Ancient Rome Architecture Introduction
The history of Roman architecture was divided into two eras. The first era was of the Roman Republic where the Romans learned their architectural craftsmanship from the Etruscans and the Greeks. The made use of natural material to form plaster and brick to make their structures. The second era was of the Roman Empire which began about 27 B.C. The Roman Empire covered thousands of miles across Europe and North America.
The Colosseum
One of the most well-known structures built was the Colosseum also known as the Flavian Amphitheater. The Colosseum took ten years to construct, from 72 A.D. to 80 A.D. Vespasian commanded for the construction of the Colosseum and it was finished by his son Titus. It was built with limestone and bricks covered in marble. The Colosseum could hold more than 50,000 spectators; there were 64 doors to let spectators in and out that were called vomitoria. The Colosseum was about 160 feet high and covered about six acres. Under the floor was a lift system and trapdoors were animals and people could enter the arena.
There were three tiers in which different classes of society sat. The first tier was for senators, ambassadors and vestals. The second tier was for the wealthy and the third was for the public. The first tier was decorated with Doric columns, the second tier with Ionian columns, and the third tier with Corinthian columns.
The spectators of the Colosseum came for entertainment. The were gladiatorial contests, hunts, mock battles, giant hunts and fights that were held here. There were games held for 100 straight days within those days thousands of animals were killed. The Romans could even flood the floor of the Colosseum where water battles took place.
The Pantheon
The original Pantheon was built in 27-25 B.C. under the Roman Empire, it was built originally as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the Roman state religion. It was built during the third...