The Roman state goes through a difficult path of development. It first conquers Italy (V-III centuries BC), then Carthage (II century BC) and, finally, Greece (II century BC).
The architecture of Ancient Rome changed markedly throughout the existence of this mighty state.
Many features formed the basis of Roman art. The Etruscans were the forerunners of the Romans. In the middle of the first millennium, they already had their own culture. Etruscan temples are similar to Greek periptera, but the front facade is more emphasized in them: there is a platform with columns in front of the entrance, and a multi-stage staircase leads to it. When erecting gates, the Etruscans often used a semicircular arch, which the Greeks almost did not know. Their houses had a room in the center with an open square hole in the roof in the middle and walls black with soot. Apparently there was a hearth. This gave reason to call this room an atrium (from the word "ater" - "black").
Atrium - a room with a hole in the roof
In culture, the official state flow of a Hellenized society and popular tastes, dating back to the Italic past, collide.
Generally, Roman state isolated, opposed to a private person. It was famous for its system of government and law.
The army was the basis of world power. The supreme power was concentrated in the hands of the commanders, who had little regard for the interests of the whole people and the state, and the cities were built on the model of camps.
According to the views of Vitruvius (the treatise was written 27-25 BC), architecture falls into two categories: construction and proportions (the ratios of the individual parts of the building serve as its basis). And the aesthetic beginning is only in the order, the columns attached to the structures.
In the era of Augustus (30 BC - 14 AD), such architectural monuments as the “square house” in Nimes (South France) or the temple of Fortune Virilis, belonging to the pseudo-peripter type, were built. The pseudoperipter is similar to the peripter, but the cella is set back slightly. The temple is placed on a high podium; a wide staircase leads to its entrance (this determines the similarity of the pseudoperipter with Etruscan temples). Only in the Roman temple are the classical forms of the order more strictly observed: fluted columns, Ionian capitals, entablature.
Maison Carré "Square House" in Nimes (France). 1st century BC e.
Temple of Fortune Virilis. 1st century BC e.
Types of housing for wealthy citizens
The originality of Roman architecture responded even more strongly in a new type of dwelling in the spirit of eclecticism: the Italian atrium and the Hellenistic peristyle. The richest Pompeian buildings, such as the houses of Pansa, the Faun, the Lorea Tiburtina, the Vettii, belong to this type. The peristyle served more as an ornament to a rich estate than as a place for the diverse life of its inhabitants, as it was in the houses of Greece.
Unlike the Greek dwelling, all the rooms were lined up in a strict order on the sides of its main axis.
Atrium
Peristyle of the House of the Vettii, seen from the great triclinium.
Portico and garden in the house of Lorea Tiburtina
House of the Faun (Villa of Publius Sulla). present tense
House of the Faun (Villa of Publius Sulla). That's the way it used to be
Villa Publius Sulla (House of the Faun). Inner garden with peristyle and Ionic order
Pompeian villas enchant with the high perfection of applied art. But there slips a lot of vanity and tasteless luxury: painting walls with copies of famous Greek paintings of the 4th century, imitation of Egyptian flat decorations, or, conversely, creating a deceptive impression of windows.
The era of August is characterized by stylization and eclecticism. The Altar of Peace in the forum belongs to the best monuments of this time. The difference in relief is immediately evident: the figures are placed in several planes, which makes them picturesque, but between the figures there is no sense of space, air, or light environment, as in Hellenistic reliefs.
Altar of Peace, built in honor of the Goddess of Peace. Indoor museum.
Relief of one of the walls of the altar
The classical current under Augustus was the main one, but not the only one. In the II century. BC. supporters of the Old Testament antiquity opposed the imitation of the Greeks.
Engineering structures. aqueducts
Among the Roman monuments there is a large section devoted to engineering structures. Thus, many elements of urban improvement appeared: the paved Appian Way, water supply, aqueduct.
Guard bridge at Nimes Pont du Gard
Pompeii. Italy
Rome
Lead plumbing
Forum
Art becomes in the hands of sovereigns a means of strengthening their authority. Hence the spectacular nature of architectural structures, the large scale of construction, the predilection for huge sizes. There was more shameless demagogy in Roman architecture than genuine humanism and a sense of beauty.
The most majestic type of building was the forum. Each emperor sought to perpetuate himself with such a structure.
The Forum of Emperor Trajan reaches almost the size of the Athenian acropolis. But in their design, the acropolis and the forum are profoundly different. The stiff order, the predilection for strict symmetry is expressed on a huge scale.
Forum of Emperor Trajan. Italy
Roman builders operated not with volumes, like the builders of the Athenian acropolis, but with open interiors, within which small volumes stood out (columns and temples). This increased role of the interior characterizes the Roman forum as a stage of great historical significance in the development of world architecture.
Forum, in the center - the columns of the temple of Saturn, behind them the triumphal arch of Septimius Severus
The photo on the left shows the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine - the most large building ever built in the forum in 312.
The Temple of Peace, also known as the Forum of Vespasian (Latin: Forum Vespasiani), was built in Rome in 71 AD. e.
tabular building ( state archive) in the forum, 78 BC. e. - the earliest of the structures that have survived to this day, in which the system of Roman cell architecture was applied, combining two opposite design principles - a beam and a vaulted structure.
urban layout
Roman cities, like Ostia in Italy or Timgrad (in Africa), resemble military camps in the strict correctness of their plan. Straight streets are bordered by rows of columns that accompany any movement in the city. The streets end with huge triumphal arches. Living in such a city meant always feeling like a soldier, being able to mobilize.
Timgrad is an ancient Roman city in North Africa located on the territory of modern Algeria. 100 AD e.
triumphal arches
Triumphal arches were a new type of Roman architecture. One of the best is the Arch of Titus. Arches were erected in order to serve as a memory of victories among generations. In the construction of this arch, there are two types of order: one implied - on which rests a semicircular arch, separated from it by a cornice; another order, marked by mighty semi-columns, is placed on a high podium and gives the whole architecture the character of pompous solemnity. Both orders permeate each other; the cornice of the first merges with the cornices of the niches. For the first time in the history of architecture, a building is composed of the relationship of two systems.
The predilection of the Romans for the impression of heaviness and strength is reflected in the arch of Titus in the huge entablature and attic. The sharp shadows from the eaves add tension and strength to the architectural forms.
amphitheaters
The amphitheaters served as an arena for entertaining and spectacular spectacles for a crowded crowd: performances of gladiators, fisticuffs. Unlike the Greek theaters, they did not give high artistic impressions. For example, the building of the Colosseum, which had 80 exits and this allowed the audience to quickly fill the rows and exit just as quickly. Inside, the Colosseum makes an irresistible impression with its clarity and simplicity of forms. From the outside it was decorated with statues. The whole Colosseum expressed restraint, at the same time with impressiveness. For the sake of this, its three open tiers are crowned with a fourth, more massive, dissected only by flat pilasters.
The Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre) today. Year of construction -80 AD e.
The original appearance of the Colosseum
Colosseum inside
In the construction of the Pantheon, all the centuries-old experience of Roman construction was used: its double walls with a rubble mass inside, unloading arches, a dome with a diameter and height of 42 m. Architecture had never known such a huge artistically designed space before. The special strength of the Pantheon lies in the simplicity and integrity of its architectural compositions. It does not have a complex gradation of scale, an increase in features that give increased expressiveness.
Thermae
The needs of urban life were created in the middle of the 1st century. AD a new type of buildings - baths. These buildings responded to various needs: from the culture of the body to the need for mental food, reflection in solitude. Outside, the terms had an unremarkable appearance. The main thing in them is. With a large variety of plan forms, the builders subordinated them to symmetry. The walls were faced with marble - red, pink, purple or pale green.
Ruins of the Baths of Emperor Caracalla (Antonin's Baths). III century (212-217 years)
Roman art completes the history of ancient art.
Architecture of the Roman Empire in the ruins of the Roman Forum.
The conquest of Greece brought Rome a new look at culture and art. However, Roman architecture not only copied Greek, but also made its own contribution to the development of architecture. In its development, ancient Roman architecture also absorbed the building culture of the peoples of the Iberian Peninsula, Ancient Germany, Gaul and others conquered by the empire. Rome adopted much from the art of the Etruscans, the bearers of a highly developed culture, thanks to which some constructive approaches to construction and engineering structures appeared. The beginning of the development of Roman architecture dates back to the period of the 6th-1st centuries. BC. At the beginning of this period, Rome was small town, and its architecture was influenced by the culture of the Etruscans - Italic tribes. Arches and vaults with domes were borrowed from them. In those days, powerful defensive structures were created, for example, the wall of Servius (4th century BC). Up to 3 c. BC. in Roman architecture were present mainly wooden buildings with terracotta decoration. Until the 2nd century BC. in Rome, local marble had not yet been developed, and temples were built from volcanic tufa. Arched vaults made of soft tuff replaced the strong beams used in Greek buildings and served as load-bearing structural elements. The walls were decorated with plaster reliefs. The development of technologies for producing fired bricks dates back to this period, a frame was erected from it, and cladding began to be made of tuff. On the Capitoline Hill in 509 BC a temple was erected with three cells of Jupiter, Juno, Minerva. The ridge of the pediment was decorated with a terracotta quadriga by the sculptor Vulka. Later, the temple was repeatedly rebuilt using columns from Greek temples.
Temple of Capitoline Jupiter in Rome and order elements in temples in different cities era of ancient Rome.
In the 2-1 centuries. BC. in Roman architecture, they begin to use a new plastic material - concrete. In construction, vaulted structures are used. At this time, they began to build court buildings, trade, amphitheaters, circuses, baths, libraries, markets. The creation of the first triumphal arches, warehouses (the portico of Aemilia - 2nd century BC) belongs to that period. Chancelleries and Archives appeared (Tabularium, 80s of the 1st century BC). Such rapid construction and the emergence of buildings for various purposes is caused by expanding expansion, the seizure of territories, an increase in the size of the state and the need for strict regulation of controlled territories.
Tabularium in Rome.
By the end of the 1st c. AD formed the Roman Empire with sole power. The reign of Emperor Augustus gave rise to "August classicism" in the architecture of the Roman Empire, which later became the basis for European architecture. At this time, they began to develop "lunar", then Carrara marble. Roman architecture of that period was guided by the creations of the time of Phidias in Ancient Greece. Instead of houses made of adobe and wood, the first multi-storey houses, mansions of aristocrats appeared, which were built of baked brick and concrete and faced with marble. The city was decorated with Campagna villas, palaces, decorated with porticos, columns, pediments, rich sculptural decor. Fountains with stucco decoration were combined with the greenery of the gardens. The Roman Forum appeared, around which public buildings and temples are erected. The Corinthian columns of the temple of Castor and Polux, 12.5 meters high, still stand in the Roman Forum.
Columns of the Temple of Castor and Polux in Rome.
The plundered wealth from the conquered countries caused the rise of Roman architecture, which was designed to emphasize the greatness of the empire. The buildings emphasized their scale, monumentality and power. The buildings were richly decorated. In the antique style, not only temples and palaces were built, but also baths, bridges, theaters, aqueducts. Greek orders were used as the basis, of which the Corinthian order was given priority, as well as a new composite one, created as a mixture of ancient Greek ones. However, in the architecture of the Roman Empire, the elements of the order were used mainly as decorative ones, in contrast to Ancient Greece, where all parts of the order system carried a certain load and were part of the structure. In the 1st century BC. not only in Rome, but also in provincial towns beautiful architectural complexes like in Pompeii. Emperor Nero gave Roman architecture a new look by destroying several quarters of the city, on the site of which the "Golden House" was built.
Ruins of the Golden House of Nero in Rome.
During the reign of the Flavians and Trajan (end of the 1st-beginning of the 2nd centuries AD), large architectural complexes were built. In conquered Athens, Hadrian erected a temple to Olympian Zeus in 135 AD. (reconstructed in 307). Under Hadrian (125), the Pantheon began to be erected - a striking building of the architecture of the Roman Empire, which has survived to this day. The Pantheon was created from volumes of a strict geometric shape: a cylindrical rotunda, a hemispherical dome, a portico with two rows of columns in the form of a parallelepiped. A hole was made on the dome through which the interior of the temple is illuminated. The proportions are clearly displayed in this work: the diameter of the rotunda is equal to the height of the structure. The height of the dome is equal to half of the conventional sphere, which could be inscribed in the temple structure. In the decoration of the Pantheon: marble slabs of the lower tier and plaster on the upper tiers. The roof was covered with bronze tiles. The Pantheon has become a model for many buildings of European architecture from different historical eras.
View of the Roman Pantheon from above.
At the end of the 3rd c. AD one of the most important buildings of the architecture of the Roman Empire was the defensive wall of Aurelian. Emperor Diocletian (3-4 centuries AD) made the city of Salona his residence and practically did not live in Rome. A well-fortified palace complex with access to the sea was built in the Salon. At this time, the architecture of the Roman Empire was characterized by austerity, clarity and less decoration. The late period (until the end of the 2nd century) of the development of Roman architecture began during the reign of Hadrian and under Antoninus Pius. These were the years of fierce wars, conspiracies, political assassinations, uprisings, as well as the invasion of the plague. In those days, triumphal arches were not erected, but many residential buildings and villas were built. The Roman architecture of the late Antonines was distinguished by a large amount of decoration. The temple of Hadrian, the temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Roman Forum, the columns of Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, richly decorated with bas-reliefs, belong to that period.
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Roman Forum (141 BC).
With the coming to power of Emperor Constantine and after 313, with the official recognition of the Christian religion as the main one in the territory of the Roman Empire, ancient warrants were used to build temples. The capital was moved to the former Greek Byzantium, which was called Constantinople. Rome is losing its central importance, and ancient art, moving away from its center, gradually acquires a formal character, gradually developing into medieval styles.
Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople. Built under Emperor Constantine. 324-337
Roman architecture 3rd c. AD more and more exposed to Christianity, however, the order system was still used in the construction of temples and public buildings: large entrance stairs, multi-column porticos, podiums, high wall decor. In the era of the dominate (284-305 AD), the appearance of Roman architecture changed: the amount of decoration decreased, the clarity of volumes and proportions decreased. At this time, techniques appeared that later began to be used in Byzantine architecture: a combination of stone and brick, mosaic decoration. For example, the temple of Jupiter was built of white stone, brick, colored marble was used for facing, the surfaces were covered with plaster, mosaic, plaster moldings. At the same time, the art of stone carving faded away: stucco became coarser and less detailed. The developing Byzantine art used the traditions of the architecture of the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece, combining them with oriental motifs. During the 5th c. on the basis of these trends in Roman architecture, European architecture began to take shape, bringing great works to world architecture. Until now, many of the elements of Roman architecture are used in the construction of buildings in historical styles. And with the advent of artificial materials that imitate natural ones, such as, for example, polyurethane, such construction has become more democratic, reducing the cost and the need for large labor costs.
Facade apartment building its appearance resembles ancient Roman buildings.
26.02.2015 date latest update: 04.03.2020
Rome is one of ancient cities world and for many centuries ago it was the largest center of social and political life. Religion occupied a special place in the life of the ancient Romans. The first temples dedicated to the pagan Gods began to be erected as early as the royal period, around the 6th century BC. These most ancient temples of Rome have survived to this day - their ruins can still be seen in Rome today. Let's get to know them.
The ruins of the ancient temple of Vesta, dedicated to the Roman goddess of the hearth, are located in the oldest part of Eternal City, in the Roman Forum. Presumably the temple appeared in the VI-V centuries BC. The building, round in plan, was surrounded on the outside by a colonnade. The sacred fire was constantly burning in the temple, which was maintained by the priestesses of the goddess Vesta - the vestals, and inside there was a cache that kept sacred relics.
Contemporaries can see only three fifteen-meter columns, an altar, as well as the source of Yuturna, whose water was considered healing.
One of the most ancient religious buildings of Ancient Rome, which was lucky enough to survive to this day, is the temple of Saturn. Its ruins can be seen in the Roman Forum. Saturn - the God of earth and fertility, in ancient times was especially revered by the Romans, temples were erected to him and new cities were named after him. According to legend, in ancient times, Italy was called Saturn's land.
The Temple of Saturn was erected at the foot of the Capitoline Hill in the second half of the 5th century BC. During its history, the building burned down more than once during fires, but it was restored. Today, only a few columns of the portico and part of the foundation have survived. On the frieze you can see the inscription in Latin:
SENATUS POPULUSQUE ROMANUS INCENDIO CONSUMPTUM RESTITUIT
Which translates as: Senate and people of Rome restored destroyed by fire».
During the Republican period, the treasury was located under the temple, where not only the Roman treasury was stored, but also important state documents.
Portun's Temple is one of the few ancient buildings that managed to survive to this day. In ancient Roman mythology, Portun was considered the god of doors, keys and cattle, the guard of entrances and exits. The temple is located in the Bull Forum. In republican times, there was a small port and a market where livestock was traded.
The first temple of Portun appeared in the 3rd century BC, but the building that can be seen today dates back to the 1st century BC. From the previous building, only a part of the foundation, found during excavations, has been preserved.
The temple is the oldest surviving marble building in Rome. It was built around 120 BC. at the Bull Forum, not far from the Temple of the Portun. Dedicated to the hero of ancient Greek mythology, the deified Hercules, whose cult through the Greek colonists spread to Italy.
The legendary ancient Roman commander and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar was the second in history, after the founder of Rome, Romulus, to be deified by a Roman. Just two years after the brutal assassination of Caesar, starting in 42 BC. the construction of a temple in his honor began. Unfortunately, only a small part of it has survived to this day, but the ruins that can be seen today in its place give a good idea of how impressive in size this building was more than two thousand years ago.
Three tall columns and part of the podium - this is all that has been preserved from the temple of Venus the Ancestor in the forum of Caesar. It was erected in 46 BC. at the direction of the great Julius Caesar in gratitude to Venus, fertility, beauty and love, for help in the victory over Pompey. The cult of Venus was of particular importance in the life of the ancient Romans, who considered her their patroness.
The surviving ruins of the temple are located in the Imperial Forums, or Fori imperiali, in the center of the Forum of Augustus, commissioned by the first Roman emperor in the 2nd year of our era. It was a majestic building, richly decorated with white marble, sculptures of kings and great Roman generals, sacred statues of gods and mythological characters.
In 79 AD, a temple was erected in the Roman Forum in honor of the two deified Flavian emperors - Vespasian and his son Titus. Only a few columns remained from the majestic temple, as well as some bas-reliefs, which are now kept in museums.
The temple of all the gods - the Pantheon - is located on the Rotunda Square, or Piazza della Rotonda, in historical center Rome. This building was built by order of Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD. e. To this day, it remains a functioning temple. The Pantheon is a unique example of ancient Roman architecture; its design features testify to the great achievements in the field of ancient engineering.
Many prominent personalities of the past are buried in the Pantheon, including the Italian kings Umberto I and Vittorio Emmanuele II, Queen Margherita of Savoy, as well as famous Renaissance painters and architects Rafael Santi, Baldassare Peruzzi and others.
According to historians, the most majestic religious building of Ancient Rome was a temple erected to the glory of the goddesses Venus and Roma, the patrons of the Eternal City. It was consecrated in 135 AD. e., during the reign of Hadrian. The emperor himself was the architect of this monumental structure.
The ruins that can be seen today near the Colosseum give an idea of the size of the ancient building. The pedestal on which the temple was erected is 145 meters long and 100 meters wide.
Modern Rome is not just a city with a long, centuries-old history, it is a real museum under open sky, whose exhibits miraculously find a place among modern buildings. One such example is the temple of Hadrian, located on Stone Square (Piazza di Pietra). Part of the ancient Roman structure turned out to be built into a 17th-century building designed by Carlo Fontana.
The temple to the glory of the deified emperor Hadrian was erected by his adopted son and successor Antoninus Pius in 141-145 AD.
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is one of the few well-preserved pre-Christian temples of the Forum. By decree of Emperor Antoninus Pius, who was inherently a deeply religious person, a temple was erected in the Roman Forum in about the middle of the 2nd century in honor of his late wife Faustina. When the emperor died, an eagle was released into the sky at the farewell ceremony, which symbolized the deification of Antoninus. On the frieze of the portico you can see the Latin inscription:
DIVO ANTONINO ET DIVAE FAUSTINAE EX S(enatus) C(onsulto)
which is translated from Latin as: Divine Antoninus and Divine Faustina by decision of the Senate».
One of the largest buildings located in the Roman Forum is the basilica dedicated to the emperors Maxentius and Constantine. The height of the vaults of the basilica, built in 312, was 39 meters, and the area of just one nave exceeded four thousand square meters.
The ancient Romans came here not only to worship the gods and perform religious rites, important state meetings and meetings of the city council were held here. From an architectural point of view, the basilica resembles the baths of Caracalla and the baths of Diocletian.
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The Roman Empire is one of ancient civilizations peace. Its history begins more than three thousand years ago, and it flourished in the first centuries of our era. The collapse of the ancient Roman civilization is associated with the raids of the barbarians, which also marked the beginning of the destruction of an immense number of architectural structures of that time. Only a part of them has survived to this day, but this is enough to enjoy the grandeur and beauty of ancient cultural sites.
The tenth place among the most popular architectural sights of Rome can be safely given to this unique structure. The reason for the construction Arc de Triomphe in 81 AD, the capture of Jerusalem by Emperor Titus a decade earlier served.
The arch has one span and is located on the Sacred Via Sacra. A distinctive feature of the building is an amazing bas-relief inside the arch, which depicts a procession of warriors demonstrating their trophies obtained in Jerusalem.
The arch has almost completely retained its original appearance, with the exception of the absence of a bronze statue of Titus himself at the top of the monument.
Due to its unique structure, this monument rises among others to the 9th line of the rating. The column is dedicated to Emperor Trajan, a native of ordinary legionnaires, who strengthened and strengthened the power of the Roman Empire during his reign.
The monument was erected in 113 AD. Inside it is a spiral staircase leading to observation deck capitals, and outside the column is decorated with relief episodes of the battles of the war between Dacia and Rome.
The base of the monument, inside which urns with ashes were placed, is the tomb of Emperor Trajan, who died in 117 AD, and his life partner.
Trevi Fountain
preserved in Rome a large number of beautiful fountains, among which the most popular is the Trevi Fountain, for which he received the eighth place in the list of attractions.
This building has amazing story. Back in the 20s of our era, the emperor Octavian Augustus established a water supply for the inhabitants with clean water, fed from a source 12 km away from the city. Until the 18th century, the structure was modest in appearance, and only in 1762, after a thirty-year period of construction, it acquired its unique appearance.
The fountain is a stone statue of the sea god Neptune, surrounded by many characters, striking in the accuracy of details, and facial expressions.
Baths of Caracalla
Seventh place goes to the so-called "bath complexes" of Rome. They were created under Marcus Aurelius, an emperor nicknamed Caracalla, in the 3rd century AD.
The building had many compartments, designed not only to wash, but also to completely relax, enjoy and relax the soul. The buildings included the baths themselves (terms), libraries, places for theatrical performances, gymnasiums.
The purpose of this building was to attract people, popularize the term, in connection with which the emperors sought not only to decorate the walls and floors of the building with unique mosaics, marble, but also collected numerous sculptures and other art values in it.
Catacombs
On the sixth line are numerous underground labyrinths of Rome, which are ancient burial places of people canonized as saints.
Burials lasted from the 1st to the 5th century AD. During this period, about 750 thousand people were buried in the tombs, the number of which is more than sixty.
Since the catacombs are located around the entire perimeter of the city in its various districts, there is no one specific entrance to them. You can get into the underground labyrinths by studying the official websites of the tombs.
Mausoleum of Hadrian
Another unique building of Ancient Rome - the Castel Sant'Angelo - falls into fifth place in the ranking. During its history, this place has managed to be a tomb, a prison, the residence of popes and a repository of their valuables, a castle, and is currently a museum and an architectural monument.
The mausoleum was built in 139 AD by order of the emperor Hadrian himself, who revered art and architecture, for his own burial.
The structure is a twenty-meter-high building, having a cylindrical shape, and installed on a large square base. Initially, the top of the building was decorated with a statue of Hadrian, presented in the form of the god Helios driving the chariot. A wonderful bridge leads to the castle, decorated with a large number of ancient sculptures.
Saint Paul's Cathedral
Due to its status as the main cathedral of the Catholic Church, this building rises to the fourth step in the ranking of the famous architectural structures of Rome.
The construction of the cathedral lasted more than forty years and was the result of the work of many famous sculptors and architects, such as Michelangelo Buonarotti, Giacomo della Porta, Carlo Maderna.
The building has a stunning facade with a cornice topped with sculptures of the eleven apostles (except Peter), John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. And in front of the cathedral itself there are statues of Peter, holding the key to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Apostle Paul, solemnly holding a sword in his hand.
The height of the dome, mounted on the columns of the cathedral, remains the highest in the world to this day, and is equal to 138 meters.
The cathedral impresses with its scale and a huge number of departments lined with sculptures, paintings, and stucco. The costs of its construction were so huge that Pope Leo X was forced to sell Albrecht of Brandenburg the right to exercise indulgences in the German lands, because of the selfishness of which the European split occurred in the future.
The top three is opened by a temple built by the order of Emperor Hadrian back in the 2nd century AD, and dedicated to all the Gods.
Like many other buildings of ancient Rome, the Pantheon is a tomb for the burial of many famous people (Umberto I, Raphael are buried here).
The most popular and unique feature of the building is the round hole located on the roof of the dome, through which a bright wide beam of light enters the building at noon.
The temple is famous for its rich interior decoration with colored marble, beautiful frescoes and majestic decoration. And, despite the presence of thick walls and a massive dome, a feeling of lightness and integrity of all structures is created inside.
The second place in the ranking goes to the center of public life in Rome - a square built on the site of a once swampy area, used for cemeteries, and drained with the help of sewer systems, several centuries before our era.
Such magnificent architectural structures as the Temple of Vespasian, the Temple of Saturn and the Temple of Vesta were erected in the Roman Forum.
The temple dedicated to the god Saturn, built back in 5 centuries BC, has undergone many changes associated with constant destruction and restoration, and has survived to this day only in the form of a few columns.
Approximately the same fate touched the Temple of Vespasian, built in 79 AD, from which only three tall columns remain, rising 15 meters above the ground.
Only the Temple of Vesta, erected in honor of the goddess of the hearth, has survived to our time. After numerous fires that occurred in the building, it was decided to close it, in connection with which the building fell into disrepair and became very dilapidated.
This building rightfully takes the first place in the list, since it has long been not just a majestic building, but an undeniable symbol of ancient and modern Rome.
The amphitheater is a multi-tiered oval-shaped building with many arches of various sizes located around the perimeter. It took 8 years to build this structure. Each tier is strengthened by columns erected in different architectural styles (Corinthian, Ionic, Doric order).
The exterior of the Colosseum was decorated in marble, and the perimeter was decorated with stunning sculptures.
The most important persons of Rome and the emperor himself sat in the lower boxes for privileged persons.
Despite the fact that only one third of the building survived, the Roman Colosseum remains one of the most striking architectural structures in the entire world.
The chapter “Building materials, construction equipment, structures” of the subsection “Architecture of the Roman Republic” of the section “Architecture of Ancient Rome” from the book “The General History of Architecture. Volume II. Architecture of the Ancient World (Greece and Rome)”, edited by B.P. Mikhailov.
Stone was the main building material in a mountainous country rich in its various varieties and volcanic rocks. The most convenient for processing were varieties of soft tuff - gray, yellowish or brownish in color. Hard limestone, travertine, was highly valued and was used extremely sparingly during almost the entire period of the republic. It was used by architects only in places of the greatest load of the building in the corner parts and in those details where porous tuff, which was easily weathered, was inappropriate. Outside, stone buildings were often covered with a light layer of knocking. Mostly cult and public buildings and engineering structures were erected from stone. Dwellings were built of raw brick. From the end of the 2nd century burnt bricks of various shapes came into use. Shafts of columns were laid out from shaped round or pentagonal bricks (Fig. 1). By the end of the 1st century BC. hollow brick blocks were used in the walls of the thermae for the installation of a heating system in which hot air circulated (Fig. 2).
At the end of the period of the republic, white marble, both local and imported from Greece, began to be used for the decoration of temples, public buildings and rich dwellings.
In the art of building and stone processing, the Etruscans had a certain influence on the Romans. The remains of ancient Roman buildings are made of large stones of irregular shape. In addition to polygonal masonry, square masonry was also mastered early. For the period V-III centuries. BC e. The Romans improved their construction technique by developing the so-called "normal" masonry of blocks in the shape of a parallelepiped of different sizes (on average 60X60X120 cm). Several methods of this masonry were used: from the same spoon rows of blocks; from spoons with rare pokes; from alternating rows of spoons and pokes, as well as observing the rhythmic alternation in each row of pokes and spoons (Fig. 3).
By the 3rd century BC. under the influence of the Greeks, the processing of the outer side of the blocks improved and various methods of rustication were developed. To lift and move heavy stone blocks at construction sites, simple cranes were used (Fig. 4).
In addition to the post-beam system, a false arch and a false vault were used in the structures. By the end of the III century. BC. is the appearance of Roman concrete, which opened up great opportunities in construction.
The development of Roman concrete began with the use of lime mortar in rubble masonry. A similar building technique was widespread in Hellenistic times. The difference between Roman concrete and ordinary lime mortars is that instead of sand, it used pozzolans - volcanic sands named after the place of extraction (the city of Pozzuoli - ancient Puteoli). The use of pozzolan instead of sand in mortar was due to the lack of good grades of sand in this part of Italy. Pozzolans proved to be the best astringent in the mortar, as they made it water-tight, strong, and set quickly. Initially, concrete was only used to fill the space between the hewn stone walls. The dimensions of the stones laid in concrete gradually decreased, the mixture became more and more homogeneous, and the concrete thus turned into an independent building material, although the facing of the outer surfaces with stone was preserved. Initially, the wall surface consisted of small irregularly shaped stones connected to the core of the wall and to each other with concrete mortar. This is the so-called irregular facing - incert (opus incertum). Gradually, there appears (from the 90s of the 1st century BC) a tendency to give the stones more and more regular shape, and, finally, from the middle of the 1st century. BC. reticulat is used - mesh masonry (opus reticulatum), in which the outer surface of the concrete wall is lined with small, carefully laid pyramidal stones. Their flat bases go out and form a mesh pattern, and the pointed ends are immersed in the concrete core of the wall (Fig. 5). The corners of the walls and the lintels of the openings were formed by masonry of large blocks. Samples of early concrete technology have come down to us in a small number. This is due to the fact that initially concrete was used mainly not in monumental buildings, but in dwellings and small structures, for which a quickly obtained and inexpensive wall material was needed. The concrete technique also had the advantage that it required a much smaller number of skilled construction workers and allowed extensive use of slave labor.
In parallel, there was a development of arched-vaulted structures, which were used in the architecture of the ancient East, sometimes found in Greece (Priene, Pergamum, etc.). The question of whether arched-vaulted structures were introduced into the architecture of Rome from outside or independently invented by Roman architects cannot currently be considered definitively resolved.
The first appearance of the wedge arch in Rome dates back to the 4th century. BC. In the III-II centuries. BC. the number of arched-vaulted structures increases, especially since the end of the 2nd century. BC.
The combination of concrete technology and arched-vaulted structures, which provided unprecedented opportunities, had a huge impact on the development of Roman architecture. Only with the help of such construction techniques could such outstanding architectural structures as the Roman aqueducts, the Colosseum and the Pantheon be created.
The first of the monumental structures that have come down to us in this new type of technology is the portico of the Aemilia, which was a huge warehouse of grain in Emporia (the port of Rome down the Tiber). Large trade operations took place here. Initially, the Emporium was a simple unloading area, and the portico of the Aemilia was a temporary structure. In 174 BC a portico building was built (Fig. 6). It was a large rectangular building, elongated along the embankment (487X60 m), divided inside into 50 short transverse naves by 49 rows of pillars. The building rose in steps from the banks of the Tiber, and each nave was covered with a stepped cylindrical vault with a span of 8.3 m. On the facade of hewn tufa, each nave corresponded to a section separated from neighboring pilasters. Each nave is expressed on the facade: at the bottom with a large arched span, at the top with two smaller windows, also with a semicircular completion. The walls of the building are made of gray concrete good quality, their surface is lined with incert; The corners of the building and the wedge-shaped arches above the door and window openings were made from rectangular blocks of the same material. The portico of Aemilia was an outstanding monument of the early Roman building art.
Here, for the first time in a building of such a grandiose scale, the merging of the vaulted-arched principle of construction with concrete technology has been achieved. Such a developed design probably points to a long previous evolution.
The purpose of the building corresponded to the simplicity of its forms. The repetition of one standard element on the facade 50 times gave the building scale and emphasized the utility of its purpose.
Such huge constructions were carried out in an exceptionally short time. The grandiose Colosseum was built in five years, and aqueducts 100 or more kilometers long, along with substructures and bridges, “at the places where they crossed river valleys, the Romans managed to build in two or three years (the term of authority of the aedile - the head of construction, elected by the Senate). Construction was usually bid and carried out by contractors who were interested in the best organization of the whole, skillfully combining the labor of a huge mass of unskilled slaves and a small number of experienced architect-builders. Therefore, when designing, the typification of the main structural elements, the multiplicity of their dimensions per foot and modularity were widely used, which made it possible to divide the work into identical simple operations. The organization of labor at Roman construction sites was very high.
