ARCH 218 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Ancient Roman Architecture, Roman Concrete, Pozzolana
11 Jan 2017
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Lecture 1: Introduction and Romanesque
"Classical Architecture" generally refers to the architecture of ancient Greece and Rom and to later
architecture derived from ancient Greece and Rome.
In particular, Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical architecture can be seen in part as
variations on Classical themes and elements.
Akropolis (mid-5th century BCE), Athens
-Was a city center (both physically and figuratively?)
-Area ontop of the hill that is protected like a fortress
-City State
Parthenon (447-432), Akropolis, Athens - Iktinos and Kallikrates; sculpture by Phidias
-Made out of marble
-Columns and Beams that are structural and decorative
Arches and Vaults: Although Egyptians and Greeks used the arch, the Romans are the first to exploit it
for monumental architecture. The basic principles of the arch differ from post and lintel (column and
beam) structures.
-Stone was used due to its resistance to compression and the arch holds everything together with
compressions (stone is weak in tension)
Pantheon (ca. 120 CE), Rome
-Along with the Colosseum, one of the most influential Roman buildings; it combines a columned
porch with a great dome
-Pantheon is constructed of concrete faced with brick and stone
-The Greeks didn’t have the technology to create a dome
-Span of about 140 feet and 140 feet tall that is column-less/unsupported in the middle
-Not until 1420's that builders could again create a space like this.
-Exterior columns are about 60 feet high that are a single piece of stone
-Inspiration for Hitler and Mussolini
Roman Concrete
-Pozzolana, a volcanic ash, is the magic ingredient of Roman concrete. Concrete structures
typically were faced with stone or brick, the latter usually covered with plaster. Note differences
between modern and Roman uses of concrete.
-Modern concrete uses steel as support and may not last as long as Roman concrete
Constantine sponsored the first great Christian building projects in Rome. The most important of these
was the basilica of St. Peter, built above the tomb of St. Peter.
St. Peter's Basilica (ca. 324 CE), Rome
-Although the locations of many Christian buildings were determined by events or tombs, the
shape of these new buildings posed a problem,: What were the appropriate forms and spaces for
a monumental Christian congregational building?
-Original building was torn down to create the new version
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