THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN ANCIENT GREEK AND
ROMAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Name : Yeasfi Ahmmed
Roll : 2018345037
Course Code : ARC 121
Course Title : Art and Architecture I
DIFFERENCES
ORIGINS OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE
GREEK
The Mycenaean civilization is the origin of Greek civilization. Greek art and
architecture began in the Cycladic and Minoan civilization, and gave birth to
Western classical art in the subsequent Geometric, Archaic and Classical periods
(with further developments during the Hellenistic Period). The Greek temple is
believed to originate from the Mycenaean megaron. From the megaron, it went
through several stages of evolution.[1]
Fig 1: Evolution of Greek temple Fig 2: Mycenaean megaron
Fig 3: The palace of knossos, the largest Fig 4: Lion Gate in Mycenae, Greece
minoan palace
ROMAN
The architecture of Rome has its origin in hellenistic greek architecture and the
architecture of the Etruscans. The Romans were less attached to “ideal” forms
and extended Greek ideas to make them more functional. As with sculpture, the
Romans borrowed heavily from two cultures that they conquered the Etruscans
and the Greeks.
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The Etruscans are thought to have
used arches and vaults in their later
architecture.
Fig 5: Etruscan Architecture
SPACE DISTRIBUTION
While the Greeks are said to be the inventors of form, Roman architecture
concentrated on the creation of space
GREEK
More column less
wall. More space
outside, less space
inside. In the mild
climate of Greece,
ceremonies
ROMAN
generally took
place outdoors.
Less column, more
wall. Less space
Fig 6: Parthenon (Plan) outside, more space
Source: Google inside. Romans
needed interior
space for worship
Fig 7: Pantheon (Plan)
Source: Google
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BUILDING MATERIALS
GREEK
Examination of Greek architecture
points to three common materials
of construction- Stone, timber
and clay. Stone was the most
common construction material for
buildings. Timber was used
mainly for roofing which was
limited in use. Clay was used
mostly in housing construction
and was made into sun dried Fig 8: Stone
blocks for use in construction.
ROMAN
Architects were encouraged with
freedom to experiment with
irregular configurations as concrete
was first invented. Significant
materials were Chalk, sand,
pozzolana a volcanic sand,
limestone, pumice stone,
sandstone, marble, granite etc.
Pozzolana, came from Visuvious. It
enabled to create larger, heavier
Fig 9: Pozzolana stone buildings.
CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
GREEK
The principal construction system was trabeated or column and beam
construction.
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Fig 10: Trabeated system
ROMAN
Roman building systems are
trabeated system consist of
post and lintel (copied from
the Greeks) and arcuated or
vaulted system which taken
from the Etrurian. Use of
arches, barrel vaults, domes
was significant.
Fig 11: Dome (Arcuated system)
ARCHITECTURAL AESTHETICS AND ART
GREEK
Religion played a significant role in the development of Greek Architecture. The
search for how to make the temple beautiful resulted in the establishment of
Greek ideals of beauty.
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The Greeks believed that mathematical proportion is at the root of beauty and
the human body has the best of proportions. They also valued harmony, balance
and symmetry in design. The Greeks in essence became the first society to have
well established ideas about architectural aesthetics with principles for their
translation into physical design.
The Greeks did not do painting or mosaics. They had amphora (which are
basically big jugs) on which they would paint images of myths or important
events. Characteristics of Greek art are mathematically based art, Egyptian and
Mesopotamian origin, simplicity and beautifulness, introduced orders, strict
geometrical proportion, sympathetic to of nature, carpentry skill on marble,
painting and sculpture as an integrated part of architecture.
Fig 12: Greek vessel, sculpture and artwork
Fig 14: Golden proportion in elevation
Fig 13: Laocoön and His Sons
(Late Hellenistic), Vatican
Museum
ROMAN
Characteristics of Roman are monumentality, great technical advances,
colossal to show Roman power, commemorative and propagandistic, practical
and utilitarian, interest in public works and engineering, special importance
for the internal space, integral view of the art combining; beauty and
sumptuosity with utility and practical sense.
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The Roman mosaics and paintings were usually images of events or important
people. Roman art have the practical sense (functionalism), military expansion
(imperialism), realistic sense. But on the whole, we can say that Roman art
was predominantly derivative and utilitarian. It served a purpose, a higher
good, the dissemination of Roman values along with a respect for Roman
power. As it transpired, classical Roman art has been immensely influential on
many subsequent cultures, through revivalist movements like Neoclassical
architecture.[2]
Fig 16: The Severan
Tondo: panel painting
of the Imperial Family
(c.200 CE)
Fig 15: Fresco from the Villa of
the Mysteries. Pompeii, 80 BC
Fig 17: Augustus of Prima
Porta, statue of the emperor
Augustus, 1st century CE.
Vatican Museums
Fig 18: Marcus Aurelius' Column (193 CE)
Erected in the Piazza Colonna, Rome.
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BUILDING TYPES
GREEK
The major architectural element of the Greek civilization is the
order and their principal building type is the temple. Temples were considered as
house of the Gods and efforts to beautify them which pushed further architectural
development. Stoas were useful buildings in the context of the Agora. Buildings
like the Bouleuterion, stadium, residence, theatre are common.
Fig 19: The House of Masks, Fig 20: The Bouleuterion, at Fig 21: The reconstructed Stoa
Delos, 3rd century BC Priene of Attalos, the Agora, Athens
Fig 22: The Stadium at Fig 23: Temple of Hera in Fig 24: The Parthenon
Epidauros Segesta, Sicily
ROMAN
Roman Architecture has a rich typology that includes, temple, civil buildings:
basilicas, public bath (Thermae), light house, spectacles: theatre,
amphitheatre, circus, domestic: house, village, palace, funerary: tombs,
engineering works: bridges, aqueducts, watermill etc.
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Fig 25: The Amphitheatre of Fig 26: Northern aisle of the
Pompeii, built around 70 BC Basilica of Maxentius in
Rome
Fig 27: The Tower of
Hercules, a Roman
lighthouse in Spain
Fig 28: The Roman Forum Fig 29: Roman Theatre (Mérida), Spain
Fig 30: Roman Baroque Temple of Fig 31: The Temple of
Bacchus at Baalbek, Lebanon Hercules Victor, Rome
INNOVATIONS IN ARCHITECTURE
GREEK
Three orders of Architecture known as classical orders were invented by Greeks;
Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The orders were viewed as anthropomorphic,
representing the Ancient Greek Architecture. The orders were also viewed as
anthropomorphic, representing the human body. The use of optical correction,
entasis, is a pointer to the desire of the Greeks to achieve their ideals of beauty in
architecture.
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Fig 32: Greek orders
Fig 33: Optical correction (Entasis)
ROMAN
The Romans were the great engineers of the ancient world. Romans used the
classical orders and invented two more composite and Tuscan. The discovery of
slow-drying concrete, made with pozzolana sand created a revolution in Roman
architectural design. Roman invented the arch, dome, vault (barrel or tunnel
vault, groin vault, aqueduct (public water supply), sewage system, bridges, paved
roads etc.
Fig 35: Tuscan order Fig 36: Barrel vault
Fig 34: Composite order
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Fig 37: Pont du Gard in Roman Gaul (Aqueduct)
Fig 39: Groin vault
Fig 38: Sewage system
Fig 40: paved road Fig 41: Bridge
CITY PLANNING
GREEK
The Greek City was usually divided into three parts, the Acropolis, the Agora and
the town. The Agora in Athens used for social, commercial and political activities.
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It was located at the base of the hill of the Acropolis. Civic and religious buildings
were progressively erected around the perimeter of the Agora space. City planning
systems considered to respect the temple and gods, acropolis located as a
background of agora. Principles were developed for organizing each element of the
city based on activities and its symbolism. The town was a place to retire for the
day. It was composed of simple courtyard houses separated by streets. It could
either be organic or grid-iron. Public buildings such as gymnasia, stadia and
theaters were generally regarded as part of religious rituals, normally found
attached on lower ground to the hills of the Acropolis.
Fig 42: Old cities Fig 43: New cities
ROMAN
Rome is known fundamentally as an urban civilization. The city of Ancient
Rome - at its height, a huge metropolis of almost one million people -
consisted of a maze of narrow streets. After the fire of 64 BCE. Emperor Nero
announced a rational rebuilding program, with little success: the city's
architecture remained chaotic and unplanned. Urban design of Roman cities
were developed using grid-plans, follows clear laws for the development of
public and military services. Roman city is basically composed by a number
of identical components, disposed in a special way parallel and equal-distant
separated by streets. It had two main axes a north south street, known as
the cardo, and a complementary east-west street called the decumanus,
with the town centre located at their intersection. Where the two converged
was the forum and main buildings were located in this forum. The rest of the
space was divided into squares in which insulae or blocks of flats were built.
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Fig 44: Early town plan
Fig 45: City of Timgad
Fig 46: Forum
SIMILARITIES
Romans and Greeks both were polytheistic. They believed in many gods
and goddesses. Many of the Roman gods were adapted from the Greek
gods. So, their principal building type is temple.
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Both in terms of Architecture and Art, have a earlier Greek origin.
Their principal construction material was stone.
The Romans and the Greeks both used lots of marble in their statues,
specifically white marble.
They both used the classical order of Architecture (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian)
Trabeated system or column beam system was common in both.
In terms of city planning, both of them have distinctive but similar regions,
urban planning, iron grid plan etc.
Roman art is essentially a copy of earlier Greek art.
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