ART / ARCHITECTURE

ELE Syllabus Entry

Doric Pantheon arch fresco

Ionic temple (templum) aqueduct mosaic
Corinthian dome

SECTION CONTENTS

Columns (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Arch of Septimius Severus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Aqua, Aqua Undique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Pantheon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Templa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Mosaics and Frescoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Design a Mosaic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Answer Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

16 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

Columns
Since ancient times columns have been used as supports and as decoration. There were three
types of columns used frequently in the ancient world: the Doric style, the Ionic style, and the
Corinthian style. Look at the illustrations below:

DORIC IONIC CORINTHIAN

Look at the illustration below and count the number of columns of each type. Record your count
in the spaces provided.

__________ Doric __________ Ionic __________ Corinthian

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

17 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

Arch of Septimius Severus

Information for the Teacher

Roman people honored their generals returning from a successful campaign by building a
triumphal arch through which they could parade when they entered the city. The Arch of
Septimius Severus was erected to commemorate his victories over the Parthians in 203 A.D. Atop
this arch was a four-horse chariot with Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta.

Class Activities

1. Figure out how long this arch has been standing.

2. The arch stands 23 meters high and is 12 meters wide. How tall and wide is this arch in feet?

3. Measure the height of your classroom. How many classrooms would you have to stack on top
of one another to equal the height of this arch?

4. Decorate the arch below to represent your own accomplishments. Be sure to put your name
on the arch.

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

18 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

Aqua, Aqua Undique

Romans loved water! They drank it; they bathed in it; they used it for decorative fountains. In fact,
ancient Romans loved water so much that their daily consumption was twice that of current
Americans. At first glance, the availability of good water in ancient Rome would not appear to
be a problem. After all, Rome was located on the Tiber River, and it was not so very far inland
from the Mediterranean Sea. However, by the fourth century BC, Rome needed to go to distant
mountains to get clean water.

Getting this water to Rome was a challenge. But, in 312 BC Appius Claudius built the first
aqueduct. Just as its name (aqua=water + ductum=lead) suggests, aqueducts were a method
of transferring water from one location to another. In some places aqueducts were located
underground, much like our modern water systems. In other places, they were placed atop huge
archways that crossed the countryside.

Why Arches?

There are at least two reasons why the Romans used arches rather than solid walls to support their
aqueducts. Brainstorm with your friends to see if you can figure out these reasons.

1.

2.

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

19 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

The Dome

What is a dome? A dome is a circular roof,

basically half of a sphere. Many buildings in the
United States, including the Capitol in Washington
(pictured to the right), have domes on top. The
most famous dome in ancient Rome was that of
the Pantheon. Can you find any domes on
buildings in your city?

The Pantheon
(In Greek, pan mean “all” and theon means “of the gods.”)

In 27 B.C., Agrippa began work on the Pantheon, literally a temple for all the Roman gods. This
temple was a typical Roman temple, rectangular in shape with a colonnade on all sides
supporting the roof.

When the emperor Hadrian rebuilt it, the Pantheon became a concrete circular building with
Corinthian columns on the front porch and a huge dome. He envisioned a building that
“reproduced the likeness of the terrestrial globe and of the stellar sphere.” The interior of this
building is illuminated only by the light that comes through the oculus, the opening at the center
of the dome.

This building exists in Rome today almost entirely as Hadrian designed it.

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

20 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

Templa
Temple of Saturn/Temple of Castor and Pollux

The general components of a Roman temple included a nine to ten-foot base, a deep
colonnaded porch, columns attached along the sides and the back, a central staircase, and
a triple shrine inside.

The Temple of Saturn is the oldest structure in the Roman Forum. It was first erected in 496 B.C.,
but it has been rebuilt and restored a number of times. Saturn was a Roman god of agriculture.

The Temple of Castor and Pollux was dedicated in 484 B.C. after the Battle of Lake Regillus. The
historian Livy tells us that two men on white horses led the Romans to victory during this battle with
the Tarquins. These same two men were seen with their horses at a spring in the Forum. The
Romans believed these men to be the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, and built a temple on the spot
where they were sighted in the Forum. Tiberius rebuilt this temple in 6 A.D.

Class Activities

1) Saturn was an ancient god associated with agriculture. The planet Saturn is named after him.
Why might the rings around Saturn be associated with agriculture?

2) In a mythology book, read the story of Castor and Pollux and find out

a) who their parents were

(b who their sisters were

c) in what sports Castor and Pollux excelled

d) the name of the constellation that honors them

e) their connection with Jason

f) how they shared immortality and death

3) Restoring the Temple of Castor is only one of many things that Tiberius did to gain favor in
Rome. For a designated time, keep track of a famous personality in the newspaper. Note
any positive reports, and write a short article delineating all the good deeds and image-
enhancing acts this person performed.

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

21 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

Mosaics and Frescoes

Mosaics were ancient art forms that were created by arranging pieces of tile
or small stones (tesserae) into a pattern or picture. They were used as
decorations in Roman houses, quite often as floor designs.

Modern mosaics can be made from a variety of materials: egg shells,

construction paper, colored art foam, beans, or even candy such as
m&m’s.

Frescoes were paintings, often of mythological subject matter, that decoraterd the walls of
Roman houses. The technique involved painting on moist plaster. The restored houses of Pompeii
contain a large number of these ancient works.

Color a Mosaic
Use colored pencils or crayons to fill in colors in the mosaic pattern below.

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

22 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

Design a Mosaic
Use the grid below to design your own mosaic pattern. After you complete it, you may wish to
make a true mosaic, using pieces of construction paper glued to a flat surface.

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

23 May be reproduced for classroom use
 ART / ARCHITECTURE

ART / ARCHITECTURE ANSWER KEYS

p. 17 Co lum n co unt: 10 Do ric 9 Ionic 10 Corinthian

p. 18 Arch of Septimius Severus

1) Figu re out how long this arch has be en stan ding. In 200 4, it had b een standing 180 1 yea rs

2) The arch stands 23 meters high and is 12 meters wide. How tall and wide is this arch in feet?
75 feet high, 39 feet wide

3) Measure the heigh t of your c lassroom . Ho w many classroom s would you have to stack on
top of one a nother to equa l the height of this arch? various a nswe rs

p. 19 Aqu educts

1) Because of the op en spac es in the a rches, wind could pass through m ore easily,
thus making the aq ueducts more stable tha n w alls. The y are a lso structu rally
sound er than wa lls.

2) Because of the open spaces, people and animals could pass through th e
aqu educts as they conducted their lives, and repairmen could reach problem
areas m ore easily.

p. 21 Tem pla

1) Satu rn was an ancient god asso cia ted with agriculture. The planet Saturn is named after
h im . Why might the rings a roun d Sa turn be associated with agriculture? The rings look like
forrows in a plowed field.

2) In a m ytholog y boo k, read the story of Ca stor and Pollux and find out

a) who their parents were Zeus (Jupiter) and Leda

b) who their sisters were Helen and Clytem nestra

c) in what sports Castor and Pollux excelled Castor - tamer of horses; Pollux - boxer

d) the name of the constellation that honors them Gem ini

e) their connection with Jason crew members who drove off the Harpies

f) how they shared imm ortality and death by traveling between O lym pu s an d th e
Unde rworld

Copyright 2004 American Classical League

24 May be reproduced for classroom use