By: Taylor Andress

 The ancient Roman style is said to be a

reproductive form of the Greek and
Etruscan architecture.
 Together they are considered to be a
body of classical architecture.
 Although the Romans have borrowed
much of the Greek style, they have
used their own knowledge in
construction to improve the arch and
vault for the architectural community.
 Some of the many achievements the
Romans used in the nature of their
architecture are the arch, dome,
vault, column, and aqueduct.
 These accomplishments were large
steps that added to the
understanding of architecture today.
 By reaching these feats the Romans
were able to create many impressive
building and structures.
 The Romans used many materials to create
everything from masonry pastes to walls and flooring.
 These are a few of the materials used:
 Chalk
 Sand
•Wood
•Terracotta
 Pozzolanic concrete
•Ceramics
 Broken pottery
•Tin
 Pumice stone •Iron
 Lime
 Sandstone
 Marble
 Granite
 Similarly to today, the Romans used many different
tools to survey the land and construct buildings.
 These are a few of the tools that were use:
 Dioptra •Saw blades
 Leveling staff •Folding rule
 Groma •Chisels
 Axes •Gouges
 Adze •Hammer
 Lathes •Square
 Saws •trepan
 Planes
 Flies
 Calipers
 The Romans built there foundations out of compact
subsoil and sometimes even rock.
 The foundations of Roman buildings were often 2 to 3m
thick.
 Often when the ground was damp floor boards would be
placed on short pillars allowing the ground beneath to dry
out.
 In important public buildings small clay pipes and vent
were placed in the walls to form a sort of chimney.
 In ancient Rome floors were normally
constructed out of wooden structures and
boards.
 The floor boards were laid over cross
beams that rested on supports from the
surrounding walls.
 For extra comfort wooden floors were
often covered in straw and then covered
over in mortar. When this is done the
floors can even be tiled.
 Roofs were made out of wooden trusses
supported by the walls and covered in tiles.
 In ancient Rome there were a series of techniques that could
be used to create walls.
 Opus reticulatum- a form of brickwork that consists of
diamond shaped tufa blocks and applied with mortar.
 Opus incertum- constructing technique that uses irregular
shaped uncut rocks that are applied with mortar.
 Opus mixtum- application of diamond shaped tufa blocks
and bricks that are applied with mortar.
 The column was very popular in ancient
Roman architecture.
 It was mostly used for structural and at
times decorative manners.
 Columns were often constructed in
sections and then stack on top of each
other.
 The basic column was made out of
wood or stone and mortar, while more http://discoveryouritaly.com/
decorative ones were hand carved. wp-
content/blogs.dir/1/files/essen
ce-of-italy/roman-columns-in-
pompeii.jpg
 The arch was said to be
invented by the Romans,
however the arch has been
around since prehistoric
times.
 Modified by the Romans, the
arch during this times could
support large amounts of
weight.
 The arch was used to provide
extra structure for a building
and was constructed out of
brick, stone, or concrete.
 Constructed between 70-82 AD
 Amphitheatre used for gladiator
competitions and other public
event.
 Able to seat at most 87,000
people.
 Created by masonry and cut
stones.
 Made out of travertine stone,
mortar, bricks, and iron clamps.
 Contains arches, columns,
arcades, and podiums.
 Constructed between 212-216 AD.
 Public bath house that later added a
public library to its complex.
 Covered approximately 33 acres;
750 feet long, 380 feet wide, 125 feet
in height.
 Capable of holding 1,600 people.
 The Thermae of Caracalla was
destroyed during the Gothic war
demolishing the hydraulic
installations, but the remains are a
very popular tourist attraction
today.
 The date in which the original
Pantheon was constructed is
unknown, but it was rebuilt in 126
AD.
 Roman temple built to honor all of
the gods.
 Named for all of the statues placed
around the building and its
resemblance to the heavens.
 This circular building is
constructed with a grand porch,
three rows of columns, and a dome
with a centered oculus to the sky.
 The Pantheons dome is still the
largest unreinforced concrete dome
in the world today.
 Roman mausoleum in Ravenna,
Italy.
 Constructed between 425-430 AD.
 Originally created to be a
mausoleum, the building is
shaped like the Greek cross.
 The mausoleum hold three
sarcophagi containing the burnt
remains of Galla Placidia, her
brother and her husband.
 This building contains a dome and
the interior is covered in Byzantine
mosaics.
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2010. January-February 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_roman_arc hitecture
 “Ancient Roman buildings.” Great Buildings. Artifice. Inc. 2009.
January-February 2010. Web.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/search.html
 “Ancient Roman architecture.” Crystalinks. Ellie Crystal. 2010. January-
February 2010. Web.
http://www.crystalinks.com/romearchitecture.html
 “Ancient Roman architecture.” Mariamilani. Giovanni Milani-
Santarpia. N.d. January- February 2010. Web.
http://www.mariamilani.com/about.htm
 “Images and building from ancient Roman architecture.” Yahoo Images.
Yahoo! 2010. January- February 2010. Web.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/