ROMAN ARCHITECTURE:

ENGINEERING AND ARTISTRY

EXPLORING THE LEGACY OF ANCIENT ROME
S/N REGISTERATION NUMBER NAME
1. EES/22/ARC/OO713 GODWIN TERHEMBA
IORYINA
2. EES/22/ARC/OO714 ABDULLAHI ABDULLAHI
ISHAQ
3. EES/22/ARC/OO715 ASIYA ABDULHAMID JIBIR
4. EES/22/ARC/OO716 YUSUF KAMAR
5. EES/22/ARC/OO717 ABUBAKAR SANI MUAZU
6. EES/22/ARC/OO718 ABDURRAHMAN BAWA
MUHAMMAD
7. EES/22/ARC/OO719 BASHIR MUHAMMAD
8. EES/22/ARC/OO720 FADIL SARKI MUKHTAR
9. EES/22/ARC/OO721 MISTURA NURUDEEN
MURTALA
1O. EES/22/ARC/OO722 SADIQ AUYO MUSA
11. EES/22/ARC/OO723 SUMAYYA SHANONO MUSA
12. EES/22/ARC/OO724 MUSTAPHA NABHAN NURA
 Introduction
Roman architecture combined engineering,
functionality, and aesthetics to create iconic
structures that endured for centuries.

It was Influenced by Greek, Etruscan, and

Italian traditions - Developed new technologies
and materials - Reflected Roman values:
grandeur, power, and civic pride
Roman Architectural Styles
Republican (509-27 BC): simple,

utilitarian

Imperial (27 BC-476 AD):

grandiose, ornate

Provincial (varied by region) Example of republican

architecture
 Architectural elements

Arches
An arch is an architectural
feature that creates open
space by compressing weight
down and outwards. The
Romans were the first to
extensively use the arch in
architecture.
 VAULTS

A vault is a ceiling or
roof constructed of
stone, brick, or concrete
using the principle of
the arch in which
voussoirs support each
other through lateral
pressure.
 DOMES
Roman domes
were used in baths,
villas, palaces, and
tombs. Oculi were
common features. They
were customarily
hemispherical in shape
and partially or totally
 COLUMNS
Roman columns were purely for
decoration, unlike Greek
columns that were used to
support their buildings and
temples. There were four types
of columns used throughout the
Ancient Roman Empire. These
columns were: Doric, Ionic,
Corinthian and Tuscan. Doric
style columns are the most
plain of the four columns
 ROMAN ORDERS
THE TUSCAN ORDER
The Tuscan order (Latin Ordo
Tuscanicus or Ordo Tuscanus,
with the meaning of Etruscan
order) is one of the two classical
orders developed by the
Romans, the other being
the composite order. It is
influenced by the Doric order,
but with un-fluted columns and
a simpler entablature with no
triglyphs or guttae.
 DORIC ORDER
The Doric order is
characterized by a plain,
unadorned column capital and
a column that rests directly on
the stylobate of the temple
without a base. The Doric
entablature includes a frieze
composed
of triglyphs and metopes. The
columns are fluted and are of
sturdy, if not stocky,
proportions.
 IONIC ORDER

The Ionic order originated in the

mid-sixth century on the island
of Ionia and was characterized
by tall, slender, proportioned,
and detailed columns. Buildings
including temples, theaters, and
stadiums were popularly
designed using the Ionic order.
Ionic columns were unique and
more detailed than
previous Doric works.
CORINTHIAN ORDER
The columns were thin
and fluted, meaning they
had a series of vertical
lines cut into the surface.
The style tended to be
slender and elegant. The
most striking element of
the Corinthian order was
its very decorative capital
with a design of scrolls
and unfurled acanthus
leaves
 COMPOSITE ORDER

Composite order, an
order of Classical
architecture,
developed in Rome,
that combines
characteristics of both
the Ionic order and the
Corinthian order.
 ROMAN BUILDING
MATERIALS AND
TECHNIQUES
Roman builders utilized naturally
occurring materials,
primarily stone, timber and marble.
Manufactured materials consisted
of brick and glass and composite
materials consisted of concrete.
Opus vittatum or opus listatum is a
later Roman concrete technique
that is adopted in the early fourth
century C.E. This technique
alternated horizontal courses of
tufo with alternating courses of
bricks. This technique is
particularly evident in building
 Concrete (Opus
caementicium)
Opus caementicium
(“cement work”)“Roman
concrete” describes a
category of building
technology that involves
the use of concrete.
Concrete is defined as a
heavy, durable building
material made from a
mixture of sand, lime,
water, and inclusions
(caementa) such as stone,
 Brick-faced concrete
For rebuilding Rome after the
fire in 64 AD which destroyed
large portions of the
city, Nero's new building
code largely called for brick-
faced concrete. This appears
to have encouraged the
development of the brick and
concrete industries. Example
of opus caementicium on a
tomb on the ancient Appian
Way in Rome.
Stone (travertine, tuff,
marble)
Stone served the Empire as a basic
construction material. Brick and
concrete were used when speed
and repeatability of construction
were critical. At a basic level, stone
STONE
is the most common and logically TUFF
used building material.

The ancient Romans named

travertine lapis tiburtinis, and it
became largely used in the
construction of cities, when local
TRAVERTIN
marble and tuff and began to be MARBLE E
employed in masonry, thus
 ORNAMENTATION AND
DECORATION

mosaics carvings and

sculptural elements
Mosaics became a very popular art
form during the time of the Roman
Empire, although they were used in
Italy both before and after this
period. Roman mosaics appeared
on floors in houses as early as the
2nd century BCE. Romans used
mosaics to decorate floors and
walls in homes and temples.
ROMAN ENGINEERING
FEATS

AQUEDUCTS
Aqueducts were a system of
pipes, water channels, and
trenches that directed fresh water
into the Roman cities.
Aqueducts required a great deal
of planning. They were made
from a series of pipes, tunnels,
canals, and bridges. Gravity and
the natural slope of the land
allowed aqueducts to channel
water from a freshwater source,
such as a lake or spring, to a city.
 ROADS
Roman roads were of several
kinds, ranging from small
local roads to broad, long-
distance highways built to
connect cities, major towns
and military bases. These
major roads were often
stone-paved and metaled,
cambered for drainage, and
were flanked by footpaths,
bridleways and drainage
ditches.
 BRIDGES
Roman bridges are famous
for using the circular arch
form, which allowed for
spans much longer than
stone beams and for bridges
of more permanence than
wood. Where several arches
were necessary for longer
bridges, the building of
strong piers was critical.
 WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
The Romans constructed
aqueducts throughout their
Republic and later Empire, to
bring water from outside
sources into cities and
towns. Aqueduct water supplied
public baths, latrines, fountains,
and private households; it also
supported mining operations,
milling, farms, and gardens.
 ICONIC ROMAN
BUILDINGS

COLOSSUEM
is a giant amphitheater built in Rome
under the Flavian emperors.
Construction of the Colosseum was
begun sometime between 70 and
72 CE during the reign of Vespasian.
It is located just east of the
Palatine Hill, on the grounds of what
was Nero’s Golden House. The
artificial lake that was the centerpiece
of that palace complex was drained,
and the Colosseum was sited there, a
decision that was as much symbolic
 Pantheon
is a former Roman temple and, since
AD 609, a Catholic church (Basilica
Santa Maria ad Martyres or Basilica
of St. Mary and the Martyrs) in
Rome, Italy. It was built on the site of
an earlier temple commissioned by
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa during the
reign of Augustus (27 BC – AD 14);
then, after the original burnt down,
the present building was ordered by
the emperor Hadrian and probably
dedicated
 ROMAN FORUM
For centuries, the Forum was the
centre of day-to-day life in Rome: the
site of triumphal processions and
elections; the venue for public
speeches, criminal trials and
gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus
of commercial affairs. Here statues and
monuments commemorated the city's
leaders. The heart of ancient Rome, it
has been called the most celebrated
meeting place in the world, and in all
history.
ARCH OF CONSTANTINE
Arch of Constantine, (AD 312),
one of three surviving ancient
Roman triumphal arches in Rome.
Erected hastily to celebrate
Constantine’s victory over
Maxentius, it incorporates
sculptures from many earlier
buildings, including part of a
battle frieze and figures of
prisoners from the Forum of
Trajan, a series of Hadrianic
roundels, and a set of eight
Aurelian panels.
 INFLUENCE OF ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE ON
LATER ARCHITECTURE
Roman architecture has featured
distinctive elements that have
had a lasting influence. For
example, they employed
decorative elements such as
mosaics, frescoes, and
sculptures. More impactful still
was how they revolutionized the
use of columns, domes, and
arches.
 INFLUENCE OF
Renaissance and
Baroque styles
The revival of this classical
learning sought influence from
the highly symmetrical and
geometrically proportioned
buildings of classical Rome and
Greece. Predominantly
architectural features such as
pilasters, semi-circular arches,
orderly arrangements of
columns, lintels and domes.
 INFLUENCE OF
NEOCLASSICISM
Neoclassical architecture is
characterized by grandeur of scale,
simplicity of geometric forms, Greek—
especially Doric (see order)—or Roman
detail, dramatic use of columns, and a
preference for blank walls.

Neoclassical architecture impacts

modern design by incorporating
classical elements with contemporary
features. The combination of
functionality and beauty results in
stunning homes with sophistication and
elegance in this unique style.
 INFLUENCE OF
MODERN
ARCHITECTURE
Modern architecture emerged at the end of
the 19th century from revolutions in
technology, engineering, and building
materials, and from a desire to break away
from historical architectural styles and invent
something that was purely functional and
new.
Modern architecture was based upon new
and innovative technologies of construction
(particularly the use of glass, steel, and
concrete); the principle functionalism (i.e.
that form should follow function); an embrace
of minimalism; and a rejection of ornament.
 Conclusion
Roman architecture
continues to inspire
wonder and admiration
for its engineering,
aesthetics, and historical
significance.
 REFERENCE

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