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Running head: Roman Engineering
Roman Engineering
Assignment #4, Individual Project #2
TSgt Loren Karl-Robinson Schwappach
Colorado Technical University
Prepared for Tammy Starzyk
HUM140-0804A-08 Art Appreciation
21 October, 2008

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Abstract
The Roman’s made many great contributions to the world of art and architecture and
through the use of arches, columns, vaults, buttresses, and keystones they created many amazing
structures that remain to this day. This paper will describe three such amazing constructs, the
Roman Colosseum, Pantheon, and Baths of Trojan.

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Romans like the Greeks before them were tremendous fans of sporting events. Thus, in a
successful attempt to appease and entertain the masses, the Colosseum was built. The Roman
Colosseum (see images 1 & 2) located in the center of Rome is a great example of roman
architecture on a mammoth scale.
Construction of the Colosseum, originally called the amphitheatre began in 72 CE during
the reign of Vespasian, and was dedicated by Titus in 80 CE. The name “Colosseum” was
derived from the Colossus, a larger than life statue of Nero standing next to it. (Stokstad 2007,
pg 146)
The Colosseum which held around 50,000 spectators around an elliptical arena was an
enormous entertainment center, where Romans could watch gladiators fight bloody life and
death matches against ferocious animals and other gladiators. The Colosseum was even used to
reenact historical and/or fictitious epics, including naval battles, through the use of a flooding
apparatus. (Stokstad 2007, pg 147)
The true power of Rome was through the mobs, and the best way to keep the keep the
mob appeased was through life and death entertainment. Eighty walls radiate from the arena
supporting vaults for passageways, stairs, and seating. It is thought that 9000 wild animals and
2000 gladiators died within the first 100 days of the Colosseum’s opening. (Stokstad 2007, pg
147)
The Colosseum was built using travertine (for the piers and arcades), tufa blocks
(between piers on lower two levels), and concrete (stone rubble in a binder made from volcanic
sand and water). Concrete allowed the creation of complex arches, columns, and vaults because
it could be manipulated easily, dried quickly, and retain toughness. (Roman Colosseum 2008)

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The Colosseum consisted of three levels of arcades (made up of pillars and arches)
surmounted by a wall top or attic story. Every arch in the arcades is framed by engaged
columns, which support friezes that marked division between levels. The ground floor is
ornamented with columns in the Tuscan order. The iconic order is used in the second level
columns and the Corinthian order is used on the third. These orders serve no structural
significance and are merely a decorative order. (Stokstad 2007, pg 147)
The Pantheon (see image 3 and 4), one of the most spirituala religious temple located in
Rome, Italy, is a second great example of Roman architecture.
Hadrian dedicated the astonishing temple to the Olympian Gods known as the Pantheon
(“all the Gods”). It was built between 125 and 128 CE. (Stokstad 2007, pg 151)
The Pantheon’s entrance porch was created to resemble the façade of traditional Roman
temples and thus was raised on a podium (now mostly buried). Behind this, a giant rotunda
(circular room) is surmounted with a huge (143 ft diameter) bowl-shaped dome. (Stokstad 2007,
pg 152)
The circular walls, or drum, of the rotunda supports the buttresses and is made of brick
arches and concrete hidden behind a marble veneer. The oculus (the repetition of a square in a
circle) sits at the top of the dome pouring in wells of light from the heavens, allowing the
Romans to feel like they could float, join and commune with their Gods. As the sun moves,
striking patterns of light illuminate the walls and floors of porphyry, granite and yellow marbles
(Pantheon 2008)

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The dome is constructed of stepped rings of solid concrete with less and less density as
lighter aggregate (pumice) is used, diminishing in thickness to about 1.2 m (4 feet) at the edge of
the oculus. The dome rests on a cylinder of masonry walls 6 m (20 feet). Hidden voids and the
interior recesses. (Pantheon 2008)
The Pantheon was an amazing religious structure for its time also due to its purpose. As
a religious center intended for the worship of multiple Gods, it helped bring unity to religions
and occupants together.
The last great example of roman ingenuity in architecture is the Roman bath houses.
The Baths of Trojan built 96 – 118 AD is the final example of complex Roman
architecture. Like the Colosseum and Pantheon the Baths of Trojan (See image 5 and 6) is
located in the city of Rome. (Roman Baths 2000)
The complex was used for much more than keeping up public hygiene. The Baths of
Trojan was a place where Roman citizens could enjoy cheap baths, as well as sporting grounds,
massage parlors, restaurants, lecture halls and libraries. (Roman Baths 2000)
Roman bath houses used another ingenious Roman invention, aqueducts to supply the
massive water demands of the population. The Baths of Trojan made great use of the water
provided by the aqueducts and featured public latrines that would use the aqueducts ability to
take waste away. (Roman Baths 2000)
“The universal acceptance of bathing as a central event in daily life belongs to the Roman
world and it is hardly an exaggeration to say that at the height of the empire, the baths embodied
the ideal Roman way of urban life.” (Roman Baths 2003)

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Roman engineers developed an amazing system of heating the bath houses (the
hypocaust). The floor was raised off the ground by pillars and spaces were left inside the walls
so hot air from the furnaces could circulate throughout the open areas. Rooms requiring the most
heat were placed closest to the furnace. Heat could be increased by adding more wood. (Roman
Baths 2003)
Like the Colosseum, and Pantheon, the Baths of Trojan also took heavy usage of the
columns and arches seen throughout Roman Architecture. All examples are great examples of
the architecture by Romans and its influence on society and history.

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Appendix
Image 1: Colosseum: Image obtained on 21 October 2008 from macintom.com website at:
http://www.macintom.com/wp/2008/02/06/wallpaper-amphitheatre-le-colisee-de-rome/
Image 2: Roman Colosseum: Image obtained on 21 October 2008 from casayego.com website
at: http://www.casayego.com/europeancities/rome/rome.htm

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Appendix
Image 3: Pantheon: Image obtained on 21 October 2008 from destination360.com website at:
http://www.destination360.com/europe/france/pantheon.php
Image 4: Pantheon: Image obtained on 21 October 2008 from about.com website at:
http://atheism.about.com/od/christianchurchchurches/ig/Pantheon-Rome-Temple-
Church/Roman-Pantheon-Interior.htm

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Appendix
Image 5: The Baths of Trojan: Image obtained on 21 October 2008 from web.ics.purdue.edu
website at: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rauhn/roman_baths.htm
Image 6: The Baths of Trojan: Image obtained on 21 October 2008 from tqnyc.org website at:
http://www.tqnyc.org/2005/NYC051950//jaredromesacredbuildings.htm

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References
Stokstad, M. (2007). Art: a brief history (3rd ed.).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Roman Colosseum. (2008). Retrieved October 21, 2008, from Great Buildings Online website
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Roman_Colosseum.html
Pantheon. (2008). Retrieved October 21, 2008, from Great Buildings Online website
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Pantheon.html
Roman Baths. (2003). Retrieved October 21, 2008, from vroma.org website
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/baths.html
Roman Baths. (2000). Retrieved October 21, 2008, from
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rauhn/roman_baths.htm