Roman architectural revolution

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"Concrete revolution" redirects here. Not to be confused with Concrete Revolutio.
The Roman Pantheon had the largest dome in the world for more than a millennium and is the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome to this day[1]

The Roman architectural revolution, also known as the concrete revolution,

Roman republic, although the best examples are from the imperial times (Arch of Augustus at Susa, Arch of Titus).[4]

A crucial factor in this development that saw

opus caementicium), which led to the liberation of the shape from the dictate of the traditional materials of stone and brick.[5]

For the first time in recorded history we find evidence of an interest in the shapes of the space contained strong enough to outweigh the functional logic of the masonry masses that contained it. There was nothing new in the employment of curvilinear or polygonal forms, as such...But in so far as such buildings incorporated curvilinear or polygonal rooms and corridors, the shapes of these were determined by the form of the building as a whole, not by any aesthetic principle.[5]

The development of Roman architecture, however, did not remain limited to these new forms and materials. An unrelated process of architectural innovation continued unabated, which, although less conspicuous, proved their usefulness for solving structural problems and found their way permanently into Western architecture, such as the

lintel arch, the independent corbel, and the metal-tie.[6]

The Mausoleum of Augustus in Rome

During the Age of

nephew of the emperor. The brick-faced concrete structure construction started under Julius Caesar but was completed under Augustus. It was this building that shows the integration of new concrete building techniques of Augustus's architects as opposed to those of Caesar.[7] The Theatre of Marcellus uses a variety of materials that aid in the growth of the concrete revolution using readily available volcanic stones such as Tuscolo tuff and Tufo Lionato as aggregates in pozzolanic
concretes.

These newly concocted recipes for concrete provided durability to walls and barrelled vaults as well as a unique aesthetic appeal. The integrated stone and masonry design illustrate a refinement that came with the concrete revolution as a result of the new techniques and styles developed under Augustus. The craftsmanship of the Theatre Marcellus demonstrated a skilled employment as well as rigorous technical supervision.[8]

The revolution reached its apogee in the architecture of Hadrian who instigated a burst of enormous inventiveness in many buildings, such as Hadrian's Villa, the Pantheon, Rome, the so-called temples and the villa of Pisoni at Baiae. These buildings are considered masterpieces of architecture, making use of striking curved shapes enabled by extensive use of concrete.[9] They were ingenious for the complex and distinctive ground plans. His architecture is also noted for other important innovations, including segmented domes sometimes raised on drums which included windows. .

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ The Roman Pantheon: The Triumph of Concrete
  2. ^ DeLaine 1990, p. 407; Rook 1992, pp. 18f.; Gardner 2005, p. 170
  3. ^ Robertson 1969, p. 231.
  4. ^ a b Woodman & Bloom 2003, Ancient Greece and Rome.
  5. ^ a b Ward-Perkins 1956, p. 219
  6. ^ DeLaine 1990, p. 407
  7. ^ Sear, Frank (1983). Roman Architecture. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. pp. 49-68.
  8. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00570.x
    .
  9. ^ Jacobson, David M. “Hadrianic Architecture and Geometry.” American Journal of Archaeology 90, no. 1 (1986): 69–85. https://doi.org/10.2307/505986.

References

Further reading

External links
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