Roman and Early Christian Architecture

1. Explain the techniques used by roman architects and describe the types of buildings they created. Use examples to support your essay.
The building techniques the Roman architects used were the arches and domes. They were very skilled at building with bricks and stones. These materials helped them develop new roof forms. To create arches they used wedge-shaped stones or bricks called voussoirs. They placed the narrow ends on the inside of the arch and the wide ends on the outside. The Romans typically used round or pointed arches to span openings in walls or to support heavy roofs.
One of the arch buildings they created was the Arch of Constantine. It is the latest triumphal arch in Rome. It was also the largest setup in Rome since the end of the Severan dynasty. Much of the decorations provided were from earlier monuments of Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Autrlius. They included the heads of the earlier emperors. The Pantheon was the dome creation. This was the Temple of all Gods. The dome of the Pantheon is 142 feet high. It provides light entering through a central opening to the sky. Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome to this date.

Santarpia, G. M. (2011, September). roman architecture. Retrieved from http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/roman_architecture.htm

2. What features did Early Christian architects take from Roman builders, and what new techniques did they develop? Discuss specific features from three buildings.

The features that the Early Christian architects took from Roman builders were the arches and domes. But with new techniques they developed such as the flying buttress.
For example the Old Saint Peter church resembled Roman basilicas. It had a wide central nave with side aisles and an apse at the end. Unlike Roman basilicas, instead of doorways on one long side opening onto an aisle, they had an obvious long axis opening. When the worshipers arrived in Saint Peters nave, they were able to view the altar in the apse, framed by the chancel arch dividing the nave from the transept.
Santa Sabina is another basilican church. It is famed for its 5th-century wooden doors that have biblical scenes carved in them. It also has 24 columns of marble completely coordinated with Corinthian columns and bases. The spandrels of the arches have decorative marble designs in green and purple to represent the Eucharist.
The Santa Costanza Church design was along the favorite of the Western Christian world. One of the most important historical aspects of Santa Costanza were the use of Apses and Central Dome which give prime examples of early Christian art and architecture.
Kleiner, F. S. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages; The Western Perspective. Fourth teen Edition.