Roman Art Flashcards
What was one of the roman’s most important contrabutiins
Arches, vaults and domes.
Why did the romans come up with arches
They realised that the use of the post and lintel system placed a lot of the strain of the weight of the roof on the columns. This restricted the height and size of buildings.
What is a vault
A curved wall with open space underneath it
What is a vault
Lots of arches put together creating a tunnel
What is a dome
Lots of half arch shapes arranged in a circle creating a half spherical roof.
What was the result of the creation of arches, vaults and domes
It meant that buildings could be taller and larger and that they could have more windows and thinner walls. This also meant that columns were not used in construction any more. They were however still used as a decorative element.
Did the romans have cement, what did they use instead
No, they created a kind of fast drying cement which made it difficult to build large buildings. When the slower drying mortar was invented, they were able to expand buildings.
What does the Pantheon show
It shows the engineering skills of
Who ordered for the Pantheon to be built
Emperor Hadrian
Why did emperor Hadrian want the Pantheon to be built
To honour the gods.
What does the front of the Pantheon look like
It consists of a traditional rectangular colonnaded porch and a tall middle block
What were the columns made out of
Red and black Egyptian granite with bases and capitals of white Greek marble.
What originally decorated the front pediment
An eagle
What were the middle block and the rotunda made out of
Brick faced concrete covered in marble.
What does the design of the main hall, rotunda, symbolise
Mathematical harmony. It was only possible to construct with the availability of slow-drying concrete.
