Inheritors of Greek Civilization Ancient Rome Inheritors of Greek Civilization

Early Years Supposedly the city of Rome was founded by twins Romulus & Remus. They were abandoned by their parents & raised by a she-wolf in the wild. The twins came upon the spot where they wanted to live & started the early city of Rome. In Italian, Rome is “Roma.”

The earliest known civilization in Italy was the Etruscans. They were originally from northern Italy. They conquered much of Italy north of the Tiber River, including the town of Rome. Rome grew in size & importance; it became the largest & richest city in Italy. By 509 B.C. the Romans were successful in driving the Etruscans out of Rome. Very little remains of Etruscan civilization.

The Romans were surrounded by enemies so it was necessary for them to fight for survival. The Romans extended their power until all of the Italy was under their control. The Romans created the republic as their form of government. The Roman republic controlled territory from England in the north to Mesopotamia in the east, and Africa in the South. They referred to the Mediterranean as “mare nostrum” or “our sea.”

Social/Political Divisions Proletariat: no rights; lowest of the 3 divisions Plebians: common citizens; limited rights Patricians: highest ranked citizens; all the rights; mostly senators

Innovations in Architecture The Romans were known as the planners & the engineers. They were content with being heirs of Greek art, architecture, & culture. They did make a few original contributions of their own to art & architecture. Their buildings used elements from the Etruscans & Greeks.

Differences between the Greeks & Romans include Columns were used for decoration & support; pilaster was used for decoration; The pilaster is a half-column (vertical;) The colonnade was not widely used in temple design; They did not use the post-&-lintel system, like the Greeks had used; The temples were built on a platform which raised it above eye level; they borrowed this from the Etruscans.

Temple of Fortuna Virilis, Rome Makes use of all the features but notice how the front columns are used for support. The pilasters are the decorative columns seen on the sides. Plan of Temple of Fortuna Virilis

2 innovations that the Romans added to architecture were the arch & use of concrete. The arch, arcade, & vault allowed the Romans to build bigger buildings than the Greek post-&-lintel system. Under pressure, stone doesn’t bend; it snaps. The arch is built around a wooden form until the top stone is fit into place. The top stone is called the keystone.

The Romans were the first to use concrete extensively in their buildings. Concrete had been used in the Near East for some time, the Romans spread its use throughout their Empire. The innovations of the Romans allowed them to construct great domes, temples, aqueducts, & other enormous structures. The planning was Roman, but the architectural style remained Hellenistic in its design.

Major Forms of Construction Buildings remaining today are public buildings. Baths Amphitheaters Colosseums Triumphal arch Aqueducts

Aqueducts These structures brought water to the town & cities in the Roman Empire. They began in the mountains where the source of water was & carried the water into the cities. Using gravitational flow (slight angle) the water would collect in a containing pool & then to areas in the city. Made use of many angles to break the force of the rushing water.

The best existing example is in Segovia, Spain. It was constructed using no mortar or cement. It was constructed by placing a series of arches next to each other so they would support each other & carry the weight to the ground. Eleven aqueducts were built around Rome; they ranged from 10 to 60 miles in length.

The Baths The baths were not only places for hygiene, there were many social aspects as well. Gym Restaurants Shops Lecture rooms Libraries Walk-ways They were similar to our shopping malls.

The baths were tended by large numbers of workers & slaves All the baths contained a series of pools that were progressively cooler. Calidarium: hot water pool Tepidarium: warm water pool Frigidarium: cool water pool Furnaces placed in rooms beneath the pool provided the heat necessary to warm the water. The baths were tended by large numbers of workers & slaves Most baths were used by both men & women.

Arenas The arenas developed from the Greek amphitheater, which was a semi-circle “stadium.” These Greek structures were used for theater performances. The Romans enclosed the entire stage area & made that the place where they would display activities.

The Colosseum The most impressive arena built in the Roman Empire. Amazing in its function & design. Could seat up to 50,000 people Emptied in minutes (80 doors & passageways.) Poles around the top supported a canvas awning. Sloped seats like modern arenas.

Used for many different types of activities. Gladiator fights Mock military battles (could be filled with water) Chariot races Executions (especially Christians)

Each story had a different column type borrowed from the Greeks. The Colosseum consisted of 4 stories constructed of stone, brick & concrete. Each story had a different column type borrowed from the Greeks. Doric: lower level Ionic on the second story Corinthian: third story Corinthian pilasters on the fourth floor. Beneath the floor of the Colosseum were compartments & passageways serving a number of different purposes.

As the Roman Empire declined, the games became more brutal & barbaric. These games were to celebrate the death of an important nobleman. The Roman Colosseum was on the Forum, which was the center of life in the city. It contained the public buildings, temples, & market places.

The Pantheon A marvel of Roman architecture & engineering. It was originally a temple dedicated to all the Roman gods. It was later converted into a Christian church. This is why it survived the destruction of Rome by the barbarians.

It was originally built on a pedestal but it is now at street level. From the outside, it looks like a low, gently curving dome resting on a cylinder. The dome is 144 feet high & 144 feet in diameter. Walls are constructed of brick & concrete There are no windows in the building; solid walls were needed to support the massive weight of the dome.

There were 3 zones inside. Lower zone (ground level) contained niches or recesses built into the walls. These niches probably contained altars to specific gods. Middle zone (frieze) contained the 12 signs of the zodiac. Upper zone (dome) represented the heavens. The dome is covered with coffers. Coffers are indented panels that are used for decoration & to help ease the weight of the dome.

The light source in the Pantheon is a round opening in the center of the dome This opening is called the occulis It is 30 feet across. When it rains, water does come into the building but The floor slopes gently & water drains to the edges and out of the building.

The Basilicas Spacious rectangular buildings that were part of the forum, or public square of a Roman city. They combined all the architectural advances made by the Romans in 1 building. They later served as models for Christian churches.

Parts of the basilica included Nave: long, wide center aisle divided by columns into 2 smaller side aisles. Apse: semicircular area at the end of the nave. The roof over the center aisle was usually higher than the roofs over the side aisles. This allowed builders to install windows to let sunlight in. These windows were called clerestory windows.

Triumphal Arches These were built to commemorate Roman military victories. There was a large central opening & two smaller openings on each side The general & his officers rode chariots & horses through the central opening Foot soldiers marched through the smaller ones.

Some arches were decorated with scenes from battles. The Romans built these all over the empire. The most impressive of these was the Arch of Constantine.

Sculpture & Painting The Romans preferred realism, especially in sculptured portraits. Very early in Roman history, wax masks of deceased family members were made to be carried in funeral processions. Many of the Greeks sculptors went to Rome to find work & trained Roman artists in their traditions.

The Roman artists changed the techniques to suit their client’s tastes. These portrait sculptures were for private citizens & not for public display. The Romans wanted their sculptures to look & remind them of specific people. The Romans preferred busts (head & shoulders); they felt that the character of the person was shown in the face.

Murals & Mosaics Paintings/scenes that covered entire walls. Landscapes & buildings to suggest looking out of a window. Mosaic floors were common in many Roman homes A mosaic consists of pieces of tile on marble laid out to form a pattern.

Decline of Rome Moral decay & deterioration Distinct class system led to inequalities (social & economic) Rulers grew out-of-touch with the people Rise of the Christian religion put an end to pagan practices Extension of Roman citizenship to all people conquered by Roman

Division of the empire 410- Alaric, king of the Visigoths took Rome Began invasions of the Barbarians Middle ages “Dark Ages” .. Begin in Europe Constantine I .. Moves capital to Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire)