Roman Architecture

Greek architecture and Roman architecture are often linked toghether as being the same type of style.  It wasn't until the late Republic that roman architecture started to develope it's own distinct style of architecture.  This is prominate by their use of arches, vaults and domes; along with their use of concrete.  The reason why they had to result to new styles of structures (vaults and arches together) was due to their dense population and a need to impress the public at the same time.

Roman Architecture

The Colosseum

Located in the city of Rome, Italy, the Colosseum (or Roman Coliseum) is the largest elliptical amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire and is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.  The Colosseum is a free standing structure, unlike the Greek theatres that were built into a hill side.  The structure is 615 ft in length and 510 ft in width, with the height of the outer wall being 157 ft.  Construction began between 70-72 A.D. and was completed in 80 A.D.  The outer wall is estimated to have required over 100,000 cubic meters of travertine stone which were set without mortar held together by 300 tons of iron clamps.  Most of the Colosseum has been destroyed due to earthquakes, the only major portion that is a part of the original structure is the interior wall.  On the second and third floor arches of the outer wall there are framed statues dedicated to dieties.  The Colosseum could fit up to 50,000 people for gladiator fights and public spectacles (such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology).  It has been estimated that about 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the Colosseum games.  The amphitheatre was ringed by eighty entrances at ground level, in case there was a need for evacuation. Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase.                                                        The Colosseum

The Pantheon

The Pantheon is a building in Rome, built in the early 2nd century A.D.  The temple was originally built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome.  The building is circular with a portico (porticio - porch leading to the entrance of a building) of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns under a pediment opening into the rotunda, under a concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky.  Ever since it was built it has still been the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the opening and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, at about142 ft.  A rectangular structure links the portico with the rotunda. All this making the Pantheon one of the best preserved Roman buildings.                                      The Pantheon

Aqueduct of Segovia

The Aqueduct of Segovia is one of the best preserved monuments left by the Romans on the Iberian Peninsula (located in southwest Europe and includes modern-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar and a very small area of France).  It's significance to Segovia shows by the fact that it is on the city's coat of arms.  The aqueduct's purpose is to transport water from the Fuente Fria River.  Researches predict that the structure was built in the later half of the 1st century to the early years of the 2nd century.  The aqueduct is built of unmortared, brick-like granite blocks.  At the tallest point, the aqueduct reaches a height of 93.5 ft.  The single (75 total) and double (44 total) arches are supported by pillars; in which the top pillars are shorter and narrower than the ones on the bottom.  On each side of the aqueduct there is a nich, one of which was said to portray the image of Hercules who was said to be the founder of the city.

Aqueduct of Segovia

Insulae

Insulae were large apartment buildings where the lower and middle classes of Rome lived.   The floor at ground level was used for tabernas, shops and businesses with living space on the higher floors.  Since there was a high population, the need for housing near the center of the city caused architects to build these complexes.  Only the wealthy could afford the luxury of a private house.  The buildings were made of cheap goods such as timber, mud brick, and a weak concrete; which often caught on fire and collasped.  Rooms were often smaller on the top and larger on the bottom, making the bottom more expensive.  Some of the insulae were up to six or seven stories high.  A single insula could hold over 40 people in rougly 3,600 square ft.

Insula