Roman Architecture and Engineering Late Republic, Early Empire

7/24/2019 Roman Architecture and Engineering Late Republic, Early Empire

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Justin Wenzel

Roman Art History

Roman Architecture and Engineering Late Republic, Early Empire

Roman architecture is regarded by many as some of the most beautiful

buildings to ever exist Even today, many of the styles used by the Romans are seen

on prominent buildings in some of the most po!erful countries in the !orld

"ne of the greatest inventions that helped #ump Roman architecture for!ard

!as Roman concrete $t !as invented in the late Republic era and !as used as a

primary building tool through the rest of Roman history Roman concrete di%ers

slightly from modern day concrete, ho!ever "ne ma#or thing missing from Roman

concrete !as the use of steel rebar While concrete today uses steel rebar to help

&exibility and avoid crac'ing, Roman concrete stood mostly on its o!n (o bind the

concrete together, Romans used gypsum and lime $f volcanic dust !as available,

Roman builders preferred that to gypsum and lime (he concrete !ith volcanic ash,

called pozzolanic cement, is actually very similar to the modern )ortland cement,

the most common type of cement in use today*

+any theories have been devised as to !hy Roman concrete structures !ere

able to stand for thousands of years !hile modern counterparts dont last nearly as

long $taly is a seismic hotspot, so structures should not last as long "ne of the

most accepted theories is that the very earth-ua'es that should have destroyed the

buildings actually strengthened the buildings According to W L +ac.onald, seismic

*Wayman, Erin. "The Secrets of Ancient Rome's Buildings." Smithsonian. Web. 4 ec. !#4. $htt%&bit.ly#us()*+.


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interruptions most li'ely fre-uently occurred during construction and created

/discontinuities in the concrete mass012ecause of the crac's, buildings could shift

slightly !hen seismic activity started again and accommodate the same stress that

!as put on the building during construction (herefore, the building !as stronger as

a !hole

(he evolution of Roman concrete created some of the most magni3cent

buildings in all the !orld, including a ne! !orld !onder4(hrough the use of stone

and cement, the Romans !ere able to advance themselves incredibly -uic'ly in a

short period of time 2ecause of their magni3cent public !or's and precise

engineering, Romans !ere able to stay relevant rule as a republic and then an

empire for nearly *,555 years in the Western !orld, almost 6 time longer than the

modern day 7nited 8tates $t !asnt until *694 A. that the Roman Empire !as

o:cially considered absolved

8o, come ta'e a loo' at all of these modern marvels as $ present to you

Roman architecture and engineering

;estius (hey are arranged in the follo!ing

!ay= large scale model, public places, vital structure to advancement of Rome,

places of !orship, public !or's?

;olosseum !as actually a picture $ too' !hen $ !as in Rome in 15*4

7pon going through my pictures, $ realized my family and $ too' plenty of pictures of

random things but $ did not have a picture of the Arch of (itus, the >ircus +aximus,

or a non@personal shot of the )antheon $ guess $ !ill have to go bac' to get morepictures?

1 aconald, William -. The Architecture of the Roman Empire. Re. ed. /e0 1aen& 2ale )3, #5!. 3rint.

4 6mages, 3hotogra%h. "3ictures& /e0 7 Wonders s. Ancient 7 Wonders." National Geographic. /ational 8eogra%hic Society, 9uly !7. Web. : ec. !#4. $htt%&bit.ly#s31n!+.


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Pyramid of Cestius

(he )yramid of >estius, located in southern Rome, is a pyramid built around *9 2>

as a tomb for Baius >estius (he structure resembles the pyramids of laridge, Amanda, and Judith (oms Rome: An Archaeological Guide +adrid= Acento,

*DDD )rint

"sborne, John The Marvels of Rome (oronto, "nt, >anada= )onti3cal $nstitute of

+ediaeval 8tudies, *DC )rint


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Roman Forum

(he Roman Forum, situated in the center of the city, is a rectangular piece of land

surrounded by Roman government buildings $t is often referred to as the center of

Roman public life and the most celebrated meeting place ever in the !orld $t is

here that elections !ere held, victories announced, speeches held, and criminal

trials !ere conducted (he forum !as also a hub for commercial a%airs

(he forum is vastly di%erent from the forums that came after While its successors

!ere planned, the Roman Forum developed gradually and organically )ublic

buildings formed the outer edges of the forum, !hich left an open area that

measured *45 meters by 95 meters (he forum housed fountains, statues, and

multiple temples

(his piece of architecture is important because it is the last pieces of non@planned

architecture in the city While other forums !ere meticulously planned, this forum

developed naturally, yet !as still arguably the most successful piece of architecture

ever created by the Romans Even !ithout the use of concrete, Rome !as able to

3nd success in architecture, although concrete !ould later help create some of the

greatest Roman architecture

G(he Roman ForumGAncient History Encyclopedia Web 1C


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Forum of Augustus

(he Forum of Augustus !as the third forum built,

preceded by the original Roman forum and the forum of Julius >aesar (he

construction of the forum began around 15 2>, and the forum and accompanying

temple !ere inaugurated in 1 2>

(he forum housed a temple to the god of !ar +ars and provided additional space

for legal proceedings (he 8enate met at the (emple !hen discussing !ar and the

victorious generals dedicated their spoils from their triumphs to +ars at the altar

Arms and other stolen goods from the enemy, or booty, recovered from battle !ere

often stored in the Forum as !ell

While the original Roman Forum !as some!hat unsymmetrical, the Forum of

Augustus !as very strategically laid out (he entrance and exit !as through the

Forum of Julius >aesar, to suggest a connection of the t!o rulers (he basic shape is

comparable to a ictorian era house, !ith semicircle alcoves near the temple steps

that housed statues of bronze and marble $n the middle of the forum sat a statue of

Augustus in full military out3t in a chariot atop a column $n total, there is estimated

to be *5 portrait statues each !ith elogia, providing an important idea of ho!

Augustus vie!ed himself

(he Forum of Augustus !as created at the very beginning of the concrete age, yet

the forum !as made !ith no concrete At the same time the forum !as being built,the )yramid of >estius !as also being built $t too' * years of construction to 3nish

the forum, compared to 445 days for the pyramid While the forum is a much larger

scale pro#ect, the comparison still sho!cases the e:ciency that concrete inspired in

Roman architecture

G)lan of the Forum of AugustusG Plan of the Forum of Augustus Web 9 .ec 15*6

http=IIbitlyI*1$tit*K


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Ec', Werner, and .eborah Lucas 8chneider The Age of Augustus +alden, +A=

2lac'!ell, 1554 )rint

Pont du Gard

Every civilization needs a source of clean !ater to thrive Rome needed massive

amounts of clean !ater and their solution !as a series of a-ueducts, or bridges that

carried !ater from a source to an end point (he most impressive of these

a-ueducts is a sections 'no!n as the )ont du Bard, part of the


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Hodge, A (revor Roman Aqueducts !ater "upply London= .uc'!orth, *DD1

)rint

Temple of Castor and Pollux

(he (emple of >astor and )ollux, built in the heart of Rome, !as dedicated in 66

2> in gratitude for a victory at the 2attle of La'e Regillus 2efore the battle, Roman

dictator Aulus )ostumius Albus vo!ed to build a temple if the Romans !ere

victorious Legend states that the t!ins of Meus, >astor and )ollux, appeared on thebattle3eld as horsemen After !inning the battle, it is said that the t!o appeared in

the Roman Forum to announce the victory

Little is 'no!n about the original temple as it !as reconstructed and enlarged in

**C 2> (he temple !as restored again in C4 2>, and !as rebuilt in A. after being

destroyed by a 3re According to history, the temple had eight >orinthian columns

on the shorter sides and eleven columns on the longer sides (here !as a single

inner chamber !ith a podium outside 8hortly after dedication, the temple served as

a meeting place for the Roman 8enate and a spea'ers platform 8ince the *9 th

century, only three columns have continued standing

7pon reconstruction of the temple, concrete !as used to rebuild bro'en parts andalso enlarge the temple (he temple !as a center for Roman senators and culture,

residing in the Roman Forum

G(emple of >astor N )olluxGAncient History Encyclopedia Web 4 .ec 15*6

http=II!!!ancienteuIarticleI41IK

8almon, Fran' #"torming the $ampo %accino#: &ritish Architects and the Antique

&uildings of Rome after !aterloo'*DD9 )rint


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Pantheon

(he )antheon is a

temple of !orship that!as commissioned by

+arcus Agrippa during the Augustuss reign ;1C 2> O *6 A.? $t !as rebuilt by

Emperor Hadrian in *1 A. (oday the temple still stands, although it served as a

place of >hristian !orship starting in 5D (he temple is said to have been the

private temple for Agrippas personal !orship

(he original building unfortunately burned to the ground in 5 A., and !as rebuilt

but destroyed again in **5 A. Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the existing domed

structure in *1, and attributed it to Agrippa, the original builder (he building

features the inscription /+arcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made Pthis buildingQ !hen

consul for the third time0 $n 5D, )ope 2oniface $ converted the )antheon into a>hristian structure 8ince that time, the )antheon has been used as a burial

chamber and no! serves as a church

(he most !ell@'no!n feature of the )antheon is its dome According to the History

of Rome authored by >assius .io around 155 A., the dome !as done by the original

builder Agrippa, although it has !idely become accepted that the concrete dome

!as done by Hadrian and !as not part of the original construction (he dome

!eighs about 6,949 metric tons and the thic'ness of the dome varies from 1* feet

at the base to 6 feet near the hole at the top

(he outside of the temple features 16 columns that are nearly 65 feet tall and !eigh

5 tons Each column !as -uarried in Egypt at +ons >laudianus (he columns hadto be dragged over C55 meters through the streets of Rome after arriving from

Egypt At the bac' of the porch area are niches for statues

>oncrete allo!ed builders to create one of the most breath ta'ing buildings in all of

Rome today Without concrete, the dome of the building !ould be impossible to

construct

.u(emple, Lesley A The Pantheon +inneapolis= Lerner )ublications, 1554 )rint


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o!s'i, Adam The Temples of Mid(Repu)lican Rome and Their Historical and

Topographical $onte*t Roma= GLSErmaG .i 2retschneider, *DD1 )rint


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Theatre of Pompey

(he (heatre of )ompey

!as the 3rst non@

!ooden theatre ever built in Rome .edicated in 99 2> by )ompey the Breat, the(heatre of )ompey served as a theatre for productions as !ell as a place for political

meetings (his is the structure in !hich Julius >aesar !as famously murdered

(he theatre featured t!o separate parts= an auditorium and a garden 7p to

construction, all 3nished theatres had been temporary !ooden structures that !ere

set up and then torn do!n after a performance (he building !as made of concrete

and stone foundations (he stage and scaenae frons sections !ere directly attached

to the auditorium, unli'e Bree' construction !hich separated the t!o (he

architecture of the (heatre of )ompey became the blueprints for nearly all future

Roman theatres

(he garden portion of the theatre featured the (emple of enus ictrix as !ell asfountains and statues of important Roman 3gures Hung on the !alls of the garden

!ere various spoils of !ar that )ompey had collected during his time as a successful

Roman general (he theatre also contained galleries, shrines, and meeting halls

(he garden area !as !ere Julius >aesar, a good friend of )ompey, !as murdered

(oday, most pieces of the theatre can be found throughout Rome in various

buildings 8ome of the hall!ays under the theatre are no! used by neighboring

hotels and restaurants

(he use of concrete and stone foundations allo!ed the (heatre of )ompey to be the

3rst permanent, free standing Roman theatre and amphitheater (he vaulted

corridors still stand today and inspired the architecture of the >olosseum andsubse-uently in modern sports stadiums >oncrete allo!ed the Romans to begin

building permanent entertainment buildings, !hich probably led to a happier Rome

(aylor, Rabun + Pu)lic +eeds and Private Pleasures Roma= GLSErmaG .i

2retschneider, 1555 )rint


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G(heatrum )ompeiG ,acus$urtius - The Theatre of Pompey .Platner Ash)y/ 01213

Web * .ec 15*6 http=IIbitlyI*>


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Circus Maximus

(he >ircus +aximus is an ancient chariot racing stadium and mass entertainment

venue located in southern Rome 8ituated in the southern part of Rome bet!een the

Aventine and )alastine hills, it is the largest and oldest Roman stadium $t measures

*1 meters by ** meters and could seat nearly *95,555 people

(he >ircus +aximus !as originally nothing more than an agricultural landscape

/!ith nothing more than turning posts, ban's !here spectators could sit, and some

shrines and sacred spots0 Ancus +aricus, the 3rst Etruscan ing, provided !ooden

seating for the upper class of Rome His grandson (ar-uinius the )roud provided the

3rst seating for commoners $t !asnt until *D5s 2> that permanent stone seating

!as built, 3rst for senators Julius >aesar !as the 3rst emperor to add seatsspanning nearly the entire trac' in 95 2> (he inner third of the seating !as for

senators and e-uites ;'nights? (he rest of the seating !as !ooden structures for

the common class and non@citizens 2eneath the !ooden seating !ere shops and

entry@!ays (he commoner seating !as damaged in a 3re in 4* 2>, and !as

repaired and damaged by 3re nearly a half dozen more times

Founded in the "ld ingdom Era, the >ircus +aximus no! functions as a par' after

centuries of unused (he grounds no! are used for concerts and meetings Fans of

local and national teams !ill often celebrate on the grounds as !ell

Without the use of concrete, Rome still built a fantastic center of culture and

entertainment 2ecause the continued to use !ood instead of all concrete seating,you sa! constant and massive destruction, including one massive brea'do!n !hich

'illed *4,555 people

Humphrey, John H Roman $ircuses: Arenas for $hariot Racing 2er'eley= 7 of

>alifornia, *D )rint


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Colosseum

(he >olosseum,

located in central Rome and #ust east of the Roman Forum, is one of the greatest

!or's of Roman architecture and engineering 2uilt of Roman concrete and stone, it

is the largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire and is still the largest in the !orld

$t is listed as one of the


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Hop'ins, eith, and +ary 2eard The $olosseum >ambridge, +ass= Harvard 7),

1559 )rint

)ersonal trip to Rome August 15*4


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Arch of Titus

(he Arch of (itus, located on

the southeast border of the

Roman Forum, !asconstructed around 1 A. by

the Roman Emperor .omitian

after the death of his older

brother and former emperor

(itus (he arch !as built to

commemorate (itus

victories, especially the 8iege

of Jerusalem 8ince its

construction, the Arch of

(itus has become the

blueprints for many other

triumphal arches

(he original arch !as made !ith &uted columns and spandrels on the upper left and

right of the arch contain !inged !omen !hich personify victory (he southern panel

sho!s the victory in Jerusalem, complete !ith Roman soldiers carrying signi3cant

religious symbols from Jerusalem (he northern panel depicts (itus as a triumphant

leader, complete !ith various divinities signifying his great deeds (he original

inscription on the arch read /(he Roman 8enate and )eople ;dedicate this? to the

divine (itus espasianus Augustus, son of the divine espasian0

"ne of the most iconic structures in Rome, the Arch of (itus might have never been

built !ithout concrete 2ecause of the entire arch being one solid structure, it !ould

have been nearly impossible for the Romans to transport a piece of marble or

granite of that size a considerable distance $t !as also constructed in a little over a

year after the death of (itus, a feat unimaginable !ithout the assistance of

concrete


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+ac.onald, William L The Architecture of the Roman Empire Rev ed hristopher Rome +anchester= +anchester 7) =, *DD9 )rint

Documents

Roman Architecture and Engineering Late Republic, Early Empire