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Architecture Romans influenced by the Greeks
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The Pantheon
The Pantheon was originally commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD) it was then rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian c.125. The Pantheon is one of the most influential architectural designs in history, its pediment, pillars and dome are it most copied elements and their influence can be seen in building all over the world.
From the front the building looks like a lintel and post style build, but it is actually a circular building. If you approached the Pantheon when it was originally built you would have approached through a colonnade that would have hidden the barrel shaped of the main part of the building. When looking at the Pantheon from the front you see the traditional architectural design of the time, for a grand building, the pillars and the pediment. The pillars are made from single pieces of marble in a Doric style, which were imported from Egypt. The pillars rise up from the floor and fuse with the pediment with intricate Corinthian capitals. The Doric style presents itself again in the frieze because it is plain and only contains a Latin phrase.
The true greatness of the building is in the main room, the atrium is a huge open area in a radial style with a central point being in the center of the room. The room is filled with a combination of circles and squares which illustrates the Romans fascination with geometric shapes. Along with geometric shapes the inside of this building full of brilliant shades of oranges, blues and purples. There are ionic style pillars around the base of the room as well as sculptures of different gods. Just above the main room there is a frieze of false windows that make a band around the midlevel of the room. Although the windows are false there ar...
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...re vast differences on the insides of these buildings, with the past of nearly five hundred years the Romans learned a tremendous amount. As mentioned before, the romans mastered the use of concrete which allowed them to build stronger, grander buildings. Also, the romans commanded a vast empire which allowed them to gather materials from far off lands.
The Pantheon and the Parthenon are two of the most influential building in history. They share some basic styles, pillars, pediment and frieze, even though they share these elements they are vastly different on each building. The Pantheon shows how with the advancement in technology bigger, stronger thing can be built. The Greeks however show great craftsmanship in the Parthenon, with its carvings and reliefs. The fact that these building are standing today is a testament to genius of both the Romans and the Greeks
For much of the last millennia many great architects have looked upon the Pantheon as a staple of classical architecture, as well as a model for many modern day buildings. Created by the Romans, the Pantheon would use many elements better than any other works of architecture to that time. No further than Columbia Missouri is this evident in the construction of what used to be known as the First Academic Building on the University of Missouri campus. The Architects Bell and Binder headed the creation of the new building after the First Academic Building burnt down in 1892. Known today as Jesse Hall, this modern day work of architecture pulls many elements from the Pantheon to create a unique work of public space. The most glaring comparison of both comes from the domes that top both buildings. Each building also shares similar characteristics in their front facades. Yet, while there are many similarities to both works, each contain unique differences in their layout and construction.
The interior of the Pantheon is an open circular floor plan and, was painted blue and gold to resemble the vault of heaven (The Humanistic Tradition). The interior of the Pantheon was purposely meant to outshine the exterior. Unlike the Pantheons more interior design the Cathedral has a more exterior design. The interior of the Cathedral of Chartres has a network of open and closed spaces. The exterior of the Cathedral is lined with sculptures that are linked to the Old and New Testaments. Along with t...
The Pantheon was a Roman concrete structure. Roman concrete is a mixture of lime and volcanic ash (pozzolana, found near modern-day town Pozzouli). Roman concrete is also called hydraulic cement-based concrete. It is known for curing relatively rapidly, even in damp condition, thus it could be used for massive construction. The most daring thing about the use of Roman concrete in the Pantheon is that Portland cement needs steel reinforcement due to tendency of cracking caused by tension forces, meanwhile the Pantheon did not. The Pantheon still stands today is because of its special structure.
Pantheon and Hagia Sophia Pantheon and Hagia Sophia are two extremely outstanding architectural pieces of their times. They have been built according to the traditions of those particular times. The materials used to built these buildings and the purpose for which they were used are all very important aspects and have been briefly covered in this report. Pantheon The statesman Agrippa built pantheon in 27 B.C. Then it was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times. The present structure was probably originally built as a temple for all the pagan gods. We do hear of it as being a law-court and a reception area for Emperor Hadrian meeting his quests too. Some say that the rotunda of the building was once a Roman bath. Due to all this mystery, the Pantheon is often referred to as the Sphinx of Rome. The visitor will probably not appreciate the construction as much as the Flavian amphitheatre, but it is still a great masterpiece of engineering and well worth a visit. Most Roman and Greek temples at the time of the Pantheon's construction were large, colonnaded, rectangular enclosures with sanctuaries situated in their centers. The Pantheon was different. It consisted of a large circular drum topped with a hemispherical dome. It is a masterpiece of both engineering and art a lasting memory of Ancient Rome’s might. Roman architecture is architecture of wall and enclosed tactile space. Individual column with entablature is no longer the basic architectural unity. Spatially, it shows a development from closed, simple space units and regular articulation to more complex spatial relations, more fluid interpenetrati...
Another difference in these civilizations is in the architecture of each region. The architecture of the Romans was also more advanced than that of the Greeks; they used concrete and placed emphasis on arches, vaulted ceilings, and domes while Greece emphasized balance and symmetry. Greek temples aimed at impressing by designing intricate, aesthetically pleasing outer views, while Roman architecture's goal was to impress by enclosing a vast amount of space. Thirdly, the Romans were far more advanced than Greece in terms of engineering progress. In both the areas of civil and hydraulic engineering, Rome towered above Greece.
Before addressing the column’s physical attributes it’s important to discuss the significance of the closely related landmarks that surround it. According to author Marilyn Stokstad, “The last and largest Imperial Forum was built by Trajan about 110-113 CE and finished under Hadrian about 117 CE on a large piece of property next to the earlier forums of Augustus and Julius Caesar” (Stokstad 191). At the north end of the courtyard was a closed off section from a building referred to as the Basilica Ulpia (Fig. 2). It was created in c. 112 CE and named after the family which Trajan had been a part of. The basilica was a long, spacious structure measured 385 feet long (without the apes included) and 182 feet wide that was mainly used for government related purposes (Stokstad 192). There were also two libraries behi...
As one of the greatest structures in Rome, the Pantheon was built between 118 and 128 CE. It is described as the most remarkable ancient building surviving in Rome. After being destroyed and rebuilt twice, it was renamed the “Temple of the Gods”. In 126 AD, the Pantheon was restored to its glory, by the architects who at that time has learned and mastered their craft in concrete construction in the Greek Classical order. They constructed a massive 25 foot thick walls which was to support the huge dome made of concrete to be placed at the top. The dome was the largest ever made of unreinforced concrete at 43.4 meters in diameter (Matthews, Roy and Platt pg. 5).
During his visit back to Rome as emperor; Hadrian created plans for the revered Pantheon (McEwen 1993: 56). Hadrian played a key role in the many buildings constructed during his reign. McEwen writes that “unlike those of Augustus, and of the imperial builders who succeeded him, Hadrian’s building activities involved, to an uncommon degree, the personal participation of the emperor himself. If, like his predecessors, Hadrian was a client who commissioned buildings, he was—exceptionally—their architect as well.” (McEwen 1993: 55). The participation of the emperor in constructions is interesting to note since many rulers chose architects to create their monuments rather than participating directly with their designs. The Pantheon is praised for its architectural construction and monumentality that is not present in other pieces. Very few buildings were domed like the Pantheon but they never reached its scale (Mark & Hutchinson 1986: 24). Three important sections compose Hadrian’s Pantheon which are: the pronaos, an intermediate block, and the domed rotunda (Stamper 2005: 188). The temple went through many changes over the course of time. The once bronze tiled roof shone brightly with bronze statues that were removed in later years (Joost-Gaugier 1998: 27). These additions to the temple created an impression of extravagance and it also reinforces the relations with the sun.
In 118AD, emperor Hadrian completely remodeled the pantheon and saw that it was rebuilt. Construction was completed in 128AD. Emperor Hadrian loved architecture, but he was no architect himself. It is believed
The Romans also excelled in the highly practical art, architecture. The Romans were the first people in antiquity to use concrete on a massive scale. By using concrete in their new architectural designs, the Romans were able to construct huge buildings, bigger than the Greeks ever could have dreamed of.
Rome made as many changes as they can, eventually it developed to one of the most powerful empire in the world. 3. In my opinion, the most significant roman engineering achievement is the aqueducts. Because the aqueduct changed
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
The Parthenon was built during the Golden age in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is made of mainly columns; there is a 9:4 ratio. It was almost destroyed in war; the ruins that remained were dedicated to Athena. The purpose of the Parthenon was to house the statue of Athena, made of ivory and gold, and also Athena’s treasure. The ratios and the equations used to make the Parthenon were used as a sign of the harmony in the natural world around us. The mathematical harmony in the world shows how we can work with the world rather than destroy to make it what we want. The Parthenon also has no straight lines. The columns of the Parthenon are angled going up getting smaller the higher they get. This was done so that you could get the best lighting
“Many European cities still bear reminders of the power of ancient Rome, and throughout the western world the influence of Roman power is still manifest.” “As the Roman Empire expanded Roman architects struggled to achieve two overriding aims: to demonstrate the grandeur and power of Rome, while also improving the life of their fellow citizens.” They held the Greeks in high regard for both their sculpture and architecture, learned stonework and pyramid architecture from the Egyptians, and absorbed important techniques from the Etruscans. To that end, the Romans perfected three architectural elements: concrete, the arch, and the vault. These three elements helped lighten the load carried by Roman structures while maintaining overall durability.
While houses, and stoas did have columns they were certainly not as ornate as columns on temples like the Parthenon. So to an ancient Greek the column would have been primarily associated with monumental temples. However, in Rome the collm j was used in a number of different buildings from, basilicas, to baths, to the emperor’s palace. The use of columns as decorations also began in Roman times as seen in buildings like the colosseum. In much more recent times, elements from both Greek and Roman architecture have been combined and used on numerous important buildings. Some of the most obvious examples of this are courthouses, which often have a very striking columnar faced emulating that of Greek and Roman temples. So through the study of ancient architecture one can understand why this architectural style means today, as well as what it means