history of architecture
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While stands the Coliseum,
Rome shall stand;
When falls the Coliseum,
Rome shall fall;
And when Rome falls
- the world.
ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE
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history of architecture diagnosis 35
The etruscans, an immigrant people, whose civilization the Romans arrested and absorbed , occupied only the west centra! portion of Italy, and not
the whole as did the Romans later on.
The central and commanding position of Italy jn the Mediterranean Sea enabled Rome to act as an intermediarary in spreading art and civilization
over Europe, west Asia and north Africa.
In their empire building the Romans proceeded logically. They conquered by war, dominated by force of character and then ruled by laws and
civilized by arts and letters. The Romans could procure suitable earths for the making of terracota and bricks There was ample stone and at that
time adequate timber. The building stones included tufa, travertine besides excellent sand and gravel. The building material which led to great
structural innovations was concrete not only vaults and domes but also wafls were frequently made of this concrete. Pozzolona, a volcanic earth
was found in the region of Naples. Pozzolona is a much superior substitute for sand and when mixed with lime and wetted, produces a mortar of very
great strength and tenacity. With the advent of new material new construction styles developed.
They were:1) Opus Incertum- stone inserted in concrete as face work 2) Opus Reticulatum- diagonal right angled pints on face work 3) Opus
Testaceum- brick facework over concrete.4) Opus Ouadratum- use of rectangular store blocks Religious feeling had not so strong a Hold on the
romans Their architectural character was so pronounced and assertive as to leave very little choice in general design. The principal buildings were
not only The temples but also public buildings, which were the material expression of roman rule and imperial power. The social life of the people is
clearly revealed in The architecture- there were games and bathing, circuses for races, amphitheaters for gladiatorial contests, theaters for
dramas, basilicas for lawsuits, state temples for religion and the apartment house domus. The forum was the centre of public life and national
commerce.
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history of architecture diagnosis 36
The Architectural Character
Romans adopted the columnar and trabeated style of the Greeks and also developed the arch and the vault from the beginnings made by the
etruscans. The combined use of column, beam and arch is the keynote of the Roman style in its earliest stages. The orders of architecture which as
used by the Greeks, were essentially constructive and were frequently employed by the Romans as decorative features. The Romans added two
orders- The Tuscan and the Composite.
The architectural aims of the Romans were essentially utilitarian. They testify to the great constructive ability they possessed. Their majestic
buildings are ion accord with the grandeur of roman imperial power. It was upon the capacity to span over enormous spaces that the character of
Roman architecture largely depended on Concrete vaults Were developed so that they could be accommodated into complicated plan forms
without involving laborious stone cutting. The romans used the Semicircular Wagon headed vault, the cross vault and hemispherical domes. The
hemicycle or niche, the gothic-spur buttress and the principle of pinnacle was extensively used.
Colosseum, Panthon, Thermae of Spalato, Spalato, Spalato,
Roman arch order Central niche, Caracalla, Central arch Porta aurca Street arcade
c70 A.D. c125A.D. c215A.D. c300A.D.
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history of architecture diagnosis 37
Forums
The Forum of Trajan dedicated in AD 112, and the Column of Trajan commemorate his military victories as well as providing public buildings for
meeting, shopping, and conducting business. It was the most comprehensive forum yet built by an emperor in a tradition that suggested that
emperors should continue to develop the grandeur and functionality of the heart of their capital city while also enhancing their own image.
It included not only the large courtyard, meeting area but also a large market and basilica with two libraries. Huge building
projects like this spoke equally of Romes glory and the emperor's.
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history of architecture specimen 38
The Pantheon
The building is designed in one of a large round shape of theoretical spherical and cubic geometry The Pantheon is the historical example of a
centralized building. The interior of the building is generated from a vertical centerlme, an invisible axis passing through the center of the building
In any given horizontal plane, all distances outward from this vertical line to the walls are of equal radii.
The main entrance of the Pantheon is impressive double bronze doors, each 21 feet high, protected by 16 well arranged granite columns which
support a gable style roof, welcomes visitors. The majestic rotunda has an inner diameter of 142.4 feet and is made mostly of concrete (4 thick). The
eye of the Pantheon is an engineering marvel ands is 21' wide. The absence of the keystone is counteracted by the hidden buttresses in the thick
rotunda walls. The dome was coffered not only to reduce the dead weight but also to reflect light into the inner space to create a magical effect. The
absence of solid mass of the blind windows in the first level is balanced by the buttresses placed between them alternately.
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history of architecture specimen 39
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The Colosseum
It is elliptical shaped with radiating arches. It stood 160 feet high with four stories of windows arches, and columns. Each of the three exterior floors
consisted of 80 arches holding 80 different statues.
A wooden flooring was used to cover the subterranean chambers where the gladiators as well as the animals were kept prior to performance. The
columns used in the differenl levels belong to different orders. Basement and ground characterized by doric order, first by ionic and second and top
by corinthian. As we can see the type of order selected was influence by the load on the floor, second and top by corinthian.
Below: Arena
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history of architecture specimen 41
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The Forum of Trajan
Forums were the centre of all trade and commerce in Rome. They were divided into three parts namely
1) the forum proper
2) the marketing area
3} the basilica
The Basilica of Traian had a central nave 385 long and 87' wide. The aisle about the nave were 23.75 wide. The total internal height was 120' due to
the perishable nature the roof is not existent now but the structure indicates an inclined timber roof.
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