HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

School of Engineering & Architecture

Architecture Program

HISTORY OF
ARCHITECTURE 1
Pre-classical ARCHITECTURE
roman
Architectural manifestation of thoughts
from the beginning of civilization
to the Byzantine Period
Historical Timeline of Architecture

Egyptian Byzantine

Pre-Historic Greek Roman Early Christian Romanesque Gothic Renaissance 18th-19th C: 20th C:
Revival Modern

Near East Islamic

Indian Chinese & Japanese

 Roman Architecture

The Historical
Timeline of Architecture
PRE-HISTORIC
NEAR EAST
EGYPTIAN
GREEK
ROMAN
EARLY CHRISTIAN
BYZANTINE
ROMANESQUE
GOTHIC
RENAISSANCE
18TH-19TH C REVIVAL
20TH C MODERN

ISLAMIC
INDIAN
CHINESE & JAPANESE
FILIPINO

PERIODS

Etuscan or Etruscan (750 BC to 146 BC)

References:
1. Fletcher, Bannister, A History of Architecture 20th Ed.
Roman (146 BC to 365 AD) 2. Ching, Francis D.K., A Visual Dictionary of Architecture
3. Espinosa, Kevin, History of Architecture
GEOLOGICAL

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Roman Empire in 114 AD
under Emperor Trajan

BRITAIN

LONDON
GERMANY

FRANCE
ITALY
NIMES ROME
GREECE
SPAIN POMPEII
BYZANTIUM
SEGOVIA
(CONSTANTINOPLE)

ATHENS
CARTHAGE
ANTIOCH PERSIA
AFRICA

EGYPT
GEOGRAPHICAL

• Italian peninsula: Central and commanding position on

Mediterranean sea

• Italy has a few natural harbors along her shores. The great chain of
the Apennines runs like a spine down the centre of Italy and much of
the country is very mountainous, but it is not broken up into isolated
little valleys to the same extent as Greece.

• The central and commanding position of Italy in the Mediterranean

sea enables Rome to act as intermediary in spending art and
civilization over Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa.
GEOLOGICAL
• Differs from that of Greece, where the chief and almost the only
building material is marble; whereas in addition to marble the
Romans could procure terra-cotta, stone and brick, all of which
they used, even for important buildings

• In the neighborhood of Rome, there was Travertine, a hard

limestone from Tivoli; Tufa, a volcanic substance , besides
excellent sand and gravel.

• The building material which led to great structural innovations

was concrete formed of POZZOLANA, a clean, sandy earth, when
mixed with lime, of forms hard and cohesive concrete which
rendered possible some of the finest examples of Roman
Architecture.
CLIMATE

• North Italy has the climate of the temperate region of Europe

• Central Italy is genial and sunny

• South Italy is almost tropical

• The variety of climatic conditions is sufficient to account for diversity

of architectural features and treatment in the peninsula itself, while
the differing climates of the various Roman provinces from England to
North Africa and from Syria to Spain, produced local modifications in
details, though Roman architectural character was so pronounced
and assertive as to leave little choice in general design.
RELIGION

• Polytheistic, several cults

• Roman mythology slowly derived attributes from those of Greek

gods

• The religion of Ancient Rome was part of the Constitution of the

State, and even the worship of the gods, which were adopted from
the Greeks under Latin names with attributes to suit Roman religious
requirements

• The Emperor ultimately received divine honors and may almost be

described as the head of the Pantheon deities of the various
provinces which came under the tolerant and wide-spread Roman
rule.
RELIGION

• Religion has not so strong a hold on the Romans as on the Greeks and
did not enter in the same degree into the life of people.

• The principal buildings are not only temples, but also public buildings
which were the material expression of Roman rule and imperial
power.

• SACERDOTALISM has no place in Roman religion and the priests were

not, as in Egypt, a powerful and privileged class, but only performed
the sacrifices.

• Every house, whether palace, villa of “Domus” had an altar to the

Lares or family gods, and ancestor worship was a recognized part of
religious rites
HISTORY

• Many city-states on the Italian peninsula

• From 800 -300 BC, among all cities in Italy, Rome became the most powerful
• 334 – 264 BC, Rome conquered all of Italy and established one of the
strongest empires in history

• Was centrally-located on the northern Mediterranean

• Not a sea-faring people
• Depended on conquest by land to extend their power

• Fought with Carthage in North Africa for control of the Mediterranean

• Hannibal led the Carthaginian army and its 38 elephants across the Alps into
Rome
HISTORY

2 periods:
• Etuscan or Etruscan (750 BC to 146 BC)

• Roman (146 BC to 365 AD)

• Developed constitutional republic
• Farmers & soldiers, concerned with efficiency and justice

• For 500 years Rome was ruled by elected leaders called consuls
• In 27 BC, Augustus crowned himself Emperor with total power
• Succession of military dictatorships of which Julius Caesar’s was most famous
• Empire reached its greatest size in 114 AD under Emperor Trajan - 4000km wide and 60
million inhabitants
• Used natural frontiers such as mountain ranges and rivers to define their empire
• Otherwise they built fortified walls, such as Hadrian’s Wall in England

• Provinces run by governors

• Latin was the official language
• Applied roman system of laws
• Was the intermediary in spreading art and civilization in Europe, West Asia and North Africa
 ETRUSCAN ARCHITECTURE (750-100 BC)
• The Etruscans were the early
inhabitants of Central Italy.
• They were great builders, and their
methods of construction influenced
Roman Architecture in a marked
degree.
• Etruscan Architecture is specially
notable for the use of the true radiating
arch, white walls of solid cyclopean
masonry, in which huge masses of stone
are piled up without mortar.
BASIC FORMS OF ETRUSCAN ARCHITECTURE

• Introduced the Arcuated System with the following characteristics

• Use of radiating arc (semi circular)
• Invention of Tuscan column
• Introduced the atrium type house
• South orientation of temples
• Introduced the use of concrete Early Roman Period (3rd -4th C.)
(Reinforced Concrete was introduced in the late 19th Century 1830)
EXAMPLES OF ETRUSCAN

• The remains, which consist chiefly of:

• Tomb City Walls
• Gateways
• Temples
• Bridges
• Aqueducts
ANCIENT ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
(146 BC–365 AD)
• The Romans adopted the Columnar and Trabeated style of the Greeks
• Also developed the ARCH, VAULT AND DOME. This combined use of
the column, beam and arch is the keynote of the Roman Style in its
earliest stages
• The Colosseum in Rome, everywhere throughout its structure,
displays these two features in combination, for piers strengthened
and faced by attached half-columns support arches, which in their
turn carry the entablature.
• In works of the Engineering character, such as aqueducts, the arch
was supported on piers without the facing column.
• The Orders of Architecture, as used by the Greeks, were essentially
constructive were frequently employed by the Romans as decorative
features which could be omitted and even at times lost their original
use.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL

• Roman society originated as 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.
• Wealth and high population densities in cities forced the ancient
Romans to discover new (architectural) solutions of their own.
• Political propaganda demanded that these buildings should be made
to impress as well as perform a public function.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

1. Vastness and Magnificence

2. Ostentation and Ornateness
3. Adapted the Columnar and Trabeated style of the Greeks
4. Developed the ARCH, VAULT and DOME of the Etruscans
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

• DESCRIPTION
• Etruscans were great builders
• Large-scale undertakings, like city walls and sewers
• Draining marshes, controlling rivers and lakes by using channels

• Romans had great constructive ability

• Complex, of several stories
• Utilitarian, practical, economic use of materials
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

• Principal Materials
• Concrete
• Etruscans introduced the use of concrete (300 AD to 400 AD):
• Stone or brick rubble with pozzolana, a thick volcanic earth material as mortar
• Used for walls, vaults, domes
• Concrete allowed Romans to build vaults of a magnitude never equaled until 19th
century steel construction
• Stone - tufa, peperino, travertine, lava stone, sand, gravel, Marble, mostly
white
• Brick & Terra cotta – for flooring and roofing
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

• System of Construction
• TRABEATED AND ARCUATED – Combination of Columns, Beams and
Arches.
• Adopted columnar and trabeated style of Greeks
• Arch and vault system started by Etruscans - combined use of column, beam and
arch (arcuated)
• Were able to cover large spaces without the aid of intermediate support
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• System of Construction
• TRABEATED AND ARCUATED
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
TYPES OF VAULTS

1. Wagon/ Barrel/ Tunnel Vault:

• Semi-circular or wagon-headed, borne
on two parallel walls throughout its length

2. Wagon Vault with Intersecting Vault:

3.Hemispherical Dome/ Cupola:

• Used over circular structures

4. Cross Vault:
• Formed by the intersection of two semi-
circular vaults of equal span - used over
square apartment or bays
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• COLUMNS
• Orders of architecture, used by
Greeks constructively, were used by
Romans as decorative features
which could be omitted
• Tuscan Order
• Simplified version of Doric
order
• About 7 diameters high
• With a base, unfluted
shaft, moulded capital,
plain entablature

• Composite Order
• Evolved in 100 AD,
combining prominent
volutes of Ionic with
acanthus of Corinthian
• Most decorative
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
DECORATION

Mosaics
• Thousands of small stones or glass tiles set in
mortar to form a pattern
• Showed pictures of roman life

Construction Principles
• Opus Incertum - small stones, loose pattern
resembling polygonal walling
• Opus Quadratum - rectangular blocks, with
or without mortar joints
• Opus Reticulatum - net-like effect, with fine
joints running diagonally
•Opus testaceum - wall built with concrete and
specially made triangular baked bricks.
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• FORUM – similar to the Greek Agora, used for
meeting place, market, political activities
Example: Imperial Forums, Forum Romanum,
Rome
Forum Romanum (above)

• Roman cities
were well-planned
with straight
streets crossing the
town in a grid
pattern
• In the town
center was an open
space called the
forum
• Surrounded by a
hall, offices, law
courts and shops

Imperial Forums, Rome (right)

 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
roman forum vs. imperial forum
• The Roman Forum (Latin: Forum Romanum, Italian: Foro Romano) is a
rectangular forum (plaza) & was the central area around which ancient
Rome developed. It was a public square during the Roman Republic. Citizens
of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as
the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.

• At the side of the Roman Forum are the Imperial forums (Fori Imperiali in
Italian; fora/forum = public squares). The Imperial forums consist of a series
of monumental public squares, constructed in Rome between 46 BC and 113
AD. Little remains of these buildings:
• The first of Rome's Imperial forum was built by Julius Caesar.
• The 130-ft Trajan's column to celebrate Trajan's victory over the Dacians,
• Parts of Caesar's and Augustus's forums and Trajan's Market (Mercati Traianei)
Trajan’s Column, Forum
Romanum, Rome
 Inside the
cella of the
EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE Temple of
Venus (left)

• Popular Examples of
Roman Temples
• Temple of Venus
Rome
• Architect:
Apollodorus of
Damascus
• Designer: Hadrian
• The largest and
most splendid of
Ancient Rome's
temples Temple of Venus (above)
• Temple of Maison
Carree, Nimes,
Rome (AD 1-10)
• Biggest existing
temple which
serves as a model
for the Virginia
Capitol in the US by
Thomas Jefferson
• Best preserved
Roman Temple in
existence.

Temple of Maison Carree, Nimes, Rome

(above) Virginia Capitlol (above)
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Popular Examples of Roman
Pavillion
• Temple of Minerva Medica, Rome
• A building devoted to the nymphs and
often connected to the water supply

Temple of Minerva Medica (above)

 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

• Popular Examples of Roman Secular

Temples
• The Pantheon, Rome
• A CORINTHIAN temple
• 110’ wide by 60ft deep FACT:
The name comes from two Greek words pan “everything”
• Octastyle
and teon “divine”. Originally, the Pantheon was a small
• Architect: Marcus Agrippa (27-25 BC); temple dedicated to all Roman gods. Built between 27
rebuilt by Hadrian and 25 B.C. by the consul Agrippa, Prefect of the Emperor
Augustus, the present building is the result of
subsequent, heavy restructuring.

Domitian, in 80 A.D., rebuilt it after a fire; thirty years

later it was hit by lightening and caught fire again. It was
then rebuilt in its present shape by the Emperor Hadrian;
under his reign, Rome reached its maximum splendour,
FACT: and the present structure is probably the fruit of
M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECITOR IN FULL, his eclectic genius and exotic tastes.
"M[ARCUS] AGRIPPA L[ucii] F[ilius] CO[n] S[ul]
TERTIUM FECIT," meaning "Marcus Agrippa, son
of Lucius, made [this building] when consul for the
third time.
EXAMPLES OF
ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE

• The Pantheon, Rome

 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Popular Examples of Roman Secular
Temples
• The Temple of Vesta, Rome
• The most sacred shrine in Rome

Temple of Vesta, Rome

(above & right)
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Basilicas – Roman Hall of
Justice
• Basilica of Constantine [and
Maxentius], Rome
• Also known as Basilica Nova
(New Basilica)
• Begun by Maxentius and
completed by Constantine
• It was the largest building in
the Roman Forum.
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Basilicas – Roman Hall of Justice
• Basilica of Trajan, Rome
• Architect: Apollodorus of
Damascus
• Also the Basilica Ulpia
• Served a number of goals:
• A place were Roman citizens, of
which many lived in small flats,
could meet and have all the space
needed for talking.
• It was a marked place were people
could trade, bank and judge.
• It was also meant to impress
visitors and to convince them of the
glory and the might of the Roman
empire and its emperor.

Basilica of Trajan (Ulpia) (above & left)

 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Thermae
• a palacial public bath elevated on platform with utilities underneath
• Romans liked to keep clean and fit
• Built elaborate public baths throughout the empire
• For as many as 30 men and women in the open
• 3 Parts of the Thermae
• Main Building
• Tepidarium – warm room
• Calidarium – a hot room with hot water bath
• Sudatorium – also called faconcium (sweat bath) with the hottest bath
• Frigidarium – the cold section of the roman thermae, sometimes with (piscina) or swimming pool
• Other Parts
• Apodyteria – dressing room
• Unctuaria – oils and perfume room
• Sphaeristerium – room used for ball games
• Library
• Small Theater
• Xystus – a large open space similar to a park-like enclosre, landscaped with fountains and statues
• Outer Ring of Apartments – contains the following:
• Lecture Room
• Exedrae – alcove where disputes were settles
• Collonade
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Thermae
• Examples
• Thermae of Caracalla – its main
building is twice the size of
Westminster Abbey; 1,600 bathers

• Thermae of Diocletian – can

accommodate 3,000 bathers
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

• Thermae
• Plan of Thermae
of Caracalla
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

• Thermae
• Plan of Thermae
of Diocletian
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

• Thermae
• Plan of Thermae of Pompeii
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Theaters
• Similar to the Greeks – Roman plan
covers ½ of a circle
• Built upon their own foundations
instead of earthen works or a hillside
and being completely enclosed on all
sides
• The Theater of Marcellus, Rome
• Built completely of concrete
and masonry
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Amphitheaters
• A place for gladiatorial contests or combats
• Gladiators trained to fight each other at
organized contests
• For the entertainment of the townspeople

• The Colosseum, Rome

• Flavian Amphitheater
• 50,000 spectators
• 4 – storeys – external façade,
620’x513’
 • Amphitheaters
• The Colosseum, Rome

EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Roman Circus
• A roofless enclosure for chariot
race and gladiatorial shows, usually
long oblong with one rounded end

• Circus Maximus, Rome

• The Circus had a capacity for
250,000 spectators seated on banks
30 m wide and 28 m high.
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Tombs – burial ground
5 Classifications of a Roman burial ground
• Coemetra – also called as “subterranean tomb” and later
called “catacombs” with the following parts:
• Columbaria – designed like a pigeonhole where the ashes
are stored
• Loculi – a receptacle for the whole corpse
• Monumental Tombs – consisting of large cylindrical block,
open or quadrangular podium topped with conical ground
earth or stone.
• Pyramidal Tombs – patterned after the Egyptian pyramids but
smaller in shape
• Temple shaped tombs – patterned after the Greeks
• Sculptured tombs – minor tomb in varying ornate forms
• Cenotaph – memorial tomb for soldiers and heroes who
died in battle and monuments for people buried elsewhere.
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Tombs – burial ground
Roman Ceometra (Catacomb)
5 Classifications of a Roman burial
ground
• Coemetra
• Monumental Tombs
• Pyramidal Tombs
• Temple shaped tombs
• Sculptured tombs
Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), Rome

Pyramid of Cestium, Rome

 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Dwelling Houses
• DOMUS – a private house planned in the following manner:
• Prothyrium – porch entrance
• Atrium – entrance court open to the sky with an impluvium or cistern found at the
center for the collection of rain water
• Salon or Tablinum – a room or passage for family records and heredetary status
• Peristyle – inner colonnaded court containing a garden
• Cubicula or Cubiculum – different rooms surrounding the Peristyle
• Triclinia or triclinum – a dining room
• Occus – a reception hall
• Alae – an alcove or small room opening off the atrium
• Kitchen and Pantry
• VILLA – a luxurious country house
• INSULA - a tenement house
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Dwelling Houses
• DOMUS – a private house planned in the following manner:
• Prothyrium – porch entrance
• Atrium – entrance court open to the sky with an impluvium or cistern found at the
center for the collection of rain water
• Salon or Tablinum – a room or passage for family records and heredetary status
• Peristyle – inner colonnaded court containing a garden
• Cubicula or Cubiculum – different rooms surrounding the Peristyle
• Triclinia or triclinum – a dining room
• Occus – a reception hall
• Alae – an alcove or small room opening off the atrium
• Kitchen and Pantry
• VILLA – a luxurious country house
• INSULA
• A tenement house
• 3- or 4- storey tenement type buildings
• Prototype for the modern condominium
 Villa

EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

Domus
Ostian Insula
 EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

• Aqueducts Pont du Gard, Nimes, France

Segovia Aqueduct, Spain
• are used for distribution of water
• Carried water in pipes from the country to the heart
of the city

 Roman Fountain Lacus Curtius, Rome

 2 Types
 Lacus or Locus – basin
type
 Salientes – have

spouting jets

Salientes
EXAMPLES OF
ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE
• Triumphal Arches –
are commemorative
monuments in honor
of victorious generals
• Arch of Septimius
Severus, The Forum,
Rome
• Arch of Titus
• Arch of Constantine

 Pillar of Victory – memorial

column
 Trajan’s column – made
entirely of marble in
Doric Form
 Column of Marcus
Aurelius –
commemorates the
Emperor’s victory over
Danube

 Rostral Column –
commemorative
of Naval Victory