Roman Architecture: Imitation has Never Looked this Good
Roman architecture was inspired by Greek designs back on the first century BC. The two styles were considered the founding basis for classical architecture. The approach towards Roman architecture is often considered reproductive due to their almost indistinguishable characteristics with the Greeks.
This is why it is almost impossible to determine which is which on the basis of external aesthetics alone.
One of the many things absorbed by the Roman architecture is the Triclinium; a design incorporated in Roman villas’ dining halls. Hydraulics was another mode of design adapted from the Greeks by ancient Romanians in addition to the construction of arches.
Pressing social problems compelled Roman architecture to vary significantly from its blue-print. The use of safety vaults and bows, (also known as arches) combined with enough knowledge with regards to the building materials, for instance, allowed the Romans to achieve historically notable successes in the construction of commanding constructions for the general welfare of their citizens.
Examples include; the Baths of Diocletian, the aqueducts of Rome, the Pantheon, and the Baths of Caracalla, Rome arena(which also happens to be the largest single span dome for millenniums to come), the basilicas and possibly most distinctively of all, the Colosseum.
All of these magnificent works of art were reproduced in the richest towns and cities in the Roman Empire. Among those that almost became one of the icons were the incomplete structures in town walls of Lugo in Hispania Tarraconensis, or northern Spain.
Political propaganda demanded that these structures be made to impress outsiders aside from its basic public function. The Romans no longer felt restricted by the Greek aesthetic taste in order to excel in terms of architecture. One of the most famous land marks of Roman architecture, the Pantheon is a perfect example of the Roman’s successful deviation.
The superiority is made even more distinct when it was reconstructed by Hadrian. The Pantheon was so impressive that it became a standard blue-print for modern western design. The same king built these types of architecture all over the lands he conquered, particularly Great Britain, before Queen Antonine replaced all of it with her own sense of grandeur.
Art historians like Gottfried Richter in the 1920’s described Roman architectural innovations as a Triumphal Arch. It is especially important to note how the Romans used the Christian faith as their mode of designs, as seen in their basilicas and arenas. This type of design was very popular when the Roman Empire was still the key nation in the West, and Christianity the reigning religion. GP
Posted in Roman Architecture on September 21, 2008 - 11:37 pm by admin |
