Roman Architecture Were Romans really the greatest architects in history? For them to accomplish being considered the best, they borrowed ideas from their Etruscan neighbors and their forefathers who had helped supply them with a wealth of knowledge that they mastered and improved upon to become the essential basis for future architectural design and solutions. The Romans made very major improvements to previous era’s ideas of architecture. This created the daring and unique styles that they are known for today. This style helped influence the western world and their construction knowledge became the basis for the world we now know. The Romans created many things that we still use today. The Romans created stucco and colored marbles. These
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The domes that they engineered and built were free standing vaulted domes that did not need cross beams or columns. The columns served their purpose of supporting the roof but did not provide much interior space. Domes solve this problem as they're an extremely strong structure by nature and also create a large area of open space; great for public buildings. A good modern example of this is the Capital Building in Washington DC. Romans based much of their architecture on the dome, such as Hadrian’s Pantheon in the city of Rome, the Baths of Diocletian, and the Baths of Caracalla. Before domes were invented all ancient structures were supported by …show more content…
As the height of the dome rises, the concrete was mixed with lighter and lighter stone materials; the tip is large pumice stone. The Pantheon also has a diameter that measures 43.4 meters. The Roman Pantheon ranks as the world’s largest dome made of unreinforced solid concrete. It is the earliest masonry dome and was so heavy that engineers carved intricate shapes called coffers, along the walls to reduce the weight of the enormous structure. They also gouged a hole called an oculus, at the top which created a daily light show for which the Pantheon is still famous for. The ceiling of the Pantheon dome has five symmetrical rows of 28 coffers (sunken panels) and a round oculus (opening) at the center of the dome (Cravern Jackie.). The reason for the round oculus at the center of the dome is so that sunlight could stream through the oculus and illuminate the
The domes that they engineered and built were free standing vaulted domes that did not need cross beams or columns. The columns served their purpose of supporting the roof but did not provide much interior space. Domes solve this problem as they're an extremely strong structure by nature and also create a large area of open space; great for public buildings. A good modern example of this is the Capital Building in Washington DC. Romans based much of their architecture on the dome, such as Hadrian’s Pantheon in the city of Rome, the Baths of Diocletian, and the Baths of Caracalla. Before domes were invented all ancient structures were supported by …show more content…
As the height of the dome rises, the concrete was mixed with lighter and lighter stone materials; the tip is large pumice stone. The Pantheon also has a diameter that measures 43.4 meters. The Roman Pantheon ranks as the world’s largest dome made of unreinforced solid concrete. It is the earliest masonry dome and was so heavy that engineers carved intricate shapes called coffers, along the walls to reduce the weight of the enormous structure. They also gouged a hole called an oculus, at the top which created a daily light show for which the Pantheon is still famous for. The ceiling of the Pantheon dome has five symmetrical rows of 28 coffers (sunken panels) and a round oculus (opening) at the center of the dome (Cravern Jackie.). The reason for the round oculus at the center of the dome is so that sunlight could stream through the oculus and illuminate the