1. ROMAN
ARCHIECTURE
300 B.C- A.D. 365

2. Concrete: Rome’s Significant Architectural Breakthrough
 The Roman invention of concrete will forever impact
how we design and construct large architectural
structures today
 Although the formulas for mixing concrete have
been altered and changed, the same techniques
used during the Roman period are used today
 The Romans loved to imitate Greek architecture but
were not able to get marble easily
 They began to mix materials available, such as lime,
mortar, gravel, and rubble
 Strong walls were constructed out of this and then
covered with decorative brick or marble
 They eventually added volcanic ash, which created
concrete that could set under water

3. Roman FORUM

4.  The forum, an open area bordered by colonnades with shops,
functioned as the chief meeting place of the town. It was also the
site of the city's primary religious and civic buildings, among them
the Senate house, records office, and basilica.

5. The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) was the central
area of the city around which ancient
Rome developed. Here was where commerce,
business, prostitution, cult and the administration of
justice took place. Space where religious activities
were conducted and the communal hearth of the
city.
The Roman Forum was designed by the architect
Vitruvius with proportions 3:2 (length to width). For
centuries, the Forum Romanum was the site of the
city's most important public buildings, such as the
Arch of Septimius Severus, built in AD203 and the
Roman Forum Rostra or platforms for public
speeches. The reliefs on the triple arch represented
many of Rome's victories over oriental tribes and the
Rostra was decorated with prows of warships
captured during battles. The Roman Forum became
the spectacular showcase of the Roman Empire filled
with beautiful statues and architecture.
The main sight of the Forum include the Arch of Titus
(Arco di Tito), the Temple of Saturn, Temple of Vesta,
and the church of San Luca e Martina. These are all
linked by the Sacra Via, the main road through the
Forum.

10.  To the original Greek orders, the Romans added two:
 The Tuscan order.
 The Composite order.
 Tuscan Order:
 like the Doric, except this
one has a base.
 The Composite order combined
elements of both the Ionic and
Corinthian.
 It appears to be Corinthian acanthus
leaves, supplemented with volutes.

11. • Roman Aqueducts
The Romans constructed numerous aqueducts in order to bring
water from distant sources into their cities and towns,
supplying public baths, latrines, fountains and private
households. Waste water was removed by complex sewage
systems and released into nearby bodies of water, keeping the
towns clean and free from effluent. Aqueducts also provided
water for mining operations, milling, farms and gardens.
Roman Architecture: Roman Structures

12. – Used to supply the civilization
with water from afar
– Utilized an arch to create a
continuous line of decent for
water
– Aqua Claudia
• Brought water over solid
masonry some ten miles
into Rome
• Some areas were over 100
ft. in height

14. Roman Architecture:
Roman Structures
• Roman Bridges
– Were generally lower in height and broader than
aqueducts
– Two important Roman Bridges:
• Pons Fabricus
• Pons Milvius

15. • Roman Theatres
– Adopted the Greek theatre and transformed it
– The Roman theatre was closed, unlike the Greeks
who preferred an open, outside theatre
– Theatre of Marcellus
• Integrated Roman style with that of the Greeks
• Provided around 10,000 seats arranged in three tiers

16. • Roman Arenas
– The Colosseum
• Built by Flavian emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Doitian
• Located on the site of an artificial lake that had been
part of Nero’s Golden House
• Extensive system of tunnels, chambers, and mechanical
devices below the arena floor
• Hydraulic provision used to flood the arena for naval
displays and mock battles

17. • Roman Circuses
an open-air stadium for chariot races
and gladiatorial games
– Circus Maximus
• Oldest and largest circus
stadium
• Rebuilt and destroyed
from the first through
third centuries A.D.

18. • Roman Baths
– Strenuous daily life prompted
the Romans to construct
large public baths
– Wealthy citizens also
constructed private baths in
their domiciles
– Featured elaborate heating
systems
• Furnaces beneath floors
• Heat was transmitted to rooms
by tile ducts, warming the
floors and the walls

19. • Roman Temples
– Earliest Roman temples were indistinguishable
from those of the Etruscans
• Axial plan
• Deep porch
• Widely spaced columns
• High podiums
– Temple of Jupiter
Capitolinus
• Originally built in the late
sixth century B.C.
• Rebuilt in 69 B.C.

20. Roman Temples
 Pantheon
○ Located in Rome
○ Considered by many to be the greatest structure of
antiquity to have survived in a state of near
completeness
○ Built by Hadrian between A.D 118 and 128
○ Three notable parts:
 Immense, domed cella
 Deep, octastyle Corinthian porch
 Block-like intermediate structure

22. Roman Basilicas
used for public administration
 An important category of Roman architecture
○ Most important Roman source for early Christian
architecture
 Pure Roman style of architecture
 Basilica
○ Essentially means a roofed hall, rectangular in plan,
sometimes with an apse

23. • Roman Basilicas
– Basilica Ulpia
• A.D. 98-117
• Finest example of the
columnar basilica
• Built by Trajan
• Important model for later
ages
Photo: Sullivan

24. • Roman Basilicas
– Basilica in Trier, Germany
• Early fourth century A.D.
• Built by Constantine
• The final Roman basilica
• Served as an important
model for the
Romanesque period of
architecture

25. Roman Architecture:
Civic Architecture
Houses and Villas
 Private domiciles reflected their inhabitants
○ Lower classes lived in meager, cramped apartments
located on the upper floors of shops and other buildings
○ Middle classes lived on the lower floors and many
homes had balconies, good ventilation, and running
water
○ Upper classes usually owned a house, know as a domus.
 Standalone structures
 Featured courtyards and gardens
 Many had running water

26. Roman Architecture:
Tombs
• Tombs
– Romans were great builders of tombs
– Different from the Greeks and Egyptians in scale
and religious style
– Tomb of M. Vergilius Eurysaces
• Citizen who made a fortune selling bread to Caesar's
army
• Built a tomb in the shape of an oven

27. Roman Architecture:
Tombs

28. Roman Architecture:
Tombs
• Tombs
– Roman catacombs
• Built by the poor as place
of burial
Photo: Sullivan
Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/

29. References:
Sir Banister Fletcher- A History of Architecture. (Twentieth Edition)
Emily Cole- The Grammar of Architecture
Louis Hellman- Architecture for beginners
THANK YOU.
This is just a track line to the subject matter. students are requested to study the recommended books & also go after .