TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT ROME 2

(1.1) Location and Geography

(1.2) Ancient Roman Civilization

CHAPTER 2 ROMAN ART 5

(2.1) Architectural sculpture

(2.2) Wall paintings and mosaics

CHAPTER 3 ROMAN ARCHITECTURE 11

(3.1) Architectural orders

(3.2) Materials and techniques

CHAPTER 4 ROMAN ARCHITECURAL BUILDINGS 22

(4.1) Amphitheaters
(4.2) Theaters
(4.3) Circuses
(4.4) Private Homes
(4.5) Temples
(4.6) Basilicas
(4.7) Triumphal arches
(4.8) Roman Baths
CONCLUSION

REFERENCES
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, I would like to thank all the teachers from Architecture Department for giving
us time and opportunity to work on these presentations and term paper. I would like to express
my sincere gratitude to our Thoughts and Theory teacher Daw Hnin Wutt Yee to give me such
an opportunity to study on Roman art and architecture. Without her guidance and advice, it is not
possible to accomplish this term paper perfectly

I would like to thank Liberian for Architecture Department to help me find the books
related to the title I am working on. Additionally, I would like to thanks my classmates in
helping me finding links, references and books, for working together through sleepless nights
and overcoming all these difficulties and hard times together. I would like to send my love to
each and all of them for spending time together happily and successfully. Let us not give up and
keep going until we can grab our goal.

Finally, to my very precious ones, my family, I would like to send my gratitude and
sincerity for helping me spiritually to finish this term paper perfectly and for everything.
 ABSTRACT

In this term paper, I am going to study about architectural sculpture, art, orders,
materials and techniques and key roman buildings found within Roman period. Ancient Rome
has large stable civilizations and it led the world through art and technology with many known
inventions. It was remarked as the largest empire throughout the entire ancient world.

In spite of great influence from Greek Architecture, ancient roman could invent
many new structural elements and lead to many daring architectural forms. So, it is worth to
study the architectural elements of ancient Rome.

The aim and objective of this term paper is

 To explore rich and varied architectural elements of ancient Rome

 To study the architectural aspects of ancient roman building types

 To understand the spatial composition ,architectural orders and elements of ancient

roman buildings
 CHAPTER (1)

INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT ROME

(1.1) Location & Geography

Roman Empire is one of the largest and

wealthiest empires in the world which lasted
approximately about 1,000 years. Rome is in the
Lazio region of central Italy on the Tiber River.
Historians remarked that Rome began as a collection
of small settlements located on seven hills; the
Aventine Hill, the Caelian Hill, the Capitoline Hill,
the Esquiline Hill, the Palatine Hill, the Quirinal Hill,
and the Viminal Hill, near the Tiber River in Italy
Fig (1.1) Roman Empire
around 753 BCE.
Source Geologyinmotion.com
The altitude of the central part of Rome
ranges from 43 ft above sea level (at the base of the Pantheon) to 456 ft above sea level
(the peak of Monte Mario). Rome covers an overall area of about 1,285 square kilometers
and this includes many green areas.

(1.2) Ancient Roman Civilization

The Roman Empire lasted from about 30 BCE to 476 CE. Ancient Roman
civilization emerged long before, in the centuries after 800 BCE. The Roman Empire
contained around 2000 cities. These cities had some features which would were familiar
to modern age: high rise apartment blocks, overcrowded slums, busy streets, plazas,
imposing public administrative buildings, and so on. The city would have been
surrounded by walls, usually made of stone which included gateways to control the in
and out traffic of people. For the Romans, cities were communities which ran their own
affairs, and constituted the main building-blocks of the empire. Outside the walls was the
amphitheater where events such as animal slayings and gladiatorial fights were held.
At first, the origin of ancient roman civilization was a society of small farmers.
However, as it grew more powerful and more extensive, it became one of the most
urbanized societies in the pre-industrial world.
Urban arrangement - The Roman city was built around a forum. This was an
open space surrounded by colonnades and public buildings. The Forum functioned as a
market place, political meeting point and social center. The public buildings such as the
main temple, the basilica, the law courts), and the main public baths of the city
surrounded the forum. Away from the forum were the city-streets, forming a grid pattern
so that a map of a city would look like a multitude of square blocks. Here would be
situated the homes of rich and poor, the shops, cafes and workshops of the town, more
temples and public baths, and a theater, maybe two. In figure (1.2) shows the grid pattern
map of systematic ancient Rome.

Fig (1.2) The map of downtown Rome

Source commons.wikimedia.org
 CHAPTER (2)
ROMAN ART

Roman art is closely related to late Greeks art. Roman art refers to the visual arts
made in Ancient Rome and in the territories of the Roman Empire. Roman art includes
architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaic work. Roman sculpture in particular has unique
characteristic of its own. The sculptural portraits of leading Romans of the late Republic and
early Empire are simple and dignified.

(2.1) Architectural Sculpture

The sculptures on Roman buildings could be merely decorative or have a more

political purpose. The architectural sculpture had the purpose to reinforce the message that the
emperor was a victorious and civilizing agent across the known world.

Fig (2.1) Sculpture on Trajan’s Column Fig (2.2) Sculpture on Arch of Constantine

Source Smarthistory Source alarmyimage.fr

In fig (2.1) shows the sculptures on the Trajan’s column. The sculptures reinforced
the message that the emperor as the fine leader who was meticulously prepared, militarily
innovative and suitably inspiring to his troops. In fig (2.2) shows the example of sculptures in
thhe Arch of Constantine in Rome. Those show defeated and enslaved ‘barbarians’ to ram home
the message of Rome’s superiority. The difference between the Roman and Greek sculptures is
that Roman ones portray the images of real people and specific historical figures, contrast to
Greek sculpture where great military victories were usually presented in metaphor using figures
from Greek mythology like amazons and centaurs such as on the Parthenon.

(2.2) Wall paintings and mosaics

Wall paintings - The interiors of Roman buildings were very frequently decorated
with bold colours and designs. Wall paintings, fresco and stucco were used to create relief effects
within the massive buildings and structures. These were commonly used in public buildings,
private homes, temples, tombs and even military structures by the 1st century BCE across the
Roman world.

Fig (2.3) A frecosed room Fig (2.4) House of Livia

Source Pinterest.com Source Pinterest.com

Designs could range from realistic detail to highly impressionistic renderings

which frequently covered all of the available wall space including the ceiling. The elements and
features used in paintings include portraits, scenes from mythology, architecture using trompe-
l’oeil, flora, fauna and even entire gardens, landscapes and townscapes to create spectacular 360°
panoramas which transported the viewer from the confines of a small room to the limitless world
of the painter’s imagination.

In fig (2.4) shows the example of a 360° panorama wall paintings in Livia’s Villa.
It represented an impressionistically rendered garden which runs around the room completely
ignoring the corners. The impressive variety and luxuriance in the garden includes plants,
flowers, fruit, laurel and palm trees, vines, birds and insects, all life-size and painted against a
brilliant blue sky. This was the distinct development in the technology of wall paintings in
Roman period.
 Mosaics - Mosaic was a minor art, though often on a very large scale. Roman
mosaics are constructed from geometrical blocks called tesserae, placed together to create the
shapes of figures, motifs and patterns. Materials for tesserae were obtained from local sources of
natural stone, with the additions of cut brick, tile and pottery creating colored shades of blue,
black, red, white and yellow.

In late-4th-century, Christians began to use it for large religious images on walls in

their new large churches. However, earlier Roman art mosaic was mainly used for floors, curved
ceilings, and inside and outside walls. Mosaic decoration was not just confined to floors but
featured on walls and vaults as well.

A
s

shown in fig (2.5), early Roman mosaics were in the form of human or animal according to their
Fig (2.5) Roman Mosaics Fig (2.6) Roman Mosaics
mythology and culture. Later, small pieces of mosaics were repeated to get the carpet effect used
Source TheAncientHome Source MotherNatureNetwork
in churches, as shown in fig (2.6).
 CHAPTER (3)

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

(3.1) Architectural orders

Roman architecture adopted building proportions and styles from ancient Greeks.
They had got much influence from Greek architecture. An order in architecture is defined by the
particular type of column and entablature, they use as a basic unit. A column consists of a shaft
together with its base and its capital. The column supports a section of an entablature, which
constitutes the upper horizontal part of a classical building and is itself composed of (from
bottom to top) an architrave, frieze, and cornice.

We can distinguish the type of order by their style of capital. There are five major
orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite. Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders
were originated from Greeks. Romans were renowned for their ‘classical architecture’ which was
the combination of ancient Greeks and later Roman.

Doric order – It was the first styles of Greeks stone architecture. It was
characterized by a slightly tapered column, measuring in height (including the capital) only about
four to eight lower diameters. The Greek forms of the Doric order have no individual base and it
rests directly on the sty lobate. The Doric shaft is channeled with 20 shallow flutes, which is the

Fig (3.1) Doric order

Source Britinnica.com

vertical parallel grooves. The capitals are smooth without much decoration. The Roman forms of
the Doric order have smaller proportions and appear lighter and more graceful than their Greek
counterparts.

Ionic order – have more flutes on columns and shafts compared to th doric order.
The height of the entire Ionic order—column, base, capital, and entablature— is nine lower
diameters. The base of the column has two parts (moldings) separated by a scotia. The shaft,
which is eight lower diameters high, has 24 flutes. On the entablature, the architrave is usually
made up of three stepped fasciae (bands). Fig (3.2)

Corinthian order – characterised by its 10 diametre high column. It is the most

elegant style among the five orders. The Corinthian order is similar to ionic order in proportions
instead it is more slender and includes distinctive curved capital. This style of column was found
in top level of Roman colosseum. Fig (3.3)

Fig (3.2) Ionic order Fig (3.3) Corinthian order

Source britinnica.com Source britinnica.com

Composite order - The composite order is composed by combining the volutes of

the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order. The column of this
order is 10 diametres high. This order was not found in ancient Greeks architecture and instead,
it could be originated in Roman period. The Composite order is essentially treated as Corinthian
except for the capital. Fig (3.4)
 Tuscan order - a simplified Doric order, with un-fluted columns and a simpler
entablature with no triglyphs or guttae. They are simplest style orders and were part of
Vernacular

architecture of Italy. Tuscan order was

standardized as the formal order which could Flead to the Renaissance Architecture. But,
tuscan order was rarely used for large structures such as amphithetres.

Fig (3.4) Composite Order Fig (3.4) Tuscan Order

Source MangoliaBox Source MangoliaBox

(3.2) Materials and Technique

Building Materials
 Stone - was the most common and logically used building material in earlier
Roman Periods. Stone served as the basic building material throughout the whole empire. A
special characteristic of stone is that it has great strength when squeezed or compressed as in the
construction of a wall. But, it becomes weak when stretched or strained as in a horizontal lintel.
As a result, when stone is used to span a horizontal space, the use of an arch is employed. Stone
was vulnerable for strength, durability and aesthetics. Stones can also be categorized into
travertine, a sedimentary stone, tufa and granite and marble.

Fig (3.5) Ancient Roman Arch

Marble – Source Alamy

being one of the categories of stone, marble played an important
finishing material in ancient roman period. Because of its bright and
glassy appearance, it had been widely used in imperial projects.
Although stone was the major element for state-funded building project,
the marble imported from foreign countries were only used for royal
buildings due to the transportation fees.

They are favourable by architects because of their wide

color range. They ranged from yellow veined, grey-blue, white-yellow
veined, white, bright white, red-blue, violet, red, and green. The sight of Rome with facades of
Fig (3.6) Interior marble
these colors would have been striking.
columns
Brick - Three standard sizes of bricks were made by Roman manufacturers
were

 lydium, 11.65” x 5.8”

 tetradoron, 11.65” x 11.65”
 pentadoron, 14.5” x 14.5” (five hands)
This contrasts with the size of a modern residential brick which is 8” x 3.5”. The pentadoron
size brick was most useful in the construction of large buildings and city walls where large
sections could be completed quickly. The visual impact of the construction with the wider
Roman brick is impressive. Bricks in the upper area (lower temperature) were usually rejected
for building work as they would not solidify and returned to powder. Brick, varying colors, can
be itself an decorative element.

Fig (3.7) Brick columns in Roman Atrium House

Source ipernity

Concrete - Concrete provided the Romans for producing a variety of structures

with strength, flexibility of design, and in certain formulas, provided unique capabilities.
Concrete could be formulated repeatedly and uniformly. Concrete and brick both share the
important roles in ancient Roman Empire. Romans were the ones who could invent the concrete.
First concrete was created from aggregate and lime mortar. Second was form volcanic sand
which has more strength. Due to the production of concrete, romans introduced the daring
architectural forms.
 Fig (3.8) Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia - Palestrina

Techniques and method of constructions

Brick and concrete were the basic building material. In using concrete for
construction, the initial step is preparing a foundation. In modern construction involving large
structures, the foundation is placed on bedrock. But in Roman structures, a fairly standard type of
masonry foundation remains. These foundation consists of large stone rubble, with mortar to a
depth of about three feet. This is a shallow foundation, but most of the Roman buildings were
not of great height, this method worked.

Roman concrete construction can be categorized according to its facing, and

three methods were used;

 Opus incertum (uncertain work)

 Opus reticulatum (network)
 Opus testaceum (brick work)

Opus incertum consisted of irregular, all-purpose stones probably gathered in the area of the
building site. Opus retciulatum continued the use of stones, but they were hewn to a standard size
prior to being supplied to the construction site. Opus incertum employed a random arrangement,
and in opus testaceum bricks were laid on the horizontal.

Fig (3.8) Method of concrete construction

Source Tigerprints
Arch and vaults – were the special characteristics of the construction. Arches and vaults were
initially constructed of stone. The arch remained as the use in openings, doorways, and bridges.
One of the most visible uses of the arch by the Empire was in the construction of aqueducts. The
barrel vault is simply an arch increased in depth and is seen in ceilings, the construction of which
required a complex reinforcing framework to hold the concrete or plaster in place while setting.

CHAPTER (4)

Fig (3.9) Roman arch of transitorium Fig (3.10) Roman cross vault

Source flickr.com Source flickr.com

KEY ARCHITECTURAL BUILDINGS

(4.1) Amphitheaters

An amphitheatre was a structure built throughout the Roman empire where ordinary
people could watch such spectacles as gladiator games, mock naval battles, wild animal hunts,
and public executions. Usually oval in form, the largest examples could seat tens of thousands of
people, and they became a focal point of Roman society and the lucrative entertainment business.
Amphitheatres are one of the best surviving examples of ancient Roman architecture, and many
are still in use today, hosting events ranging from gladiator re-enactments to opera concerts.The
Romans built over 200 amphitheatres across the empire, most of them in the west as in the east
very often existing Greek theatres and stadiums were converted/employed for public
spectacles.Roman amphitheatre consists of three main parts and they are cavea,arean and
vomitorium.

Fig (4.1) Parts of Roman amphitheatre

(4.2) Theatres

Roman theatres derive much influence from the Greeks.There exist similarities between
the theatres and amphitheatres of ancient Rome.Constructed out of the same material - Roman
concrete.Provided a place for the public to go and see numerous events throughout the
Empire.Diffenerces from amphitheatres are structures, with specific layouts that lend to the
different events they held. Amphitheatres did not need superior acoustics.Theatres enhance the
superior acoustics with their semicircular form.
 Fig (4.2) Typical plan of Roman theatre

(4.3) Circuses

The Roman circus (from Latin, "circle") was a large open-air venue used for public
events in the ancient Roman Empire. The circuses were similar to the ancient Greek
hippodromes, although circuses served varying purposes and differed in design and construction.
Along with theatres and amphitheatres, Circuses were one of the main entertainment sites of the
time. Circuses were venues for chariot races, horse races, and performances that commemorated
important events of the empire were performed there.Oblong rectangle separated by a median
strip running along the length of about two thirds the track.The median strip was called the spina
and usually featured ornate columns and statues.
 Fig (4.3) Plan oblique of circus

(4.4) Private Homes

Perhaps more famous for their richly decorated interior walls using fresco and stucco,
Roman private residences could also enchant with atrium, peristyles, gardens and fountains, all
ordered in harmonious symmetry. For a typical example, see the House of the Vettii at Pompeii
(1st century BCE - 79 CE).Even more innovative, though, were the large apartment blocks
(insula) for the less well-off city-dwellers. These were constructed using brick, concrete, and
wood, sometimes had balconies, and there were often shops on the ground floor street front.
Appearing as early as the 3rd century BCE, by the 1st century BCE examples could have 12
stories, but state-imposed height restrictions resulted in buildings averaging four to five stories
(at least at the front side as there were no such restrictions for the rear of the building).

Fig (4.4) Typical Roman private home plan

(4.5) Temples

The Roman temple was a combination of the Etruscan and Greek models with an inner
cella at the rear of the building surrounded by columns and placed on a raised platform (up to
3.5 metres high) with a stepped entrance and columned porch, the focal point of the building
(in contrast to Greek temples where all four sides could be equally important in the urban
landscape). Surviving practically complete and a typical example is the Maison Carrée at Nimes
(16 BCE). Temples were usually rectangular but could take other forms such as circular or
polygon.

Fig (4.5) Roman Temple

(4.6) Basilicas

The basilica was adopted by the Christian church but was conceived by the Romans as a
place for any large gathering, with the most common use being law courts. They were usually
built along one side of the forum, the city’s marketplace, which was enclosed on all sides by
colonnades. The basilica’s long hall and roof were supported by columns and piers on all sides.
The columns created a central nave flanked on all sides by an aisle. A gallery ran around the
first floor and later there was an apse at one or both ends. A typical example is the Severan
Basilica at Lepcis Magna (216 CE).
 Fig (4.6) Typical plan of basilicas Fig (4.7) St. Peter's Basilica

(4.7) Triumphal arches

The triumphal arch, with a single, double, or triple entrance, had no practical function
other than to commemorate in sculpture and inscription significant events such as military
victories. Early examples stood over thoroughfares - the earliest being the two arches set up by
L.Stertinius in Rome (196 BCE) - but later examples were often protected by steps. Topped by a
bronze four-horse chariot, they became imposing stone monuments to Roman vanity. The Arch
of Constantine (c. 315 CE) in Rome is the largest surviving example and is perhaps the last great
monument of Imperial Rome.
 Fig (4.8) Triumphal arch

(4.8) Roman Baths

Roman baths display the typical Roman ability for creating breath-taking interior space
using arches, domes, vaults, and buttresses. The largest of these often huge complexes were built
symmetrically along a single axis and included pools, cold and hot rooms, fountains, libraries,
under-floor heating, and sometimes inter-wall heating through terracotta piping. Their exteriors
were usually plain, but within they were often sumptuous with the lavish use of columns, marble,
statues and mosaics. One of the finest and certainly best surviving examples is the Baths of
Caracalla in Rome (completed 216 CE).

Fig (4.9) Typical plan of Roman baths

 Fig (4.10) Roman Bath

Conclusion

Roman architecture, then, has provided us with magnificent structures that have, quite
literally, stood the test of time. By combining a wide range of materials with daring designs, the
Romans were able to push the boundaries of physics and turn architecture into an art form. The
result was that architecture became an imperial tool to demonstrate to the world that Rome was
culturally superior because only she had the wealth, skills, and audacity to produce such edifices.
Even more significantly, the Roman use of concrete, brick, and arches twinned with building
designs like the amphitheatre and basilica would immeasurably influence all following western
architecture right up to the present day. In spite of great influence from Greek Architecture,
Roman architects could create new architectural features as well as structural development and
invented new materials.Roman architecture started new trend for concrete architecture which is
widely used nowadays.Roman architecture created the most successful and basic element and
theory in the history of architecture.
 References

https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Architecture/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_(building)

https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/beginners-guide-
rome/a/roman-architecture

www.essential-humanities.net/western-art/architecture/roman/