Roman Architecture Overview

Study Notes

Roman architecture featured a model of Rome, showcasing the layout of the city.
The Roman Empire encompassed a vast geographical area, including locations like Gaul, Spain, Italy, and Africa. Major cities within this domain included Rome, Aquileia, Marseilles, Cordoba, Carthage, Alexandria, and Jerusalem.
Roman innovation in construction was largely owed to their development of slow-drying concrete (using pozzolana sand). This allowed for construction of bases, walls, and other structures primarily or in conjunction with concrete and rubble. Facings were built with more expensive stones or inexpensive brick for a strong, customizable result.

Roman wall construction used various materials that were strategically combined. These combinations included concrete fill, bricks, and veneers.
Different styles of masonry construction were used in Roman walls, such as opus incertum, opus reticulatum, and opus testaceum.

The Cloaca Maxima was one of the world's early sewage systems, built in ancient Rome.
Its purpose was to drain local marshes and carry away waste from the populous city, flowing into the Tiber River.

Roman roads, exemplified by the Via Appia, were characterized by strong foundations and multiple layers of materials, including paving stones, broken stone, pebbles, cement, and sand.
Road construction included kerb stones at the sides to create channels for draining water.
The distance along roadways was marked with milliaria (stones).

The Roman road network stretched across the empire, linking major settlements. A map of the Viae (roads) of Rome reveals these extensive routes.

Augustus (63 BC-AD 14)
Claudius (AD 41 to 54)
Nero (AD 54 to 68)
Vespasian (69 AD to 79 AD)
Titus (79 AD to 81 AD)
Hadrian (117 AD to 138 AD)
Trajan (98 AD to 114 AD)
Caracalla (211 AD to 217 AD)

Pozzolana, also spelled pozzuolana or pozzolan, is a form of hydraulic cement.
It was/is discovered by the Romans and is still used in some countries.
Pozzolana is a type of slag, either natural (volcanic) or artificial (from a blast furnace), mixed with powdered hydrated lime.

Eleven aqueducts (like Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus) supplied water to the city of Rome.
Detailed examples of the construction of aqueducts are included in the presentation.

Roman arches were constructed from wooden frameworks, and the keystone played a critical role in distributing load, ensuring stability.

The Domus Aurea ("Golden House") was a vast palace built in Rome by Emperor Nero following a major city fire.

Gladiatorial contests and other entertainment were common in Roman theaters and amphitheaters.
The Colosseum, in Rome, served as a prominent example of this.

Hadrian's Wall, also known as the Roman Wall or Vallum Hadriani, was a defensive fortification built in Britannia during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.

The Baths of Caracalla represent the largest Roman baths.
Extensive descriptions of their design and components are included. Roman baths were crucial components of Roman city life, providing recreation, pools, and exercise facilities.