Roman Architecture Research Paper

Many centuries before the birth of Christ, the city of Rome grew, prospered, and developed into a thriving Republic; the feats of Roman engineers were spectacular, and many structures built by this culture still stand today. As in most cultures, Rome’s buildings became more elaborate and impressive. The Romans developed fantastic building technologies and ideas. With knowledge borrowed from the Greeks, Rome made impressive architectural advancements. These were major attributes of buildings, colossal structures, and a legacy that would influence later structures. According to legend, the city of Rome was founded in about 753 B.C., by a group of shepherds. “It sat at an ideal location, along 7 hills on the Tiber River 15 miles from the
In addition to the Pantheon, the Temple of Antoninus and Fautina became Christian churches in the Middle Ages. The Romans built amphitheaters of all sizes, but most of which employed great architecture. An early amphitheater was located in Italica. It was dedicated to Hadrian and could seat 25,000. Another large theater built by the Romans was the one at Augusta. Amphitheaters changed as communities grew. This amphitheater was no exception. It was first very small but later enlarged to a capacity of 8000. Roman colonies soon had their own amphitheaters. Perhaps one of the best examples in Asia Minor is the theater of Aspendus in Pamphylia. It was built in the 2nd century A.D. and greatly illustrates the importance of these monuments to the Roman people. Surprising numbers of amphitheaters were located near harbors. One example is the great theater along the Aradiane Harbor at the city of Ephesus. Aphrodisias is home to another tremendous theater that later became a Byzantine fortress. Walls and a rectangular arena were added so gladiatorial shows could be held. The amphitheater at El-Djem was among the largest in the empire. As was common, it was built on the site of a similar structure in the early 3rd century. The Romans built baths in most towns as a place to bathe, relax, and socialize. These were located generally on the outskirts of the towns. The most famous one, though, is the Bath in present
An aqueduct is defined as an artificial channel through which water is conducted to the place where it is used. Some aqueducts are tunnels dug through the earth. Others are channels of water forced through suspended structures. Rome was one of the only ancient cities that was readily supplied with water. In the year A.D. 97, a ninth aqueduct was added to bring water to Rome. These nine aqueducts brought 85 million gallons of water a day to Rome from mountain springs. Five more aqueducts were added later. Over 200 cities in the Roman Empire had aqueducts. One of these aqueducts was the Aqua Claudia, which was constructed from A.D. 38 to A.D. 50 . It was begun by Caligula and finished by Claudius. It carried water to Rome for a distance of 68 kilometers . One of the most famous Roman aqueducts is the one at Segovia in present day Spain. It brought water to Segovia from a source 16 kilometers away. This aqueduct in particular had the full cooperation of the citizens of this town. Another famous aqueduct is the one over the River Gard that delivered water to Nimes from a source near Uzes. The accuracy of the engineering of this aqueduct is very impressive. The water dropped only 17 meters over a distance of 50 kilometers, the length of the aqueduct. When aqueducts arrived at cities the water was collected in a basin. On the bottom of the circular basins were holes that led to pipes, these fed into