ARCH 217 Lecture 6

Forum. Pompeii (begun 2nd century BCE).

Common Building Types in a Forum: Temple, Basilica (government tribunal), Market, Curia (government offices); Comitium (election space); Administrative offices, etc.: Romans had a Republic (and later Emperors)

Insula (House of Diana). Ostia (2nd century CE).

Most urban residents lived in tenements (apartment buildings), often poorly built and cramped. The brick example here is an exception that has lasted.

Mythical founding of Rome in 753 BCE: Wolf with Romulus and Remus.

Mythical origins of Rome: Virgil claims Rome was founded by Aeneas (who left burning city of Troy and landed on the Latin shores); Remus and Romulus were their descendants who founded Rome.

Pont du Gard. Nimes, France (1st century BCE).

Note projections and holes used for construction and repair.

Timgad and Priene

Note similarity of spaces and building types; note also greater enclosure of space, presence of basilica in Timgad. The Romans relied on architecture and urbanism to control space, and by extension, human behavior and lifestyle.

Stabian Baths. Pompeii (begun 2nd century BCE).

Public baths (thermae) were typical of Roman cities and in Pompeii, there were three sets of baths. The Palaestra provided a central grassy area for exercise alongside a natatoriaum for swimming. Typically: Entry; Palaestra; Men's and Women's Baths: Apodyterium -- Tepidarium, Caldarium, and Frigidarium

Maison Carrée and Parthenon. How does the typical Roman temple compare and contrast with the Classical Greek temple? And the Etruscan Temple?

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Maison Carrée and prototypical Etruscan temple. How does the typical Roman temple compare and contrast with the Classical Greek temple? And the Etruscan Temple?

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Roman Temples Maison Carrée. Nîmes, France (begun 19 BCE). How does the typical Roman temple compare and contrast with the Classical Greek temple? And the Etruscan Temple?

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SQ: What architectural elements did the Romans adopt from Greek architecture? How did they change these elements? Compare and contrast a Roman temple with a Greek temple.

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SQ: What were the principles of city planning in Timgad and other Roman colonial cities? What were some of the standard building types found in Roman cities such as Rome, Pompeii, and Timgad? What does this rich set of buildings tell us about Roman culture?

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SQ: What were the technological achievements of Roman builders? What kinds of new spaces and buildings were made possible by these achievements?

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Temple of Jupiter (Capitollum triad Jupiter, Minerva, Juno). Pompeii (1st century BCE). How does the typical Roman temple compare and contrast with the Classical Greek temple? And the Etruscan Temple?

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Pompeii

Pompeii was originally an Italian tribal town, that came under Greek rule before falling to the Roman Empire. In 80 BCE it was transformed into a bustling port and resort for Roman veterans. It had been rebuilt in Roman colonial urban form prior to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE.

Main dining room (no. 7 in plan). House of the Vettii. Pompeii. (1st c. CE).

These paintings show the industries that made Pompeii a thriving city, and were appropriate to the room in which clients would be received. These show jewelry making and the extraction of oil from flowers to make perfume.

Arches and Vaults: groin (cross) vault (left); barrel vaults (right)

Vaults and domes can be seen as three-dimensional derivations of arches.

Roman Building Technology: Arches and vaults

Although Egyptians and Greeks used the arch, the Romans were the first to fully exploit it for their architecture. The basic principles of the arch differ from post and lintel (column and beam) structures.

The Etruscans

Although little remains of Etruscan cities, Etruscan buildings greatly influenced later construction. The Etruscans effectively used the arch and built temples of mud, brick, and wood.

The Etruscans

Although they fended themselves off from the Greeks who had taken southern Italy - they were influenced by the Greeks - incorporating Ionic and Corninthian styles in their building. They also established the use of arches and vaults in their work.

Arches

Arches are not self-supporting until they are completed; a temporary framework called centering is used to erect the arch. Romans were masters of brick and concrete as well as stone.

Arches

Arches rely on wedge-shaped elements (voussoirs), usually made of brick or stone. Sometimes rectangular elements are used with wedge-shaped sections of mortar in between.

Pompeii, Italy (buried 79 CE).

Buried under ash from Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii was rediscovered in 1748. Preserved under many feet of ash and debris, the buildings and spaces of Pompeii offer glimpses of everyday Roman urban life.

Left: Timgad Right: Priene. Turkey (ca. 350 BCE and later)

Demand for new cities and buildings in Alexander's empire furthers development of architecture as full-time profession. By 100 AD Roman Emperor Trajan builds Timgad. Architecture and urbanism became instruments of government - where Romans built great new cities and infrastructure which impressed foreign people to comply to the will of the new Roman Regime that had conquered them. Bringing temples, colonnades, markets, aqueducts, baths, theatres and better housing.

Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale, 50-40 BCE.

Famous Roman Illusionary Fresco-Style wall painting: Four styles typically defined - this is an example of the second style - the former slide of the third style....

Theater of Marcellus. Rome (1st century BCE).

Freestanding building (not built into the slope of a hillside). Theater, circus, sports, games - were used to entertain the masses. The Roman Empire was over 1 million people - most were unemployed and impoverished. Strategy of "bread and circuses" - provided welfare and entertainment to appease the public. Structures were designed with vaulted passageways. Eventually, developed from theater to the amphitheater (amphi - both sides, both)

Basilica. Pompeii (2nd century BCE).

Front axial, double height columns, tribunal at end, and galleries to the sides - with clerestory for light - very different than the dark interior of the hypostyle hall of the Egyptians and Persians; Basilicas were typically entered from the side (long length), but in Pompeii it is entered from the short end -- creating a strong axis.

Timgad, Algeria (ca. 100 CE).

In addition to standard Hellenistic urban building types, the Roman city often contained an amphitheater, latrines, and baths.

Timgad, Algeria (ca. 100 CE): A Roman Colonial City

In this urban plan, note the similarities to a castrum. The cardo and decumanus are the main N-S and E-W streets that intersect at the center of town. Timgad was a military camp originally founded around 100 CE that grew into a city.

Empire of Alexander the Great, 323 BCE Roman Empire, 14 BCE

Like ancient Greece, ancient Rome for our purposes should be seen as a cultural realm rather than as a particular place. Roman territories overlapped Greek and Hellenistic areas. Roman builders used Greek and Hellenistic forms and ideas just as Hellenistic builders used Greek precedents.

Basilica. Pompeii (2nd century BCE).

Note tribunal at end used for legal matters.

Forum. Pompeii (begun 2nd century BCE).

Note: The least used Greek order used by the Romans was the Doric - they preferred Tuscan, Ionic, or Corinthian.

The Etruscans

One of several cultural groups that took advantage of iron technology and other metal working, the Etruscans in central and northern Italy flourished from the 7th century BCE before being incorporated into the Roman empire.

Domus

Roman houses (Domus) were simple; they centered around the impluvium which collected rain water and an office at the rear (Tablinum); but began to grow in time - adding colonnade courtyards at the back; eventually Romans built large villas outside the cites in local suburbs where they lived well in the summer and had enormous parties...

Roman Cities and Urban Building Types Western territories of Roman Empire showing major sites.

Romans found towns as far north as Britain; many major cities developed from Roman colonies including for example London and Paris. Traces of the original Roman plan can be seen in many cities, for instance Gloucester, England, and Florence, Italy.

Pont du Gard. Nimes, France (1st century BCE).

Romans were known for building incredible infrastructure, here in the form of water supply. In the provinces, the Romans usually built with stone.

Urban building types: Theater of Marcellus. Rome (1st century BCE).

Started by Roman Emperor Julius Cesaer and completed under Augustus and dedicated to his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus in 13 BCE Seated up to 20,000 people Lower tier Doric, Middle tier Ionic, Top tier possibly Corinthian order - leading to concrete vaulted areas

Arch Demonstra

Stone, brick, and concrete are all strong against compression but weak against tension, and thus weak against bending. It is impossible to make long beams out of these materials, so buildings using post-and-beam construction have limited clear spans. Since the ideal arch functions only in compression, very long spans are possible using stone, brick, and concrete.

Maison Carrée. Nîmes, France (begun 19 BCE). Virginia State Capitol. Richmond. Thomas Jefferson (1792).

Strong influence of Roman architecture throughout Western architecture. In U.S., Roman architecture provides models for many institutional buildings.

The Etruscans

Temples were oriented to the front (no back) and had a tripartite cella for three divinities. They were Tuscan in style - (square top capital with round Ionic base). Temples were wood with roof eaves.

The Etruscans invented the words:

Templum (a three dimensional template) that was set on the north/south axis - the cardo -- and east/ west -- decumanus)

The Roman Castrum

The Roman castrum, or military camp, functions as outpost of Roman civilization; also as model for colonial cities.

Porticus Aemilia. Rome (2nd century BCE).

The Romans created innovative everyday buildings as well as monumental ones. Concrete arch & vault technology allowed for cheap, durable, functional buildings. Earliest known use of concrete on a massive scale is at Porticus Aemilia which was a vast warehouse (193 BCE) used for port storage and a public market.

House of the Vettii. Pompeii (1st century CE).

The brothers who owned this house were freedmen who had accumulated considerable wealth.

Virginia State House. Richmond, VA (1785). Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the most influential architectural theorists of the early Republic. Jefferson: "Here I am . . . gazing whole hours at the Maison quarrée..."

Roman concrete

Unlike the Greeks, Romans commonly developed and used concrete. Pozzolana, a volcanic ash, was the magic ingredient of Roman concrete. Concrete structures typically were faced with stone or brick, the latter usually covered with plaster..

Stabian Baths. Pompeii (begun 2nd century BCE).

Women's caldarium with labrum (lavatory/ sink). Note the ornament executed in stucco.

Stabian Baths. Pompeii (begun 2nd century BCE).

Women's changing room with barrel vault, cold-water pool, and cubicles for clothing.