The Roman architecture is one that was developed since the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 a. Until approximately the 4th century AD. C., when Byzantine architecture appears.

The architectural structures of Ancient Rome had a great flourishing during the Roman Empire, becoming a symbol of its expansion and power. Despite its decline with the arrival of the Byzantine Empire, the Roman architectural style continued to influence the construction of Western Europe for many centuries.

Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater Source: Pixabay

Some examples of this influence can be identified in pre-Romanesque and Romanesque architecture, typical of the Middle Ages. Similarly, Islamic and Byzantine architecture presented typical Roman forms. Later, during the Italian Renaissance, Europe revived the classical styles, including the Roman.

Origin and history

The birth of Rome is well defined on April 21, 753 BC and from that day on, three major historical periods can be distinguished in this culture. The first is the Etruscan between the eighth centuries BC. C. and V a. C.

The second would be the eepublican that spread between the V century BC. C. and the year 23 a. C. date in which Julio Caesar was assassinated. The third and last would be the Imperial period that would end with the division of the empire into two states, eastern and western, in the 4th century AD. C.

In this context, Roman architecture developed with the Hellenistic and Etruscan influence that shaped its past, but which was imbued with its own character full of discipline, ambition and majesty, as symbols of the empire in which it became.

Experts usually indicate as the date of origin of Roman architecture, the construction of the first road and the first aqueduct. From the 3rd century BC. C. the first innovations are detected with the development of concrete as a substitute or complement to stone and brick.

Then the empire's own wealth and population density prompted them to discover new architectural solutions to meet the needs that arose and maintain the standards that had been raised in their structures.

characteristics

Roman Forum. Source: Pixabay

Despite its influences from the Etruscans and Greek culture, Roman architecture has many original factors, ranging from aesthetics and materials to building techniques and schedules.

This style was able to satisfy a large number of needs, including the practical requirements of a civilization of these characteristics and the social organization that being an empire entailed. But expectations from sectors such as culture, entertainment, industry, commerce and navigation were also met.

In Roman structures, the architectural mass was as important as the interior space, so the use that was given to it was essential. The space responded to specific needs and met certain aesthetic and comfort requirements, but it was also universalistic or standardizable, which allowed the structures to be reproduced in a systematic way in terms of materials and techniques.

The Vitruvian Triad

Marco Vitruvio Polión, architect, and Roman engineer of century I a. C, described the principles of Roman architecture in his work De Architectura.

The writer also assured that especially public buildings should enjoy the balance of three qualities, which would later be known as Vitruvian Virtues or Vitruvian Triad. These were:

- Firmitas or solidity: refers to a stable and lasting work over time for which quality materials were needed that could resist external factors. Another element that could influence the solidity of the building had to do with the selection of the right terrain and comfort.

- Utilitas or utility: beyond the physical utility that the structure could have, which depended on the context in which it was made, Vitruvio mainly highlighted the well-being and social impact it could have on the community.

- Venustas or beauty: harmony and symmetry were fundamental aspects of any building and it was what would confer the degree of beauty, which was not assumed as something superficial or an addition but an essential factor of the work.

Types of Roman constructions

In Ancient Rome, public and private buildings, civil and military engineering works, as well as social housing programs and structures for religious, commercial, artistic or simple entertainment purposes were developed.

Roman roads

The system of political organization and the need to control the territory made the Romans develop techniques and generate structures that facilitated the mobility of their armies. The land of interest was paved by mixing a layer of gravel, filling and surface finish received with lime mortar, which allowed the formation of highly durable roads and highways.

Aqueducts and bridges

Another of the great works of civic architecture were the aqueducts. These structures allowed the water to be conveyed by gravity from the springs through a base of arches, a stone or concrete channel that drew a continuous line of descent.

The bridges are also usually a typical Roman construction, which were lower than the aqueducts and wider, but with the characteristic arches. The solidity was one of their properties as they sought, with diamond-shaped sections or openings in the supports, to resist the force of the waters.

Forums

The Roman forum was arranged strictly in the shape of a rectangle, surrounded by porticoes and with a sanctuary or temple at one end away from the hubbub. This structure combined many aspects of Roman public life and could be surrounded by buildings as important as the basilica, the comitum and the curia typical of political meetings.

Theaters

The elements of the Greek theater, in the Roman one, were reorganized according to a systematic scheme. A closed architectural environment is formed, within a high continuous wall. The cavea or seating area for the public and the orchestra, where the high dignitaries were located, were reduced in size and aligned with the stage building.

Amphitheatres or Arenas

The mission of these secular structures was to host the fight of gladiators that originated south of Rome. It was next to the triumphal arch and the basilica, originally Roman structures. They have a more or less semicircular shape and were characterized by their facades with larger, multi-storey arches, decorated with marble, stucco and statues.

Stadiums or circuses

They were created to host horse and chariot races, so they had a track divided in half by a low wall and at the ends of which there were conical columns that marked the turning points. They used to be decorated with obelisks and other trophies at the intermediate points of the tracks. The bleachers were usually made of wood or stone materials and resembled the structure and shape of the cavea of ​​the theater and the amphitheater.

Temples

It was one of the most important buildings in Ancient Rome. It consisted of a main room, known as a cella, where the image of the deity to whom the temple was dedicated was located. The facades of these temples used to follow the Greek style with wide steps leading to a colonnaded portico and a triangular pediment above, decorated with statues.

Basilicas

Another purely Roman invention and a key civic element in this culture. It is characterized by a covered room, rectangular in plan with an apse or two that could face each other or form a right angle.

Its function was similar to the Greek stoa, as it was intended to provide a protected area in the main square so that citizens could do their daily business affairs, including open-air trials.

Baths or hot springs

Created to provide pleasure to citizens through bathing and relaxation. Baths used to consist of a common room for undressing, at least two heated rooms and one steam room.

They could have spaces to receive oil massages or to cool down on summer days. In these structures, the heating system made up of ovens built on a series of hollow tubes that transported the heat to the rooms stands out.

Orders of Roman architecture

The experts identify a total of five orders in Roman architecture, which arise from adaptations of the Etruscan and Greek cultures. These orders are:

Tuscan or Etruscan order

It is a simpler derivation of Doric. The capital is made up of five pieces, all smooth, like the circular shaft and the undecorated frieze. They have a slight bulge in the center and taper towards the upper end. It rests on a base with a podium.

Roman Doric order

It is a column of 16 modules, decorated with a cylindrical drum-like collar between the horse and the shaft. Beneath the cornice it bears denticles or mutules.

Roman Ionic Order

On the one hand, one can speak of a simplification by reducing the size of the volutes and sometimes the elimination of the talus, however the capital is further decorated and the height of the shaft is raised.

Roman Corinthian order

Made up of two or three series of acanthus leaves on the capital, folded forward. It also includes denticles and modillions to support the cornice, making it the most ornate of the five styles.

Compound order

It is considered the favorite of the Romans and seems to combine elements of the Ionic and Corinthian order. The capital is formed with acanthus leaves without calicles but with two rows of eggs and pearls, as well as four large volutes taken from the Ionic.

Used materials

The Roman architectural style used a great variety of materials as they sought to adapt to the resources found in the territories they occupied. Among these materials, ashlar, masonry and brick masonry combined with concrete mortar stand out.

The bricks were originally sun-dried mud but when the empire was started they were made of fired clay. They could make them square, rectangular, triangular, or rounded.

As for Roman concrete, it also had its particular characteristics, which made it more resistant than that of other cultures. It was the product of a mixture of lime mortar, aggregate, pozzolana, water and stones.

Cement, stones and marble were also present. The latter mainly as a facing for brick or concrete.

Another characteristic material of Ancient Rome was stucco, which consisted of three layers of mortar mixed with powdered marble. This used to be used especially as a covering for the ceilings and interior walls of the rooms.

Outstanding Roman constructions

The Colisseum

Also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it is a structure from the imperial era built in the city of Rome.

In ancient times it had a capacity of 65 thousand spectators with 80 rows of stands. It is the largest amphitheater built by the Romans. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

The Roman forum

Known as the Forum Magnum, it is located in the central area of ​​the city of Rome, and was intended to bring together government, market and religious institutions.

It is made up of a path known as the Via Sacra that crosses it and connects with the Coliseum. It includes a series of monuments and buildings from Ancient Rome, among which the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Arch of Titus, about 9 temples and three basilicas stand out.

Arch of Constantine

It is a triumphal arch that is located between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill in Rome and was built to commemorate the victory of Constantine I the Great. It measures 21 meters high, 25.7 meters wide and 7.4 meters deep. It has three central arches and its main part consists of attached columns and an attic with an inscription on top.

The Pantheon of Agrippa

It is an ancient Roman temple consisting of a circular building with a portico of eight large Corinthian-style columns and two groups of four behind.

The rectangular vestibule joins the portico with the rotunda, where a concrete dome is erected with a central opening forty-three meters high. It became an iconic temple of Roman culture and was therefore copied on numerous occasions by other architects.

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