water to Roman
    cities
  • The Pont Du Gard is probably the most magnificent
    of the Roman aqueducts
  • It was constructed around 50 A.D. to supply water
    to the city of Nimes
  • The Aqueduct in some places is almost 50 meters
    above the deep valley of the River Gard

48
Engineering Structures Aqueducts
  • It was constructed of 3 tiers of arches

49
Engineering Structures Aqueducts
  • The Aqua Claudia is also another example of Roman
    aqueduct
  • The Aqua Claudia was one of the eleven aqueducts
    that supplied Rome with water
  • The aqueduct supplies water to Rome over a
    distance of 66 kilometers

50
Roman Buildings Introduction
  • The focus of Roman building design was on
    functional spaces
  • The Roman people demanded buildings of various
    functions from the Roman architect
  • The architects were able to respond, creating
    buildings that answer to their functional
    requirement by providing appropriate interior
    spaces
  • The buildings types include theaters,
    amphitheaters, basilicas, circuses, basilicas,
    temples and baths
  • All of these buildings were erected within the
    dense fabric of the city
  • We will examine each of these building types

51
Roman Buildings Theaters
  • The Romans adopted the Greek theater transforming
    it into something Roman
  • There was an expansion of the stage and the whole
    theater was contained within a high-unbroken wall
  • The Greek Theater was blended into the landscape
  • In contrast, the Roman Theater was an urban form
    located in a flat city
  • The structure of the theater consists of massive
    structural arcades on piers

52
Roman Buildings Theaters
  • A purely cosmetic layer of trabeation was added
    to the front
  • The trabeation was of the Greek orders and gave
    scale to the building
  • It also creates a rhythm of solids and voids on
    the elevation
  • The three orders of Greek architecture were used
    on the theater elevation
  • Theaters were built in every Roman City

53
Roman Buildings Theaters
  • The Theater was used for acting and drama
  • The Theater Marcellus constructed between 23 to
    13 B.C. was the first theater constructed in the
    capital Rome
  • It is a good example of a Roman theater
  • Access to its banked seat is from the rear,
    providing access circumferentially
  • A stage runs from end to end in front
  • The stage is enclosed by a tall wall

54
Roman Buildings Amphitheater-Introduction
  • The amphitheater is a roman structure with no
    Greek equivalent
  • Amphitheatre is a public building used for
    spectator sports, games and displays
  • Apart from function, the important outward
    distinction between an amphitheatre and a theatre
    is that amphitheatre is round or oval in shape
  • An amphitheater was first built in Pompeii in 80
    BC, but the best example of the Roman
    amphitheater is the colosseum

55
Amphitheater Coliseum, Rome
  • The Colosseum is an amphitheater in Rome
  • Its construction began under the Emperor
    Vespasian in 72 A.D. and was completed in A. D.
    80
  • It was used for spectator sports including
    gladiatorial combat
  • It is said that 9,000 wild animals were killed in
    the one hundred inaugural days celebrating its
    opening
  • The Colosseum hosted large-scale spectacular
    games that included fights between animals, the
    killing of prisoners by animals and other
    executions, naval battles via flooding the arena,
    and combats between gladiators

56
Amphitheater Coliseum, Rome
  • It has been estimated that about 500,000 people
    died in the Colosseum games
  • The colosseum is elliptical in shape
  • It measured 48 metres high, 188 metres long, and
    156 metres wide
  • The wooden arena floor was 86 metres by 54
    metres, and covered by sand
  • The colosseum had a seating capacity for 50,000
    spectators

57
Amphitheater Coliseum, Rome
  • The Colosseum was ingeniously designed most
    spectacle venues have been influenced by the
    Colosseum's structure into modern times
  • The seating formed a uniform elliptical ring
    capable of supporting the 50,000 spectator
    capacity of the facility
  • The substructure of the amphitheater is very much
    like that of the theater
  • Vaulting was used both radially and
    concentrically to support the structure

58
Amphitheater Coliseum, Rome
  • The Colosseum also had a passageway that opens
    into a tier of seats from below or behind
  • Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each
    staircase
  • The passages quickly dispersed people into their
    seats and upon conclusion of the event disgorged
    them with abruptness into the surrounding streets
  • Seating was divided into different sections
  • Above the podium was the maenianum primum, for
    the other Roman aristocrats who were not in the
    senate
  • The third level, the maenianum secundum, was
    divided into three sections
  • The lower part, the was for wealthy citizens,
    while the upper part was for poor citizens
  • A third, wooden section was a wooden structure at
    the very top of the building, added by Domitian

59
Amphitheater Coliseum, Rome
  • The most ingenious part of the Colosseum was its
    cooling system
  • It was roofed using a canvas covered net-like
    structure made of ropes, with a hole in the
    center
  • The Arena where the action takes place is located
    at the center of the ellipse
  • Underneath the arena was the "underground", a
    network of tunnels and cages where gladiators and
    animals were held before contests began

60
Amphitheater Coliseum, Rome
  • The arena floor no longer exists, and the
    hypogeum walls and corridors are clearly visible
    in the ruins of the building
  • The orders were used in the elevation in the same
    manner as on the theater
  • The Colosseum was in continuous use until 217,
    when it was damaged by fire from lightning
  • It was restored in 238 and gladiatorial games
    continued until Christianity gradually put an end
    to some sports

61
End of Module 7 Lecture 23
62
Module 7 Lecture 24Roman Architecture
63
Outline of Lecture
  • Lecture 24
  • Roman Buildings
  • Circuses
  • Bath
  • Temples
  • Basilica
  • Residential Buildings
  • Other Elements
  • Triumphal Arches

64
Roman Buildings Circuses
  • The Romans developed circuses or stadium for
    horse and chariot racing
  • Every city usually had one located close to the
    forum
  • The circuses had stalls at one end where the
    chariots emerge at the beginning of the race and
    a track which they race around
  • The structure of the circus is very similar to
    that of theaters and amphitheaters
  • Circus Maxima is an example of a Roman Circus

65
Circuses Circuse Maxentius
  • It is located in Rome and is one of the oldest
  • It went through a series of transformation over
    the period of its existence
  • The image shown is its final form around 400 A.D.
  • Its is 600 meters in length by 200 meters in
    width
  • The circus had 3 tiers of seat, and there are
    stalls for 12 race houses or chariots
  • Each race was of 7 laps covering a distance of
    about 3.6 kilometers

66
Roman Buildings Bath
  • The Romans had a unique need for exercise,
    bathing and relaxation and they devised a unique
    architectural element, the Bath to address that
    need
  • The roman bath was more that just merely swimming
    or washing
  • This practice became so popular that at some
    point, they took it more serious than their gods
  • It was a daily practice of almost all Romans to
    go to a Bath once a day to relieve stress

67
Roman Buildings Bath
  • The bathing procedure involves a pattern of
    exposing the body to various levels of heater air
    and water
  • The core program of the bath consist of a
    disrobing room, the apodyterium, a series of at
    least two heated rooms, the tepidarium, and a hot
    room or cauldarium
  • Besides the heated rooms, the bath may also have
    a swimming pool, or natatio for cold plunges on
    hot summer days or a cool unheated room called
    the frigidarium
  • Bathing also dries the skin so baths also
    provided rooms with special attendants to oil and
    towel bathers dry
  • Wealthy people and Emperors had private both, but
    the greatest baths were the public ones built for
    the populace

68
Roman Bath Bath of Caracalla
  • The bath of caracalla is a good example of a
    Roman bath and among the best preserved
  • The bath is set free standing within a square
    precinct enclosed by walls
  • The precinct has a water reservoir to the south,
    supplied by an aqueduct to service its water need

69
Roman Bath Bath of Caracalla
  • The reservoir is located beneath a stadium used
    for athletic contest
  • The east and west walls have a curved exedra that
    defines space for cultural activities such as
    library, music performance, philosophical
    lectures, etc
  • The front wall has a series of shops with the
    entrance at the center

70
Roman Bath Bath of Caracalla
  • The main bath building is rectangular, 225 meters
    by 115 meters and is situated within the walled
    precinct
  • It has a perfect bilateral symmetry along its
    north-south axis
  • The bath has a large dressing hall, apodyterium
    at the center of the building

71
Roman Bath Bath of Caracalla
  • A swimming pool or Notato is located to the north
    of it, while a tepidarium and a domed circular
    cauldarium is located to the south of it, where
    it is more sunny
  • A series of supplementary rooms, including
    Gymnasium and bathroom suits are arranged
    symmetrically on two sides of the building
  • The structure of the bath of carracalla is made
    up of vaults, arches, groin vaults and domes
  • The interior also shows how the Romans have been
    able to adapt the Greek orders and treatment to
    arch and vault construction

72
Roman Buildings Temples
  • Temples were a significant part of roman
    architecture
  • Scores of temple were built during every period
  • Most of the roman temples were combination of
    Etruscan and Greek prototypes
  • The typical temple had an axial plan, an entrance
    porch with widely space columns in front
  • The temple also had a cella or sanctuary
  • The whole temple is raised on a high podium with
    frontal steps providing access
  • A good example of the early form of the temple is
    seen in Maison Carree in Nimes
  • The best preserved of the temples and the one
    showing the highest achievement in temple
    architecture is the Pantheon

73
Roman Temples Maison Caree, Nimes
  • Maison Carree is located in Nimes France
  • It was built by the Emperor Agrippa
  • The temple shows Greek influence on early roman
    temples
  • The temple is 26.5 meters long, 15.5 meters wide
    and raised on a podium 3.3 meters high
  • It is a temple with 6 Corinthian columns in
    front, 10 diameters high

74
Roman Temples Maison Caree, Nimes
  • Its podium is three and half times the height of
    the entablature with 15 access steps in front
  • It has an entrance porch that is 3 columns deep
  • The temple has a cella that is one and half times
    long as its wide

75
Roman Temples Maison Caree, Nimes
  • The walls of the cella have attached half
    Corinthian columns on its visible three sides

76
Roman Temples Pantheon
  • The Pantheon is the best surviving of all
    classical buildings
  • It is also represents the highest achievement of
    Roman architecture
  • It was built between AD 118 and 128 by the
    Emperor Handrian on the site of an earlier temple
    by Agrippa
  • It was built as a temple dedicated to all the
    Roman Gods, hence the name Pantheon

77
Roman Temples Pantheon
  • The Pantheon essentially consist of two parts
    the an entrance portico and a circular part or
    rotunda
  • The portico is 8 columns wide and 3 columns deep
    and leads to the entrance of the temple
  • The columns are of unfluted Corinthian order
  • The wall of the rotunda is 3 storeys high on the
    outside they are made up of brick faced concrete
    and support the dome roof of the temple

78
Roman Temples Pantheon
  • The interior has eight large niches with one
    serving as the entrance and the remaining seven
    used dedicated to the seven major Roman Gods
  • The Dome roof forms a perfect sphere with a
    diameter of 142 feet in the interior

79
Roman Temples Pantheon
  • At the head of the dome is a 30ft wide occulus,
    that opens up the great dome to the outside and
    illuminates the space with light
  • The interior was built of Egyptian granites,
    African colored marbles and pure white marbles
    from the Aegean
  • The Pantheon combines scale, boldness and mastery
    of every architectural art.

80
Roman Buildings Basilica
  • Basilicas are among the most important categories
    of roman architecture
  • There were no basilicas before the Roman era
  • The basilica are rectangular and usually
    contained interior colonnades that divided the
    space into aisles at one or both sides, with an
    apse at one end
  • The central aisle tended to be wide and was
    higher than the flanking aisles, so that light
    could penetrate through the clerestory windows
  • The function of the basilica is close to that of
    the Greek stoa

81
Roman Buildings Basilica
  • It is also the place where magistrates to hold
    court to dispose of legal matters
  • The oldest known basilica, the Basilica Porcia,
    was built in Rome in 184 BC
  • The most splendid Roman basilica is the one
    constructed for traditional purposes during the
    reign of the pagan emperor Maxentius and finished
    by Constantine after 313
  • In the early Imperial period, a basilica for
    large audiences also became a feature of the
    palaces
  • We will examine the Basilica Ulpia and the
    Basilica Maxentius

82
Roman Buildings Basilica Ulpia
  • The Basilica Ulpia was built by Emperor Trajan in
    the period A.D 98-117 for his imperial forum
  • Basilica Ulpia stretches for 120 meters in length
    over the width of the Trajan forum
  • The Basilica consists of a central hall, 25
    meters wide surrounded on all sides by double
    colonnades
  • The Basilica had two semi-circular apses at its
    two ends

83
Roman Buildings Basilica Ulpia
  • The walls of the Basilica were finished with
    multi-colored marble also referred to as
    polychromatic marble
  • The whole structure was covered with a truss roof
  • Basilica Ulpia represent the generic form of the
    Roman Basilica,
  • It is this form that will later be adopted by the
    Christians for their church

84
Roman Buildings Basilica Maxentius
  • The Basilica Maxentius was started by the Emperor
    Maxentius in A.D. 308 but was completed by the
    Emperor Constantine in A.D. 312
  • It is also sometimes referred to as Basilica of
    Constantine
  • It is one of the impressive buildings of the
    Forum Romanum
  • The Basilica Maxentius is different from other
    tradition basilicas, because its design was
    derived from the central halls of imperial Roman
    Baths

85
Roman Buildings Basilica Maxentius
  • It is however larger in scale than any of the
    baths that was built
  • The ground plan covers 100 meters by 65 meters
  • The building is divided into a central nave and
    side isles
  • The central nave was 80 by 25 meters and was
    covered by 3 groin vaults with a maximum height
    of 35 meters
  • The side isles were 16 meters wide, divided into
    three sections
  • There is very little that is left of the Basilica
    now

86
Roman Buildings Residential Buildings
  • Roman cities had a range of various types of
    private dwellings
  • The private dwellings reflected the rank and
    wealth of the inhabitants
  • At the lowest level are the multi-story tenements
    where a large proportion of the population stayed
  • They consisted of shops on the ground floor and
    apartments on the upper floors
  • The apartments were built around a courtyard for
    light and air

87
Roman Buildings Residential Buildings
  • The common roman house was the domus
  • These were reserved for the more well off members
    of the Roman society
  • The domus was essentially a courtyard house, with
    a peristyle colonnaded courtyard
  • It had few or no windows to the outside

88
Residential Buildings Domus Augustana
  • At the high end are elaborate palaces and villas
    for the very rich
  • The Domus Augustana, also called flavians
    palace, is an example of the high-end residential
    palaces
  • Domus Augustana was both a house for the emperor
    as well as his palace for official functions

89
Residential Buildings Domus Augustana
  • It was laid out around two peristyle atriums
  • The atrium to the left is for state function
  • Entry is from an inconspicuous door from the top
  • The residential part of the palace is arranged
    around the courtyard located to the right
  • To the right of the residential part is a sunken
    garden in the form of a stadium
  • This is the private garden of the emperor, where
    he can interact with nature

90
Residential Buildings Handrians Villa
  • Romans also built country villas or houses, where
    they could go to be close to nature
  • A very good example of the country villas, is the
    Handrians villa built for the Emperor Handrian
  • The Handrian villa displays an example of the
    level of wealth displayed in buildings
  • This was a large country estate spread on a vast
    terrain

91
Residential Buildings Handrians Villa
  • The structure was made of a loose arrangement of
    peristyle halls, fountains, dining halls,
    dormitories, baths, libraries and other
    facilities
  • The most characteristics feature of the villa is
    the play of curves and curved form
  • This is most evident in the Canopus
  • This is an elongated pool surrounded by a
    colonnade
  • The colonnade is topped by alternating straight
    entablature and segmental arch sections framing
    statuary

92
Other Architectural Elements Triumphal Arches
  • Other Than buildings, ancient Romans also
    contributed to the development of several
    architectural elements
  • The most prominent of the elements is the
    triumphal arch
  • A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of a
    monumental gate, usually built to celebrate a
    victory in war
  • They are almost always built in the Form, framing
    the paths that people follow
  • Romans started it as a way to celebrate their
    victories in battles

93
Other Architectural Elements Triumphal Arches
  • Some triumphal arches are made of stone and
    intended to be permanent.
  • A number of arches from the city's imperial era
    can still be seen in modern Rome.
  • Temporary triumphal arches were also constructed
    for use for celebratory parades or ceremony and
    later dismantled
  • A Roman Triumph was a civil ceremony and
    religious rite held to publicly honour the
    military commander of a notably successful
    foreign war
  • Only men of senatorial or consular rank could
    perform a triumph celebration and be a
    triumphator as the victorious generals are known

94
Other Architectural Elements Triumphal Arches
  • The ceremony consisted of a spectacular parade,
    opened by the chiefs of conquered peoples who are
    afterward executed
  • The triumphator rode on a biga, a chariot pulled
    by two white horses
  • The parade followed a precise route in the
    streets of Rome
  • It traveled along the Forum until it reached the
    Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, where the
    laurels of victory were offered to the god.
  • Monuments may then be erected to celebrate the
    triumph
  • Two examples of such monuments in the republican
    forum are the Arch of Titus and the Arch of
    Constantine

95
Triumphal Arches Arch of Constantine
  • The arch was built in A.D. 81 and dedicated to
    the emperor Titus
  • It was built to commemorate the military victory
    over Jerusalem in A.D. 70
  • The arch has a height of 15.4 meters, a width of
    13.5 meters and was constructed of stone
  • The marvel of its stone construction is evident
    in the keystone, which ensures the stability of
    the arch

96
Triumphal Arches Arch of Constantine
  • It has a single opening flanked on each side by
    attached columns of the Composite order
  • The composite order has a capital that joins the
    acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order with the
    volutes of the ionic order
  • The face of the arch is decorated with sculptural
    relief depicting the destruction of the temple in
    Jerusalem

97
Triumphal Arches Arch of Constantine
  • The arch of Constantine was built much later that
    than of Titus
  • It was built to commemorate the victory of
    Emperor Constantine over Maxentius in A.D. 312
  • Its form shows an attempt to create an arch more
    majestic than that of Titus

98
Triumphal Arches Arch of Constantine
  • It has three arched openings, a larger one in the
    center flanked by two smaller ones
  • There are four free standing columns in front
    framing the arched openings
  • It is also abundantly decorated, depicting the
    victory in relief sculpture

99
End of Module 7 Lecture 24
100
Module 7 Lecture 25Roman Architecture
101
Outline of Lecture
  • Lecture 25
  • Roman City Planning and Design
  • Architectural Characteristics
  • Buildings and other architectural elements
  • Building materials, construction and technologies
  • Architectural Organizing principles

102
Roman City Planning Design Principles
  • Roman cities fall into two broad categories
  • Majority grew in an unplanned manner over the
    centuries forming complex organic entities, to
    which sometimes order was introduced
  • Rome is a good example

103
Roman City Planning Design Principles
  • The other category consist of Castrum type
    cities, a type of military camp developed with an
    inflexible regularity of shape-
  • A well preserved example is the city of Timgad in
    North Africa
  • This was a city laid out by Trajan in A.D. 100 as
    a colony for military veterans
  • The town was laid in a grid of 12 blocks within a
    square 1,200 feet wide

104
Roman City Planning Design Principles
  • The planning of most cities fall in between the
    two extremes of organic growth and rigid grid
    planning
  • All cities had a forum, theater, bath, market
    etc.
  • Many of the cities contained buildings that were
    copies or local versions of key monuments in Rome
  • Focus in city design is on integrating civic
    buildings with public spaces and residential
    neighborhoods
  • Each public building had interior spaces that
    responded to functional requirement with the
    spaces also linked and connected with the public
    spaces of the city
  • The Forum was the center of the Roman city

105
Roman City Planning Design Forum
  • The forum was the descendant of the Greek agora
    for the Romans
  • It began as a market place
  • It rapidly became the commercial, political and
    ceremonial center of the civilization
  • In the process it developed into an elaborate
    architectural space that became a part of all
    roman cities
  • Unlike the Greek agora which is informal in plan,
    and whose buildings are subordinate to the space,
    in the roman forum, the organization is more
    formal
  • The buildings surrounding it are normally large
    and dominate the space
  • Buildings commonly found in the forum include
    temples, basilicas, and bath

106
Roman City Planning Design Forum
  • Each individual major building in the forum was
    given a central inside space
  • Governmental function were usually arranged on
    the West End religious ceremonies were
    celebrated at the east end
  • The inside space of buildings was connected to
    one or more exterior space of the city
  • Columns, statues and triumphal arches were
    erected as a memorial to the conquering rulers
    and to the glories of the empire
  • No two roman forums are really alike, as there
    are always differences between the forums in
    different cities
  • In Rome with its two forums, we find a good
    example of the Roman forums

107
Roman City Planning Design Republiclan Forum
  • The Republican Forum is also called the Forum
    Romanum
  • It was the oldest and most important forum in the
    city
  • Soon it became an important market place
  • By the 5th Century B.C. the various functions
    associated with the forum began to assume their
    architectural shape

108
Roman City Planning Design Republican Forum
  • Additions, modification and growth by successive
    republicans and emperors led to its development
  • By 400 A.D. the forum had accumulated not less
    than 10 temples, 4 basilicas, 4 triumphal arches
    and many other monuments and shrines
  • All of these were arranged with no preordained
    order
  • The buildings therefore loosely define the space
    of the forum

109
Roman City Planning Design Imperial Forum
  • During the reign of Julius Ceasar, he attempted
    to reorganize the Republican forum but realized
    that it had become too congested for rational
    order
  • He therefore decided to build a new forum
    adjacent to but outside the republican forum
  • This idea was picked by successive emperors, who
    added to it to create the imperial forum

110
Roman City Planning Design Imperial Forum
  • The imperial forum is not one forum, but five
    forums with each supporting the other
  • There was variety in their form, but they
    displayed rational order in their organization
  • Each of the forum consisted of colonnaded atrium
    with a temple at its head
  • Of the five temples that of Trojan was most
    majestic, with the basilica Ulpia sitting across
    it and two libraries on either side of the
    central court

111
Roman City Planning Design Architecture and
Urban Design in Rome
  • In Rome we find the best example of both Roman
    architecture and city design
  • The image shows a reconstruction module of a part
    of Rome at the height of its development
  • From the image, the organic growth of the city is
    evident and is reflected in the fabric of the
    city
  • Buildings are densely packed together, separated
    by a network of narrow pathways

112
Roman City Planning Design Architecture and
Urban Design in Rome
  • Within the fabric, all the Roman building types
    can be identified
  • These include The circus Maxentius, The Domus
    Augustana, Roman Theater, An Aqueduct, A Roman
    Temple, The Basilica Maxentius, and The
    Republican and Imperial Forums
  • From the image, the clustering of important
    buildings close to the forum is highly evident

113
Architectural Characteristics
114
Buildings Other Arch Elements
115
Buildings Other Arch. Elements Building Types
  • The genius of the roman architect was not in the
    design of a particular building
  • Rather, it is in the way they were able to meet
    the needs of a complex society for different
    building types for a thousand years
  • They produced a wide range of buildings that had
    never been built before
  • Roman buildings included bathhouses for bathing,
    circuses for races, amphitheaters for
    gladiatorial contest, temples for religion, domus
    for family life and the forum as the center of
    public life
  • Roman architects design the buildings with
    interior spaces configured for specialized
    activities
  • The Greek order was reduced to a decorative
    element rather than as a form generator in Greek
    Architecture

116
Buildings Other Arch. Elements Engineering
Structures
  • Romans also contributed several engineering and
    architectural objects to human civilization
  • The most prominent engineering contributions are
    in road and bridge structures and in the
    construction of aqueducts
  • Road and bridge construction allowed the Romans
    to connect the various parts of their empire
  • Aqueducts allowed them to supply their cities
    with water

117
Buildings Other Arch. Elements The Orders
  • Romans also contributed to the development of the
    orders
  • They made the Tuscan order developed by the
    Etruscan very popular in use
  • They developed the composite order, which
    combines Corinthian and Ionic capitals
  • They developed the giant order which spans up to
    two storey and the miniature order used to
    decorate windows
  • The Romans also contributed in the development of
    the Triumphal arches
  • Triumphal arches were constructed in Roman cities
    to celebrate victories in battles

118
Materials, Const. Tech.
119
Materials, Construction Tech. Materials
  • The choice of building materials contributed to
    the success of Roman architecture.
  • Roman building materials were very diverse and
    rich
  • Materials that were not available locally could
    usually be imported from other Roman colonies
  • Roman building materials included stone, marble,
    brick, and timber
  • The art of producing fired brick was a Roman
    invention
  • Romans also invented concrete
  • The combination of concrete and brick formwork
    enabled Roman architects to design and vast
    buildings for different uses

120
Materials, Construction Tech. Construction
  • The Roman Civilization had the most innovative
    construction system of the civilizations so far
    studied
  • Roman architects understood the underlying
    principles of arch and vault construction and
    were able to innovate to address their
    shortcomings
  • The combination of arch and vault construction
    with concrete and fire brick formwork provided
    the Romans with the technology to achieve their
    architectural dreams
  • No previous civilization had an architecture that
    involved the manipulation of space like that of
    the Romans

121
Materials, Construction Tech. Construction
  • In fact, roman architecture was essentially space
    shaped by vaults, and walls for the purpose of
    ordered activities
  • In terms of building technology, the contribution
    of the Romans includes the development of the
    arch and barrel vault on freestanding piers.
  • Romans also introduced the use of timber trusses
    in roofing
  • In the Pantheon, we find Roman construction
    technology at the height of its application

122
Materials, Construction Tech. Technology
  • The greatest contribution of the Romans in
    Building services and technology is in the aspect
    of water
  • The development of the aqueduct enabled ancient
    Romans to supply water to their cities
  • Rome at the height of its development had to
    supply water to meet the needs of its one million
    inhabitants
  • Along with water supply, the Romans developed a
    system of waste water collection and disposal
  • Sanitary sewers were used to collect waste water
    that is channeled outside the city for disposal

123
Principles of Arch. Organization
124
Principles of Arch. Organization Principles
  • Three forces appear to shape the direction and
    form of Roman architecture
  • Function
  • Construction Technology
  • Adaptation to new ideas and knowledge

125
Principles of Arch. Organization Function
  • The principal organizing principle of Roman
    buildings is function
  • Function is evident in the emphasis on spaces
  • Almost all Roman buildings provided spaces for
    functional use
  • Roman architecture also de-emphasized the
    rigidness in the use of the Greek orders
  • They transformed the orders from a determinant of
    building form to decoration on gigantic buildings

126
Principles of Arch. Organization Construction
Technology
  • Understanding Roman buildings also requires
    understanding their construction technology
  • Development in construction technology freed the
    Romans from any creative limitations
  • They were therefore able to experiment, in the
    process creating new building types and form and
    also pushing the limits of structural
    possibilities
  • Construction technology also allowed Roman
    architects to produce buildings with vast
    interior spaces
  • Construction technology enabled Romans to
    transform the orders from structural elements to
    mere decorative ones

127
Principles of Arch. Organization Adaptation to
New Ideas and Knowledge
  • Roman architecture can also only be understood by
    understanding the Roman attitude to innovation
  • Romans were constantly in contact with different
    people and places
  • As they come into contact the different people
    and places, they are also exposed to different
    ideas and ways of doing things
  • Roman people were always willing to lean new
    ideas and knowledge and adapt these for their use

128
Principles of Arch. Organization Adaptation to
New Ideas and Knowledge
  • Such adaptation allowed them to assimilate ideas
    from different places, including the Greeks, the
    Egyptians and the Carthaginians
  • But when Roman people learn new ideas and
    knowledge, they were also able to adapt them and
    create ideas that were uniquely Roman
  • It is this will to learn and adapt that led to
    their innovative social life and to the evolution
    of Roman architecture

129
End of Module 7 Lecture 25
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com