Greek & Roman Architecture Roman

Greek & Roman Architecture Roman Adoption and Reform of Greek Architecture What technological improvements did the Romans make to Greek architecture? How did their buildings differ from Greeks? Although Roman and Greek architecture are often spoke of in one breath, because of their similar surface appearances, Roman architectural function and design is actually quite different.

The reason that so many Roman structures look Greek is due to the fact that Rome was a highly adaptive culture, eager to assimilate other aspects of Greece into its appearance, just as it assimilated Greece itself into its empire. For example, after Sulla's Greek conquest, Romans almost immediately adopted mosaic designs into their homes, and the design of Greek homes with a wide open dining space became the triclinium in Roman villas ("Ancient Roman Architecture," Crystal Links, 2008).

However, Roman architecture substantially reformed the technical construction of earlier Greek models to meet the great capital city's unique needs. Rome was a vast and sprawling empire, with no real parallel in the Greek past. It required structures to support its high urban population density. The improved use of vaults and arches enabled Romans to create vast public spaces such as public baths and basilicas.

For the first time, multi-tiered homes were constructed for large numbers of residents, and public and private structures were equipped with latrines and heating devices ("Ancient Roman Architecture," Crystal Links, 2008). Rome created public buildings and monuments that were also unprecedented in Greece partly for political reasons. Architectural domination was a tool of the empire to show its wealth and glory, and by replicating these public arch and dome structures in miniature all over the empire, its self-image was gratified even further.

The Pantheon, the temple to all the gods, is perhaps the most famous Roman structure commemorating the city's glory, as well as the Roman gods (many of which were adapted from Greek models). Rome's brutal site of public entertainment, the Coliseum, is based on a series of open, connected arches in its design, to encompass large crowds and dominate the landscape. The city became filled with triumphal arches commemorating great victories of generals and emperors, like the Triumphal Arches of Titus, Constantine, and Septimus.

Thus, in contrast to ancient Greece, civic leaders as well as the gods were consecrated in images near every public dwelling. Roman building materials were also different. Unlike the Greeks, Roman builders could not use marble all the time, because it had become expensive. But the Romans had developed concrete, in addition to their terracotta, stone and brick. Concrete was another example of a superior Roman technological reform. It was "made by mixing pazzolana, a strong volcanic material with rubble and a mixture of limes.

The concrete was used to make walls, domes, vaulted roofs of solid concrete, concrete with brick ribs and faced structure" ("Roman Architecture," Romans Page, 2008). The use of the arch, along with the development of new building materials enabled Romans to create aqueducts, to channel water from hills to cisterns. This was another substantial move forward in architectural design that improved the quality of human life. The covered pipes were lined with cement to.