Roman Architecture

The most important circular temples are those of Vesta in the Forum, of Mater Matuta and the Pantheon in Rome, the temple of Vesta at Tivoli and those of Jupiter at Spalato, Rome and Augustus on the Acropolis at Athens, and Venus at Baalbek, which has detached Corinthian columns joined to the cella walls by a segmental architrave. The greatest circular temple and in many respects the most important Roman building is the Pan theon (q.v.). This consists of a rotunda 142 ft. 6 in. in diameter surrounded by concrete walls 20 ft. thick, in which are alternate circular and rectangular niches. Light is admitted through a central opening 28 ft. across, at the crown of the dome. In front is a portico which originally belonged to the temple built by Agrippa and was altered from decastyle (ten columns) to octa style (eight columns) and re-erected when the rotunda was built under Hadrian, A.D. 120-124. The construction of the rotunda and dome is one of the finest examples of Roman concrete work, the whole being strengthened by immense relieving arches and piers of brick set above one another in the thickness of the walls. The interior was lined with precious marbles, the coffers of the dome were decorated with bronze rosettes and the dome itself covered externally with bronze plates. (See TEMPLE.) The Roman basilicas were large covered halls facing the forum, affording protection from the weather and giving space for the holding of courts of justice and for banking and other commercial transactions—all of which activities had in earlier days been car ried on in the open market-place. On the forum in Rome are the Basilica Julia on the south side and the Basilica Aemilia on the north side—both of which had a central hall and side aisles. The Basilica Ulpia in Trajan's forum was similar in plan, but had at either end semicircular halls which served as law courts. The fourth and greatest of the basilicas is that begun by Maxentius and finished by Constantine, A.D. 306-310. This huge building covered 7,000 sq.yd. and followed in construction and plan the great hall of the Roman baths. The vaults over the bays on the north side are still to be seen overhanging without support, a striking testimony to the marvellous cohesion and enduring strength of Roman concrete. The basilica at Pompeii is an ex ample of the simpler type general in the provinces.

Theatres and Amphitheatres.

The Roman theatres dif fered in several respects from the Greek. The auditorium was not excavated and the walls surrounding stage and seating were continuous, the entrance to the orchestra being by vaulted pas sages. As the chorus played no part in the Roman theatre the orchestra or dancing space was not required and became part of the auditorium. The only theatre in Rome of which any remains exist is that of Marcellus built by Augustus (13 B.c.) but there are numerous examples throughout the Roman empire especially in Asia Minor. The theatre at Orange, France, is the best pre served example. Others of importance are the theatre at Taor mina, Sicily, two theatres at Pompeii, the theatre at Ostia, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus at Athens, theatres at Telmessus, Alinde, Aizani, Aspendus in Asia Minor, etc.

The Roman amphitheatre (q.v.) is in origin, as its name im

plies, a double theatre. The largest and most important of all the Roman amphitheatres is the Colosseum (q.v.) built by the Emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian in A.D. 72-8o on the site of Nero's lake. It is a huge ellipse 62o ft. X 513 ft. covering six acres and shows remarkable skill in planning. It had seating accommodation for about 45,000 spectators, and its 8o entrances were so arranged that the whole building could be cleared in an incredibly short time. The whole is built of concrete, the exterior being faced with travertine and the interior with precious marbles that have long since disappeared. Other important amphitheatres are those at Capua, Pompeii, Pozzuoli, Verona, Pola, Arles, Nimes, etc.

Baths.

By the end of the republic, baths (balneae) had be come a recognized feature of Roman life. Under the empire their numbers increased until at the beginning of the 4th century A.D. they numbered i,000 in Rome alone. They were of the type of the Turkish bath with rooms at different temperatures. Remains of these ordinary establishments are common throughout the empire. The Stabian baths at Pompeii are the best preserved.

The imperial thermae were more than baths. They were im mense establishments of great magnificence with facilities for every gymnastic exercise, with halls to which resorted philos ophers, poets and rhetoricians and those who wished to hear them. The earliest of these thermae were those built by Agrippa in 21 B.C. Others were built by Nero, Titus, Trajan, Caracalla, Dio cletian and Constantine. The best preserved are the baths of Caracalla, which covered an area of i io yd. square, and those of Diocletian with accommodation for 3,200 bathers. Parts of the latter are now occupied by the church of S. Maria degli Angeli and by the Museo Belle Terme. The remains of these two great establishments with their massive walls and great vaults are among the most impressive examples of Roman concrete construction. The planning of the thermae is governed by two main principles, that of axial planning, a distinctive feature in all Roman work, and the grouping of all subsidiary halls and rooms round a great central hall. (See BATHS.) Triumphal Arches and Gateways.—More usual than the tri umphal column, as exemplified by those of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius, is the triumphal arch commemorating some important event or campaign. This is most commonly an isolated monu ment not necessarily spanning a roadway; e.g., the triumphal arches of Septimius Severus at Rome and of Trajan at Ancona are accessible only by flights of steps, while the archway itself is too narrow for ordinary use. The triumphal arch was usually decorated with columns and bas-reliefs of the chief events it com memorated and was frequently surmounted by a group of sculp ture. The most important of these arches are the arch of Titus (A.D. 82) commemorating the capture of Jerusalem, the arches of Septimius Severus and Constantine in Rome, and Trajan's arches at Beneventum and Ancona. There are several other tri umphal arches in the provinces, notably those of Tiberius at Orange, of Augustus at Susa and Caracalla at Tebesa. Others exist at Rheims, Pola, Timgad, Maktar, etc.