Roman Architecture

Architects

- Lucius Cocceius Auctus

- Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
- Lucius Vitruvius Cordo
Characteristics
- Interest in public works and
engineering
- Practical
- Monumental
- Great technical advances
- Colossal to show Roman power
- Commemorative
Building Systems
Vaults and Arches Use of domes

Strong walls (so that they do

not use external supports)
Structures and Buildings
Basilicas
Baths
Amphitheaters
Triumphal arches
Residence
Roman Temples
Forts
Roman Towns
Aqueducts
 Master "stealers"

• Roads  northern neighbors during the

Roman Kingdom
• Toilets and aqueduct technology  North
Africans
• Religion  Greeks
• Christianity  Judeans
• Military dress  Gauls
• Art and education  Greeks + Etruscans
• Novels  Greek
Sculptures
 Order
Tuscan

Composite
Concrete
Architectural Priorities of
ANCIENT
 Name
• The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum 
Flavium “Flavian Amphitheater ", derived from both 
Vespasian's and Titus's family name.

•  The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived 
from a colossal statue of Nero nearby.
History

• The construction started under the emperor Vespasian  70 and 72 AD

• Completed  80 AD under Titus
• Further modifications during Domitian's reign  81–96.
• The labor force needed to build it was about 20,000 – 30,000 slaves,
engineers, skilled, and semiskilled craftsmen.
• The architect of the colosseum is unknown.
• The popularity of the emperors was judged by the success of their games.
• About 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the
Colosseum games.
• Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in
1349, causing the outer south side to collapse.
 Site

• The site chosen

was a flat area
on the floor of a
low valley
between the
Caelian,
Esquiline and
Palatine Hills and
it is located just
east of the
Roman Forum.
Physical
Descriptions
• It’s elliptical in
plan
• Height: 150 -156
ft. or roughly four
stories tall.
• Length: 620 ft.
• Width: 513 ft.
• A series of arches help to
distribute the Colosseum’s
massive weight.
• At ground level, 80 arches
act as entrances, 76 of
which were used by
ordinary spectators,
numbered to match
visitors’ tickets.
 Statues

• Metal & marble statues of roman gods,

goddesses, emperors, popular heroes, and
famous athletes lined the Colosseum’s 1st and 2nd
floors
 Building
•
Blocks
A framework of columns was
made from a limestone called
travertine.
• On the top floors, walls of
brick or concrete joined the
columns.
• On the lower floors, a local
volcanic stone called tufa
provides the filler.
• Ceilings are made from a light
volcanic stone called pumice.
 Columns

• Columns range from

simple to heavy
Doric columns on
the lower floor.
• Ionic columns on
the 1st floor.
• Corinthian columns
on the 2nd floor.
• Columns with
Corinthian
pilasters.
 Awning Masts
• 240 wooden masts hold the cables that
control the Colosseum’s canvas awnings
used to shade spectators from Rome’s
hot sun.
Interior Seating
 Podium
Emperor’s Box
Emperor’s Box
• The emperor and his
suite sit in the marble
podium.
• Spectators can bring
their own seats to this
area.
• An iron fence is thought
to have protected this
level of seats from wild
animals in the arena.
Elite Section
• 20 rows of marble
seats are available
for prestigious,
wealthy male
citizens.
 Secondary Section
• 16 rows of marble seats were available for
middle class male citizens.
 Women Only
• This tier is designed to protect female
spectators from the Colosseum’s noisy
and boisterous crowds.
• Seats are made of wood.
 Top Gallery
• Those wooden terrace has standing
room for slaves, foreigners, and the
poor- those who do not have tickets
to the Colosseum.
 Seats
• Seats are made of marble and inscribed
with a number.
• A line divides each seat from its neighbor.
 Passageways
• A passageway separates the stands.
• Interior stairways let you move to your correct section.
 Arena
• Arena floor size: 287 ft long- 180 ft wide.
• It’s a wooden floor covered with sand.
• Parts of the floor can be lowered and raised
to introduce scenery or animals into the
arena.
 Hypogeum
• It consisted of a two-level subterranean network of
tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators
and animals were held before contests began.
• Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the
arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed
underneath.