Fora, Temples and Construction Flashcards
What was the purpose of arches?
Allowed the Romans to span gaps in a far more decorative manner whilst also being substantially stronger than what came before
Keystone
Wedge shaped stone which sat at the top of the Arch, holding the structure together. Would often be very decorative
Voussir
Wedge shaped stones used in the building of arches
Impost
A block resting on top of a column or embedded in a wall, serving as the base for the springer or lowest voussoir of an arch
Centering
A temporary framework an arch can be laid upon
What is the purpose of barrel and groin vaults
Can be added to increase the strength of the structure
Barrel Vaults
An arch which has been extended horizontally, in order to create a tunnel like structure
Groin Vaults
4 Arches that have been joined together to create an intersection
Domes
Incredibly strong structures that allowed for high ceilings with plenty of light and reduced the need for ugly columns or supporting walls in the way.
Oculus
A circular opening in the centre of a Dome/wall
Rotunda
Any building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. May also refer to a round room within a building
Coffered
A series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle or octagon in a ceiling or vault
Without concrete, the Greeks had to rely on the…. to hold up structures?
Post and lintel method
Why were Greek columns more structural and less decorative?
They did not have concrete and so they had to rely on the post and lintel method to hold up structures
In columns, what is capital?
The capital forms the topmost part of a column, upon which the lintel rests.
What were the 3 main types of Capital (columns)?
Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
What is fluting (columns)?
The grooves running vertically on a column shaft.
What are the benefits of fluting?
Promotes light on columns, which help the column appear more perfectly round than a smooth column
What is a shaft (columns)?
The shafts is the portion of a column between the base and the capital
What was the Capitolium?
Temple to the Capitoline Triad
What was the Basilica?
The Basilica was the legal heart of the Roman Forum
What was the function of the Basilica?
It covered Civic, Economic and legal transactions
When was the Basilica built (approx)?
Between 81-117 AD
What was the Connolade (Basilica)?
Interior gaps between rows of columns to divide up the space
What is an Apse (Basilica)?
Recess in a building, often semi-circular.
What was the Dais (Basilica)?
Raised platform in a room
What was the Clerestoy (Basilica)?
Window set above eye level
What was the Curia
A meeting place of the 100 strong city ‘ordo decuronium’
In the Curia, where were meetings held?
Meetings were held in the large room entered via the vestibule
Who was typically seated at the Dais?
Would have seated the leading magistrates for the year ‘duoviri’
What was the vestibule?
Partially enclosed area between street and interior of building
When was the Temple of Rome and Augustus built?
During the reign of Tiberius
What materials were primarily used in the Temple of Rome and Augustus
Originally lavished decorated with marble
What was the typical function of the Temple of Rome and Augustus?
The city council sometimes met in the temple but main role was for celebrating the cult of Augustus and Rome
When was the Capitolium built?
Originally built in the mid 2nd century BC and hen when Pompee became more Romanised c. 80BC it underwent renovations
When was the Temple of Apollo built?
Current layout is from the 2nd Century BC but some parts date back to 575 BC
What was the central nave of the Basilica surrounded by?
28 brick columns which made two isles which ran down both sides of the nave
Describe the interior walls of the Basilica
Ionic Pilaster columns running down both sides with wall paintings filling in the space between them
Approx. building time of the Basilica
c.130-120BC
What were the Muncipial Buildings and where were they located?
Offices for the public offic holders
Located at the souther end of the Forum
Describe the interior of the Muncipial Buildings
Each building had an apse at the end of the room with a raised platform where the officials would preside over meetings
When was the Macellum built?
Built during the early Imperial period due to overcrowding in the forum
Why were stalls set up in the colonnade of the Macellum?
For selling goods and animals taken from the animal pen
What was the purpose of the Rotunda in the centre of the Macellum?
Fish would be descaled and sold, with the scales depostied in the basin in the middle
What would the Aedicule in the centre of the Macellum have contained?
A statue of a member of the Imperial family
What are the two statues remaining in the Macellum?
Octavia [sister of Augustus]
Marcellus [Augustus’ nephew]
What was the purpose of the Comitum?
Used as a voting hall for the people of Pompeii
Describe the interior of the Comitum
The interior of the Comitum was faced with marble and had niches along the wall for the statues to be placed into
Who erected the Building of Eumachia?
A noblewoman in Pompeii: Eumachia
When was the Building of Eumachia built?
1st C.AD
Who was Eumachia?
A priestess and patron of the fullers (cloth washers)
What is one of the issues that comes with identifying Roman buildings?
We often lack context clues and the lived knowledge of the people of the time
What do historians suspect may have been the purpose of Eumachia
May have been the headquarters for the fuller guild in the city
Or perhaps for selling wool and animal products
Describe the Temple of the Lares
Opus reticulatum walls with marble revetment, open courtyard and large apse on rear wall for statuary.
Where was the altar in the Temple of the Lares located?
The middle of the courtyard
What was the Temple of Vespasian originally?
Sanctuary to Genius of Augustus
What was the Temple of Vespasian before it was a sanctuary to Augustus?
Shops [may have] stood on the site
What were the inner walls of the courtyard of the Temple of Vespasian made from?
Tufa that were reinforced with brick
When did they decide to turn the Temple of Vespasian into a Temple?
After the earthquake in AD62
Where was the Roman Fora originally situated?
Between the Capitoline and Palatine hills
Why was the Roman Fora created?
Julius Caesar decided that Rome needed an new forum to deal with the overcrowding of the original Forum Romanum
Why was the Forum of Augustus built?
So that the pressure on Rome’s other forums could be relieved but was far more a vanity project than was focused on appearance over substance
What was the forum of Augustus made of
Blocks of tufa with Carrara marble
Also includes colonnades made of giallo antico from Numidia
Second storey made from africano and pavonazzetto
Inside walls were made of local Roman stone
When was the Temple of Mars Ultor built?
2BC
What was significant about the Temple of Ultor
It ws made completely from Marble
Why was the Temple of Mars Ultor built?
To honour a promise Augustus made to Mars ahead of the Battle of Philippi
What later became the purpose of the Temple of Mars Ultor?
Later ended up housing the battle standards taken back from the Parthians
Describe the left exedrae
Line of statues running along the Exedra of ‘Summi Viri’ who were famous and notable men from Rome’s past.
The Left Exedra also had the Alban Kings, Aeneas and the Julii family clan in the Exedra and Hemicycle at the very end
Describe the right exedrae
Line of statues running along the Exedra of ‘Summi Viri’ who were famous and notable men from Rome’s past
The Hemicycle on the Right Exedra also contained a statue of Romulus amongst all the ‘Summi Viri’
When was the Forum of Trajan?
Built in 106-113AD
Who designed the Forum of Trajan?
Apollodorus of Damascus
What funded the Forum of Trajan?
Spoils from Dacian wars
Describe the forum of trajan
Main square flanked by two porticoes, which were decorated with caryatid figures of Dacian prisoners
The main floor of the forum was paved with marble
Who built the Temple of Trajan?
Hadrian
When was the Temple of Trajan built?
2nd Century AD
What would have been at the rear of the Temple of Trajan?
Mostly obscured by the Basilica Ulpia but would have been a large, daunting building to walk through and suddenly be confronted with.
What were the grey columns in the Temple of Trajan made from?
Egyptian Granite
Who made the Basilica Ulpia
Trajan
Why was the Basilia Ulpia made?
To deal with the increased number of cases that Rome was seeing and to house two giant libraries and his column
What was the Basilica Ulpia a symbol of?
Wealth, power, opulence with the columns made from Egyptian Granite, marble floor and bonze gilded roof tiles
Describe the Basilica Ulpia
Large clerestory windows that ran along the top of the Basilica which let vast amounts of light into the space and ensured the monumental court was always well lit
Who built Trajan’s column
Emperor Trajan
Why was Trajan’s column built?
To commemorate his victory in the Dacian war and the relief that runs up the column details the entire campaign
What was Trajan’s column made from?
Carrara marble (minedd in tuscany and most common marble used in tuscany)
How tall was Trajan’s column?
30m
What was Trajan’s market made of?
Brick but with Travertine and tufa also used in various areas
Describe Trajan’s market
Made of three floor, cut into the hillside
Final level were apartments and a covered shopping arcade
What was the upper level of Trajan’s market called?
via biberatica
What did thevia biberatica most likely contain?
Bars and drinkign establishments
Trajan’s market was seperated from the forum by…
A tufa wall and an archway into the Exedra of Trajan’s forum
When was the Pantheon originally built?
27BC by Agrippa
What version of the Pantheon do we have, who built it and when?
This version was constructed by Hadrian n 125 AD
What were the Pantheon steps made from?
Yellow Numidian marble
Describe the front of the Pantheon
Ocastyle portico made from Egyptian granite, half were grey and the other half were pink marble
What did The Vestibule at the rear of the portico serve to do?
Hide thev view of the Dome from people approaching, to make it a greater spectacle when they entered
Describe the Pantheon’s dome?
Concentrated on a ring of voussoirs that form the oculus while the downward thrust of the dome is carried by 8 barrel vaults into eight piers.
What materials were used in the Pantheon’s dome?
At its thicksest point the aggregate is travertine, then terracotta tiles
At the very top, tufa and pumice (both porous light stones)
Where was the Temple of Vesta?
Located in the Forum Romanum
Describe the Temple of Vesta?
Hearth in the cella which held the sacred flame of vesta
Circular foundations with Corinthian columns
Tufa blocks decorated with marble
What do the simple designs of the Temple of Vesta reflect?
The small thatched huts of early Romans
