The edifices erected during the repub lican state of the country are known by their simplicity and usefulness, while those of the emperors are remarkable for ornament The emperor Adrian jour neyed over all his provinces, building and restoring cities and public edifices. Ai Athens he built the immense Temple ot Jupiter Olympus, repaired the gates of the city, which by inscription he claimed as his own. Ile built the aqueducts that supplied the city of Corinth with watery and the great wall across the Island of Great Britain, from New-Castle to Carlisle.
The emperor Augustus said he found Rome composed of brick, but he had, changed it into marble. Among the numerous edifices-constructed during his reign were, the Temple and Forum of Mars the avenger ; Jupiter Tonans in the capital pantheon, dedicated to all the gods; and a temple to Minerva composed entirely of brass ; and he brought the Aqua Virginis to Rome through an ague duct 14 miles in length.
Dioclesian reared the stately corinthian in the ancient city of Tedrnor in the wilderness, built by Solomon, and called by the Romans Palmyra.
Throughout the Roman dominions the Corinthian was the prevailing order. The Ionic appears to have been the favourite order in Asia Minor ; the Corinthian in the colonies of Rome ; and. the sober Doric every where the most ancient and lasting of them all.
At Palmyra and Balbec their rectangu lartemples are veryextraordinaryin point of extent; and the superb style of deco ration to which their arts were carried— the immense size of the materials in the temple at Balbec ; is perhaps greater than any employed in Egypt. In the quarry without the walls of the city lies a stone 70 feet in length, and 14 feet square, in the shape of a parallelopipedon, containing 14,128 cubic feet, and weigh ing upwards of 1130 tons.
Although the Romans can claim but little merit of originality in what relates to civil architecture, the modern world is very much indebted to them for a very important feature in the science of build ing: that is, the invention of the arch, which was entirely unknown to the Greeks previous to the Roman con quest. The utility and grandeur of this important invention is fully demonstrated in the extensive vaults, domes, bridges, and. aqueducts, with which their most su perb edifices were constructed and adorn ed, the judicious arrangement of which never fails to produce the most pleasing effects, particularly when constructed on an extended span: The profuse introduction of arches in the facades of edifices generally destroys the effect of other features, composed of straight lines. The Romans became so
enamoured with them, LI.9 to spring them from the base capital of a column, which is intended solely for perpendicular sup po rt,and not to counteract lateral pressure. From one absurdity to another more gross, their original purity became almost ex tinct. The orders, which had already become overloaded with ornament, were scarcely able to support the unmeaning trappings with which they were disguis ed, andthciringenuity, being almost with out bounds, discovered and added traits to their character not much unlike the Gothic. This anarchy in the state of architecture was happily relieved by an interregnum of the Gothic style, which branched forth its delicate limbs and beautiful tracery. A short time previous to the incursions of the Goths and Huns, a decidedly new character appeared in the art. The ba.silicm of all the great cities of the empire were-converted into ehristian churches, keeping up the same form of rectangular parallelograms, di viding the cell into aisles by two rows of columns, with arches springing from their capitals to support the roof; wings were added to the flanks of these buildings, forming on the ground plan the Latin cross, which has continued to be the mo del of most christian churches to this day.
It is very certain that the declension of Roman architecture began to make its appearance in the reign of Constanstine, shortly after his conversion to christianity ; but it does not appear that he favoured or promoted this style in the foundation of his city of Constantinople.
During this period, until thc sixteenth century, Gothic architecture continued to supplant all other styles, and during a few centuries was practised throughout Eu rope. Charlemagne introduced it into France, when many magnificent churches were erected, which continue to be the ablest specimens of the style to this day. The Roman style again revived, when the term Gothic was applied, in derision, by the Italian school of Palladio.