Roman Architecture

Question 1

What were the columns used for?

Answer 1

The column orders were (in most cases), not structural and used of decoration only

Question 2

What did the building types include?

Answer 2

Aqueducts and Cisterns, Roads and Bridges, Theaters, Arenas, Circuses, Baths, Forums, Basilicas, Forums, Temples, Palaces, Warehouses, Dams, Defensive Walls, Triumphal Arches, Light Houses, etc.

Question 3

What is the Roman Forum?

Answer 3

The Public Space (like Greek Agora)

Question 4

What is the Roman Basilica?

Answer 4

The primary building that abutted the space (like Greek Stoa) except Basilica had large arch supported interior civic space
- BIG, GAUDY, POWERFUL

Question 5

TRUE OR FALSE:
Roman architecture was spatially organized, symmetrical and axial that forced the observer along a
path to control and dominate them and reinforce the power of the state.

Answer 5

TRUE

Question 6

Did Romans use symmetry?

Answer 6

Symmetry was used to order and organize large building programs such Roman Bath complexes bc of mass size of the acreage

Question 7

What are the characteristics of Roman Arch?

Answer 7

extravagant, gaudy, showy, colorful, over the top

Question 8

Where does the word “architecture” come from?

Answer 8

knowledge of ‘arch technology”

Question 9

What were TWO concepts from the Ancient World?

Answer 9

Technologies and Spatial Comparison

Question 10

What are the Spatial Comparison Concepts for Romans Material?

Answer 10

Organized, Axial, Control and Dominate the Viewer, Impressive Interior Spaces, gaudy to show off power and wealth

Question 11

What leads to the creation of Rome?

Answer 11

Invention of the arch and the invention of concrete

Question 12

What did temples represent for the Romans?

Answer 12

Represented state and emperor

Question 13

Information of Building Materials

Answer 13

• After Carrara Quarry opens, unlimited supply of white marble
• Perfected brick making, and new material - CONCRETE
• Employed raw material - concrete - to make massive walls and vaults to enclose spaces

Question 14

What Romans see Space as?

Answer 14

Space was as important as the mass that was enclosing it

• Use of space was PRIMARY
• was an ACTIVE ELEMENT

Question 15

Which structures had some form of Greek system of order?

Answer 15

Arches and Vaults

Question 16

Arch -

Answer 16

supports itself, mural structure

Question 17

Vault -

Answer 17

supports something, also roofs over significant area of building

Question 18

CONCRETE -

Answer 18

• mixture of mortar like cement with aggregate
• Romans used Pozzolana - volcanic ash yielded a mortar of tremendous strength
• Was mixed with aggregate - small chunks of solids, stone, gravel, building debris
• Solidified into dense, homogenous mass that constituted artificial stone - concrete

Question 19

What did they use to bring water into these growing cities?

Answer 19

Aqueducts
- The city of Rome has 1.25-1.7 million people at its height with aqueducts that could bring in
350 million gallons of water per day.
- had 11 aqueducts throughout Rome

Question 20

Theater of Marcellus: 11 BC

- Where was it located?

Answer 20

• dressed with brick, marble, and columns
• used arches on interior and exterior
• reused as home and shelter later
• Seats 10K spectators - early architecture
• Transformed into medieval fortress and a renaissance palace
• Doric Column Orders at base, Ionic Column Order above
• Located in Rome, Italy

Question 21

Colosseum: 80 AD

- Where was it located?

Answer 21

• Named after colossal statue of Nero
• Embodies highest degree and largest scale all virtues of - structure and design
• 50K people, 165’ tall
• Most seating collapsed, preserved site as a ruin
• Survives through history of saints, Christians didn’t like the history of bloody and gory fights
• Achieved by perfecting earlier ideas by expanding scale successfully within elliptical
• System of tunnels, chambers, mechanical devices under the arena floor – dressing rms, animal cages located here

Question 22

Roman Mastery

Answer 22

Roman Mastery had Function, structure, materials - concrete, travertine, tufa, brick, marble, wood — was now complete

Question 23

Baths of Caracalla:(A.D 216):

- Where was it located?

Answer 23

• Sophisticated - had Hot and Cold water areas
• Cooled area, symmetrically designed to order and organize a large building
• Did Not separate sexes
• Had: Changing Rooms, Exercise Areas, Hot Room, Steam Room, used special oils and massages
• 50 acres of space
• 2 largest and best preserved - Caracalla and Diocletian
• Scheme of vast complexity and rigorous, bilateral symmetry replaced simple, barrel vaulted chambers
• Main axis - cool swimming pool
• Sunny South End - tepidarium and caldarium
• Main block had 8 entrances
  Has hierarchical pattern with central ‘spine’
• Women used in the morning, men used in afternoon
• Located in Rome, Italy

Question 24

Temples

Answer 24

Few survived, represented a pagan perspective

• most demolished, seen as unimportant
• Scores of temples built during every period at great scale and high expense
• Shared axial plan, board, triple, cella, low silhouette, deep porch, wide spread columns, terra cotta structure with Etruscans

Question 25

Where is Maison Carree located?

Answer 25

20 B.C: Nimes, France; Roman (Temple)

- one of best preserved roman temples

Question 26

Pantheon: 118-28 A.D:

• Where was it located?
• What is it also known as?

Answer 26

• Influenced the design of the UVA Thomas Jefferson Library
• 142’ interior span across and 142’ height
• Clear open oculus at top. 28’ diameter
• Known as the “Pantheon of Gods”
• Monumental: each niche is to hold another God
• Rome, Italy

Question 27

Arch of Titus: 90 AD

Answer 27

Roman form of “advertisement” (They liked to mark things w/ arches)

• Built to celebrate Conquest of Palestine
• important Roman prototype - a Triumphant Arch

Question 28

City Planning

Answer 28

was unplanned that evolves over time

Question 29

What are Castrum Cities?

Answer 29

Easier for Roman soldiers to navigate/know. These soldiers fought for the Roman culture/lifestyle.

Question 30

What does Castrum mean?

Answer 30

Military grid, N/E/S/W Streets, (Baths, religion, homes, gates, cemetery)