Roman Architecture | Shaping the Face of Earth

Architecture is defined as the activity of designing and constructing buildings. It reflects the society and affects the way that society develops. Designing any kind of system is known as architecture. From the time immemorial the profession of architecture plays a key role in the developments of building, town planning, urban design and landscape architecture. It is actually the designing of a total built environment.

The profession of architecture was evolved for purposes like shelter, security, worship and lots more. Ancient people understood the need of buildings and slowly started building with the raw materials like rocks, trees etc. Gradually this turned into a profession of crafts. There were several eminent architects through out the world who gave a new look for the planet. Each country has different varieties of architects to their credits. If you look into the ancient civilizations to modern world there have tremendous changes. It is considered as cultural and political symbol of each country. Architectural works identify each country. Some of the important works are Great Wall of China, pyramids of Egypt, Taj Mahal of India etc which is still preserved as monuments.

Ancient Architectures like Egyptian, Greek, Indian, African, Etruscan, Inca, Maya, Persian, Roman, Sumerian etc are works which are still admired with pride. There are many attractive and wonderful works through out the world. Every architectural works had its own style. Almost all the works of Romans were based on the dome. African architectures resembled ancient Egyptians and by the 19th century European styles were adopted by African architects. Indian architectures are famous with temples, palaces and forts. Indian style of Architecture includes Hindu Temple Architecture, Islamic Architecture, western classical architecture and post modern architecture. But in Chinese architectural more emphasis was given to horizontal axis. Meanwhile European architecture has variety of works ranging from classical to Eclecticism. All the architectural works of all countries shows its culture, political and social set up.

Gradually after Second World War modern architecture became popular. According to some historians modern architecture was developed because of the social and political revolutions. But some others believe that it is because of the technology and engineering developments. The main reason for modern architecture development can be said to be the industrial revolution. New building material like iron, glass, steel and concrete played a key role in the modern architecture growth.

There are many architecture schools and colleges across the globe. Many people are interested to pursue their studies in architecture. With the fast developing world, architects have wide job opportunities. This is a profession where you can explore new ways of living, investigating new technologies, and materials and much more. Architecture is a person who has the power and influence on today's society. Big and small companies in architecture world require manpower that has creativity and skills. If you are person who needs to be a part of the development of the society then this is the right profession.

Find some informative articles and great videos on architecture, which helped humans reshape the face of the world.

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Roman Architecture | The Influence of Roman Art on Antique Jewellery

Early Roman art was largely influenced by Greek, Etruscan, Native Italic, Egyptian and Middle Eastern people, and probably others as well. Some of the most well known early Roman art includes architecture, sculpture and painting. The Romans also began to create mosaics made of small pieces of tile, frescoes painted on plaster walls, and murals. Roman artists were apparently so impressed by Greek art that Roman artists began to copy the Greek style.

In works of sculpture, the Greeks were more abstract when depicting people. Roman artists worked harder to make the sculptures look more like the individuals they depicted. Although Roman art showed marked improvement after its influence from Greek artisans, the art created by ancient Roman artists may never have matched the quality of that of the Greeks.

The Romans conquered Greece about 146 B.C., after which many Greek artisans moved voluntarily to Rome and began to sell their works of art. The Romans captured other Greek artists and sold them as slaves. Such Greeks artists created artwork while toiling in indentured servitude. The free Greeks in Rome were unsurpassed in creating works of art, so much so that they found a ready and willing market for the sale of their work. Many of the Greek pieces of art made in Rome were original works, but others were simply imitations of then-famous originals.

Death masks were a Roman custom. Roman artists used such masks to create faces on the busts of deceased persons. Such busts were usually made of terra-cotta or bronze. Originally, the busts attempted simply to portray the image of the deceased person. However, the purpose in creating the busts changed over time. It become stylish to ally the image of the person depicted in the bust to service to the government. Later, the art form began to capture and combine the Roman zest for realism with Greek abstraction of form. At about the time of Tiberius, portrait busts began to show an increase not only in visual refinement, but also in psychological penetration.

The Eastern provinces of the Romans began a marked increase in influence. Middle Eastern influence appeared about 98 A.D. when artistic systems of continuous narration gained headway into Roman art.

Other influences over Roman art include the design and use of columns, equestrian statues, and the Oriental abstraction. The Christian influence on art in Rome included the use of fewer scenes of bloody battles, and more depictions of people looking upward toward heaven. Such Christian-created art usually had less emphasis on proper body proportions.

In Roman art, architecture began to change from simple to ornate, with the design overshadowing construction. Paintings found in Pompeii reveal that artwork contained large areas of plain colors, punctuated with scenes of brilliant colors. Often artwork emphasized sumptuousness or ornamentation, and golden jewelry and cameos became extremely popular.

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Roman Architecture | Architectural Columns

Architectural columns are found on all types of buildings, such as magnificent homes, spectacular churches, resorts, and luxurious hotels. The reasons why they are still such popular elements are not hard to recognize: these elements bestow beauty, elegance, and an appearance of strength wherever they are found. But when was the column first invented? How have architectural columns changed in terms of how they are manufactured and used over the millennia. This article will provide a brief overview of the history and current status of the architectural feature known as the column.

The First Columns

The Greeks and Romans are often credited with inventing architectural columns, but it was actually the Egyptians that first crafted them. Working with stone, the Ancient Egyptians crafted massive columns that had the appearance of bundled reeds in approximately 2600 BC. The embellishments found on these elements suggest that, even back then, the craftsmen who built them were concerned with function and aesthetics. The columns later crafted by the Persians were even more elaborate, featuring capitals that depicted a variety of animals.

The Development of the Classical Column Orders

The reason why architectural columns are so often associated with the societies of Ancient Greece and Rome is that it was these civilizations that developed the designs that would eventually become known as the classical orders. Columns found on Greek and Roman buildings could be fluted, often included bases and meticulously carved capitals, and were frequently crowned with grand entablatures. Stone was the most frequently used column material, so these elements were obviously exceptionally heavy and difficult to transport and install. The architectural columns of the Greeks and Romans provided essential support to buildings, and had to be crafted to be capable of supporting an extraordinary amount of weight.

Architectural Columns Today

Some of the columns seen on buildings today are structural, but many are considered decorative, added to building exteriors and interiors for their aesthetic value. There are a few points with respect to these modern features that are worth noting here. The first is that, in recent decades, more lightweight materials have been invented. GFRP columns and GFRC columns, for instance, weigh much less than those crafted from stone. This has made the transportation and installation of columns easier than it was in the past. These materials are also moldable, which has made many more designs possible. Another important fact to note is that columns are now used in a larger number of applications. Once usually found on the outside of massive buildings, GFRP columns are now used to partition indoor areas, surround gazebos, and even mark the front doors of private homes.

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Roman Architecture | Norman Architecture

Norman Architecture, named so due to its roots in Normandy, arose in the Middle Ages. It began in the early 11th century and ended by the 12th century, following the Saxon architectural movement and preceding the Gothic movement. Norman architecture is a form of the prevailing Romanesque Architecture that was propagated by the Normans (or Vikings) who conquered England. Its development gave rise to large and impenetrable cathedrals, fortresses, castles, and fortifications.

The archetypal monastery building arose during this movement, with its squat buildings that were either rectangular or circular. For instance, the renowned abbey Mont-Saint-Michel was built in the Norman era. In fact, the majority of Norman Architecture is religious structures, from village churches to royal cathedrals. A hallmark of Norman churches is their cross-like shape, deriving from the Roman basilica pattern. These churches also had bell towers, or campaniles, which were built nearby the main church buildings.

The quintessential medieval castles are also a distinctly Norman innovation. They arose not only in England but also in Scotland, Ireland, Normandy, and even Italy. In Italy, however, Norman features were combined with Byzantine and Arabic styles, which made for less gloominess.

Norman Architecture is actually an outgrowth of Romanesque Architecture, which began in Lombardy, Italy. Romanesque derives much of its architecture from classic Roman styles, such as arches, vaults, columns, and arcades. It greatly utilized the rounded arch, a Roman invention. It also used a great variety of vault styles. The prevailing type was the barrel vault, a curved vault used widely in cloisters.

The building materials used in Norman Architecture mainly included stones, so as to give the buildings greater stability. These stones were uncut because there were no real architectural jobs, such as mason jobs, in the Norman era. Therefore, buildings were made up of large, irregularly shaped stones that contributed to their bulky look.

Norman roofs were vaulted, like their Roman predecessors. Vaults allowed for more balanced weight distribution across the roof. Norman buildings' adornment was minimal, though some architects used their chisels to carve a series of arches into walls. These were not actual arches, but carvings giving a trompe de l'oeil effect. Moreover, some architects carved moldings onto stone surfaces. A minority of architects even became so adroit with their chisel that they sculpted animals onto reliefs over doorways, or tympanums. Arches and columns were also minimally decorated elements. As the Norman movement reached its peak in the 12th century, however, it gave rise to more ornamentation. This ornamentation gradually culminated in the first stained glass windows in the 12th century, directly before the Gothic Architecture took hold.

Norman Architecture is additionally distinguished by very small windows. Before the Gothic movement, architects avoided installing large windows because it increased the chances of building collapse. Therefore, people who resided in Norman buildings were in extremely dim surroundings, using candles as their only source of light. It wasn't until the Gothic period that architects safely installed huge windows to let in an enormous quantity of light, giving cathedrals their celestial quality.

Yet, Romanesque and Norman Architecture also blazed new trails by installing much taller buildings, such as castles and cathedrals, which were the largest structures in Europe at that point. These buildings were usually square and inhabited by guards who worked as night watchmen, scanning the surrounding landscape for intruders.

With these taller buildings came much denser walls to give the needed support to these great heights. Inside these buildings, there were also large columns that bolstered structural support. These walls would become much thinner with the advent of flying buttresses, which arose in the Gothic movement.

One of England's first pieces of Norman Architecture was London's Westminster Abbey. Though this structure is now largely Gothic, it began as a Norman construction. Many Gothic structures, in fact, began as Norman buildings that were later elaborated on by Gothic architects. Many central towers (keeps) on castle and cathedral grounds were also Norman. These square, dense-walled structures were used as dungeons as well as defense fortresses. The Tower of London (also called the White Tower), which served as the royal dungeon, is another penultimate example of Norman Architecture. Like all Romanesque buildings, it was tall in its day, reaching about 90 feet high. It also contained extremely thick walls, spanning about 15 feet wide, to support that height. It is, like many Romanesque buildings, a fortress-like building.

While Gothic Architecture produced extremely tall, magnificent structures, these structures were essentially continuations of Norman Architecture. Gothic Architecture utilized pointed arches rather than Norman rounded arches, along with ribbed vaults that were combinations of Norman barrel vaults. Therefore, Gothic Architecture as we know it may not have taken place without its grounding in Norman Architecture.

Today, most people immediately associate Norman and Romanesque architectural styles with the fairy-tale medieval period. Architects have learned that these castles and cathedrals were not so much royal residences as densely armed fortifications. In truth, most Norman structures have been the sites of much bloodshed and suffering. The "Dark Ages," by which the Middle Ages was alternately known, may have been due in part to the dimness of Norman buildings, as a result of their extremely small windows.

Today's architects are not rebuilding Norman Architecture, except for historical reproduction purposes. Church builders, moreover, take more inspiration from the Gothic period than any other architectural period. However, most architects certainly regard the Norman movement as an architectural watershed. Norman Architecture realized unsurpassed heights and first renewed the magnificence of classical styles. Though taking place in a dark period, it manifested the collective desire to reawaken human greatness, as people perceived it in classical architecture. Part of Norman Architecture's legacy was to have passed on this desire in large measure to the succeeding Renaissance era.

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Roman Architecture | Architectural Pillars Trace Back to Roman Times

Architectural pillars utilized in our ultramodern day owe an amazing amount of the ideas to the Roman architects. See the Romans were actually the first culture to use the columns and they did it so much that they actually made architectural columns recognized across the globe. The main intention of the Roman columns used in the Empire were used for both practical and functional reasons but, they were also used for aesthetic reasons as well. The Romans like the aristocrats were really concerned with things that were beautiful.

Obviously looking back on things like The Colosseum, Aqueduct of Segovia and the Roman Arenas these places are all places of beauty even if they weren't used for things OF beauty. As we all know the arenas were usually a place of blood-shed. But when you actually look at the arenas that were available the architectural is just stunning. I mean it still makes me wonder how the Colosseum was built in 72 A.D and yet it looks like it was built now.

Seriously innovative and advanced beyond their time! A Roman basilica, a roofed hall with a large central area called a nave, flanked by side rooms, would often use architectural columns. The first basilicas were used for business meetings and legal proceedings. This kind of construction was later conformed by the Christians and became a standard blueprint for church edifices many of which are still used today. The main center of Rome was the forum and this was true for all of the other Roman cities as well.

This was often an open area surrounded by stores and it was the primary meeting place of each town. They also had the Senate, Office, Roman Basilica, Sacred Buildings and Civic buildings. Of course if Rome was the place of birth for columns and pillars you would also suspect that these buildings would also use the same pillars and you are correct. In fact, it became almost a "rule" of sorts. The Roman influence was frequently seen throughout the Middle Ages in places such as Palaces and cathedrals in churches. A lot of these incredible buildings have survived since the modern times (as has The Colosseum) and still stand to this day!

To see the influence the architectural columns of Roman times have had on us today simply take a walk around the grounds of any university that is more than fifty years old. At the very least the administration building, and probably most all of the classroom buildings will employ architectural pillars as well. The Roman influence on our architecture is the same now, and always has been apparent if you only take the time to look!

This author is a HUGE fan of Architecture

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Roman Architecture | See the Architecture of Renaissance Rome

Rome is famous for a lot of things. Yet, ask anybody to conjure up an image of the Italian capital and they're bound to tell you that the buildings are one of the most prominent features that stick out in their minds. The architecture of Rome is famous all over the world for its beauty, intricacy and historical significance - meaning that if you have an eye for aesthetics, a visit to this city should prove unforgettable.

Built on two and a half thousand years of history, Rome has a lot of stories to tell and many of these can be discovered in its buildings. Rome has the honor of possessing buildings from the Renaissance period, as well as the Baroque epoch, that have been wonderfully preserved and remain a part of the city's everyday life. Most of these buildings are no longer in use as they are sites of historical value, but they are still open for the public to visit and marvel at.

Take, for example, the first century Roman amphitheater, the famous Coliseum. As one of the greatest works of Roman architecture which still exists in the world today, this famous landmark has survived almost two thousand five hundred years. It is estimated that half a million people lost their lives in the games that took place in the Coliseum, as well as well over a million wild animals, yet this peaceful monument offers little clues about its morbid past.

Right next to this breath taking vision is the incredible Arch of Constantine, a triumphal arch dating back to the fourth century. The arch was erected in honor of Constantine I, who presided over the victory of Maxentius in 312.

There are hundreds of incredible monuments, buildings and architectural treasures in Rome, dating back through the various periods. For Medieval examples, you'll find astounding basilicas left over from the very beginning of Christianity, as well as majestic ancient towers and museums housing fourth century mosaics and similar dated exhibits that will fill you with awe.

For anybody with an appreciation of aesthetic beauty and its place in architectural functionality, Rome is a dream city. And even if you don't think you're a big fan of building work, the classic pieces of historical architecture collected in Rome are certainly enough to change your mind - and infiltrate your dreams during your stay at Rome hotels.

The city of Rome is a gorgeous destination on the top of many people's favorite cities list - and it's not hard to see why.

Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.

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Roman Architecture | Romans in the Decadence of the Empire

French artiste Thomas Couture (1815-1879) was a popular 'History' & 'Classical' painter of 'Realist' flavor, portraitist, and the teacher of the nineteenth century. 'History Painting,' considered the 'grand genre' for a long time, dates back to the 'Renaissance' era. Couture's most famous painting "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire" belonged to this style of art. Apart from illustrating the historical events of the recent past, 'History Painting' pertains to the technique of capturing the scenes from Christian History, Classical History, and mythology. The paintings belonging to the historical genre are often based on religious, allegorical, or literary subjects, and usually carry a moral or an intellectual interpretation of life. Some of the most iconographic historical events have been depicted in these paintings. In addition, sometimes, artists took great liberties with the historical facts by creating even those events on canvas, which had not ever actually occurred.

Thomas Couture painted his most famous painting "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire" in the year 1847. This splendid work portrays on a monumental canvas, an orgy, which was interpreted as sarcasm or satire on the debauched regime of the July Monarchy under the French King Louis Philippe, during 1830 to 1848. "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire" conveys the moral corruption synonymous to the then Roman society. The scene takes place in an enormous hall, surrounded by tall marble pillars and beautiful statues. In the center of the hall, is a platform on which there are semi-naked men and women lying everywhere, completely engrossed in the frenzy of physical pleasure. They all seem inebriated or drunk, and a few of them are even shown dancing under the effect of intoxication. Outside, the clear blue sky shines bright, offering a striking contrast to the drunken madness inside the palace. Right in the front of the platform, a couple of well-sculpted urns are shown. Thomas' respect and love for classical culture comes alive with his pulchritudinous display of Roman sculptures and architecture in "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire."

The Roman Empire and civilization had an indelible influence on the cultures of almost all European nations. While under 'Neoclassicism,' the Roman architecture, art, and lifestyles were all borrowed by these nations, even the Roman decadence did not go unnoticed on that front. It brought about a time when people developed greater interest in the decline of the Roman Empire than in its grandeur. Thomas Couture also tried to express his version of social criticism through "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire," which effectively criticized his contemporary French society. The painting, which won immense appreciation and accolades, now adorns the walls of Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.

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Roman Architecture | A Roman Town in Extremadura

420 kilometres north of the Costa del Sol, in Extremadura, is the small town of Merida. It is too far for a day trip from the Costa del Sol and in any case there is far too much to see in one day so try for one of the special offers at the Medea Melia Tryp which is about 20 minutes walk from the centre of the town. Merida is remarkable in that its history dates back to Roman times and being in a remote, less well-known part of Spain, has not been developed to any great extent. Consequently there are still many traces of what was once one of the most important Roman and Islamic cities in the peninsula.

Augusta Emerita was founded in 25 BC for retired Italian soldiers who had fought in the Cantabrian war. It was also intended to be the capital of the recently (27 BC) created province of Lusitania. Its location made it a communications centre where roads from Lisbon (Olisipo), Astorga (Asturica), Toledo (Toletum), Cordoba (Corduba) and Seville (Hispalis) all met.

The Medea Hotel is an excellent place to start an exploration of Augusta Emerita. Even the hotel itself is built in a 'Roman amphitheatre' style and is alongside one of the main Roman roads that led to the city allowing us to march smartly down to the Roman bridge. Recently pedestrianized, the bridge has been in constant use for over 2000 years. Repairs over the years have been in keeping with the original style and the majority of it is original. It is one of the finest examples of Roman architecture in the peninsular. Sixty arches carry the bridge across the river to the south gate into the city. On the right of the gate are the original walls. Those to the left have been demolished. It is easy to imagine the legionnaires breathing a sigh of relief after marching from Portugal with their destination in sight.

Once in the city the choice of destinations is daunting. To cover the Roman period a visit to the amphitheatre and theatre is a must. The theatre is the best example of its kind in western Europe. Next to the theatre is the amphitheatre. Built in 8 BC it is also an excellent example with many of the passages below the seating still in their original form. The pit in the floor was where gladiators and wild animals were kept prior to their 'performance'. Many people are confused by the words theatre and amphitheatre, expecting the latter to be a semi circle and the former to be round. During the early part of the Roman Empire gladiatorial games to the death and pitting man against beast were popular entertainments. These took place in the round amphitheatre. Later, during the Imperial period, plays and music became popular and for these purposes the semi circular theatres were built.

A visit to the Museum of Roman Art near the theatre is also a must. Here you can see the usual glass, coins, statues and other artefacts found during excavations but the two highlights are the fine mosaics, and the examples of Roman water technology. Some of the mosaics are huge and extremely well preserved. Romans were as class conscious as any other people and mosaics were used to impress friends and neighbours. The smaller each individual tile in the mosaic the more detail can be achieved with consequential increases in cost.

It is the technology that really impresses. Huge bronze valves used to isolate sections of water piping for maintenance, valves to control the rate of flow of water and one-way valves. A detailed video, also available for sale, shows how the Romans understood and used water pressure to move water vertically as well as horizontally. Given a few more years they could easily have invented the steam engine. It is easy to realise how the uneducated Visigoths, who replaced the Romans, found the technology incomprehensible and thus failed to maintain it.

When wandering around Merida it is impossible not to notice other examples of Roman architecture. There is an arch, still in use, monumental aqueducts, bath houses unearthed beneath demolished buildings from a later era and many examples of original walls still used in current buildings.

Breathtaking it may be but you still have to keep body and soul together. Fortunately there is no shortage of watering holes. Menu del Dia is definitely the way to go here and if you get the chance try the ham. Extremadurans claim their ham is superior to Serrano, and they are right.

A favourite form of entertainment during Roman times took place at the Hippodrome or circus. The one at Merida is one of only three known in Spain, the other two are at Toledo and Tarragona. Built in an oval shape, over 400 metres long and 150 metres wide, the Merida circus could seat 30,000 people, almost the entire population. They were treated to chariot races, seven laps with no rules other than the winner was the first across the finishing line. Champions were venerated, there were no prizes for coming second and accidents were common. The chariots were as light as possible and pulled by two or four horses. They entered the ring at the start of the race via starting gates situated in a line at one end of the circus, very similar to the start of a modern horse race today, and thundered around the central platform that was called a spina. On occasion the entire circus could be flooded to enable re-enactments of naval battles.

The huge amount of water required to flood the arena would have come from the aqueduct that passes the western end of the circus. This is the Acueducto de San Lazaro and it is impossible to miss it. The arches supporting the water channel march off for well over a kilometre towards the hills north of the city. Notice how at the circus end modern buildings abut the aqueduct. There are not many houses with a finer arch at the end of the drive than the one here at Merida. Recently excavated beneath the aqueduct is the site of a public baths area and a sports area, a Roman desportivos.

Walking back into town you will next arrive at the Casa del Anfiteatro that is a whole site in its own right. The south section of the aqueduct emerges here and there is a water tower with a house alongside. Inside the house you will find some wonderful mosaics.

From there it is a short walk to the south end of town, near the bullring. You will come to a site called Columbarios, which is a Roman cemetery. Two of the vaults have been identified as belonging to the Julius family and the Voconius family. The cemetery would have been situated outside the city walls as was customary at the time. The epigraphs and portraits have survived. Leaving the cemetery you will arrive at the Casa del Mitro. This was a large villa also situated outside the city walls. Some wall decorations and mosaics have survived along with the foundations, an extensive bath house and a huge underground water cistern.

To really take away an idea of what life was like around the 1st century AD then a visit to Moreria is essential. This is a 12,000 square metre site behind the city wall alongside the river north of the Roman bridge. Originally it was an urban area, the houses, large and small are there to see, with a section of the east west main road through the town. It is easy to imagine this bustling street with covered arcades on each side housing shops and taverns. Four minor roads lead off and penetrate the city walls to give access to the river. This site is particularly important for revealing a continuous history of occupation from Roman, through Visigoth to Moors and then Christians, each leaving their layer for us to find.

Nick Nutter is the editor of a successful magazine, Andalucia Life, in southern Spain. He writes articles about the places he visits. The web site http://www.andalucia-life.com is updated every month with new articles, days out, places to go, news from the Costa del Sol and more.

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Roman Architecture | Arches, Gates and Forts in Roman Architecture

Among the most solidly preserved of all Roman architectural inventions are the monumental arches, buildings of a type devised purely for display. This conversion to monumental form of the temporary structures created for the occasion of military triumphs in Rome is yet another instance of rapid evolution in Augustan architecture. The main arch passage, and any side passages, as on Trajan's Arch at Timgad and that of Septimius Severus in Rome, was flanked by columns, usually in pairs. The intervening spaces might contain aediculae or relief sculpture relevant to the arch's commemorative purpose, as on Trajan's Arch at Benevento and the Arch at Orange. That purpose was made explicit by a prominent inscription on the attic storey above the archway. The whole was surmounted by groups of sculpture, usually in bronze.

The arched gate through a city wall might take much the same form, but its function required that it should have guard chambers at the sides, often contained in projecting towers, and a gallery above, to allow passage across the gateway. The window openings in the gallery might be given additional architectural distinction by schemes of engaged pilasters or columns, with pediments, as on the Porta dei Borsari at Verona, or with a continuous entablature, as on the gates of Nimes and Autun.

Hadrian's Arch at Athens, which led from the old city to the new quarter, is unusual in the combination of its decorative elements. The columns and pilasters of its upper storey do not continue the vertical lines of the pilasters which flanked the archway below, which were taken up by the statuary which stood in the openings of the upper storey. Some second-century and later arches and gates were highly elaborate, with a façade architecture of niched figures framed by luxuriantly decorated pilasters, as on the Porte Noir at Besançon and the London Arch. In contrast, the Porta Nigra at Trier, with quadruple tiers of regularly-spaced columns framing arched openings, is reminiscent of the exteriors of theatres and amphitheatres. The Porta Aurea of Diocletian's Palace at Split, with arcaded entablatures above the entrance, owed more to the traditions of the East, as is emphasized by the great arcades and the Syrian pediment of the ceremonial courtyard within.

There is a clear military influence in the Palace's massive four-square walls, external towers, and the T-Junction formed by its colonnaded streets. Colonnades, and the peristyles of officers' houses in military forts, were derived from what was familiar in civilian building. The plan of the headquarters, with its courtyard and basilican hall, evolved in parallel with the north Italian and Gaulish forum which it so much resembles. The decoration of the most important buildings in some legionary fortresses, like Neuss and Lambaesis, gave them some architectural distinction. Hadrian's Wall, by contrast, had the solid unembellished serviceability which characterized much military building.

Rent one of our Rome apartments, and You'll enjoy the unique atmosphere of the Eternal City.

Daniele Davide, manager of Tredy Sas.

If You rent an apartment in Rome, it will be very interesting to visit this marvelous city, the Eternal City.

Rent one of our Rome apartments to visit the most beautiful monuments in Rome.

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Roman Architecture | Roman Architectures

Roman architecture is a fusion of traditional Greek and the Etruscan elements, where arches were developed and horizontal beams were supported by columns. Later, three dimensional counterpart of the arch, namely the dome was introduced. Apart from this, Roman architects found their inspiration from the Greek architecture at large.

The basic building materials of the Roman architecture are stones, developed concrete, and highly expensive marble. The idea behind mosaic, a decoration of colorful chips of stone inset into cement, was brought from Greece. Roman homes joined the well known mural decorating floors, walls, and grottoes in geometric and pictorial designs.

Architecture of the Romans was always eclectic and was characterized by varying styles attributed to different regional tastes and diverse preferences of a wide range of patrons. In general, Roman monuments were designed to serve the needs of their patrons rather than to express the artistic ability of their makers.

Roman architecture was also considered to be an exact copy of the Greek building style. But, the Romans have also contributed to the classical architectural styles. The two developments of Roman buildings styles are the tuscan and composite orders. Tuscan is a shortened, simplified variant on the doric order of the Greek style. Composite is a tall order with the floral decoration of the Corinthian and the scrolls of the ionic building style of the Greeks.

The Roman Colosseum is the best-known amphitheatre in the world, which is more correctly termed the Amphitheatrum Flavium, after the Flavian dynasty that built it. The Pantheon is a building in Rome, which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets of the Roman state religion. Since 7th century, it has been a Christian church. The Colosseum and the Pantheon are some of the buildings built during this period.

Roman contribution to the architecture of the modern world is the development of concrete for building purposes. And the other contribution is the Empire's style of architecture that can be still seen throughout Europe and North America in the arches and domes of many governmental and religious buildings.

Architecture provides detailed information on Architecture, Architecture Designs, Architecture Schools, Landscape Architecture and more. Architecture is affiliated with Residential Architects [http://www.Architects-Web.com].

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