The time period of the Roman's achievements was in 8th century BC. They excelled in art and architecture, specializing in arch, vault, and concrete. The Romans assimilated all other cultures.
This is an example of a Roman vault.
Vault: A roof in the form of an arch or a series of arches, typical of churches and other large, formal buildings.
This is an example of Roman arches.
Arch: A curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above it.
This is the Arch of Constantine. It is a Triumphal Arch and it celebrates the victory for Constantine's assumption of power.
This is the Forum Romanum. It was a place of meeting and discussing. Other things that were here were a political meeting house, a discussion hall, a towns square, political/religious center, and as a shopping place.
This is the Colosseum. This was a place for entertainment such as duels to the death, fake naval wars, and gladiator races. It is a 16 story building that stands 144 feet tall. It is made with concrete (which the Romans invented) and had decorative plaster and marble on its surface. It held 50,000 people. In order to get in people needed tickets, like we do today when we go to an event such as a concert. In the Colosseum were niches, which held statues that were most likely copied from the Greeks. The Colosseum was an example of the Standard Roman Sequence which was the style of architecture. From bottom to top it was Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
When it rained in Rome, a tarp called a valarium was pulled over the Colosseum to make sure water did not flood it. It took over 1,000 men to pull this tarp over.
This is called the Pantheon, and it was a temple to worship all the gods. The columns are Corinthian. The walls were 20 feet thick, the floors were 144 feet in diameter,and the dome is 144 feet from the floor. With the dome, it is more thick at the base. The ceiling is coffered.
The eye of the dome is called the oculus, and is 30 feet wide. Below the oculus was a drainage system for when it would rain.
The doors of the Pantheon were covered in gold but were pilfered.
This is the Roman Baths. These were used for bathing, and however many times you went depended on your wealth. The rich would go 1-2 times a day. You would go through 3 pools of 3 different temperatures. The Romans believed this was healthy for you.
This is an ancient Roman house. All the rooms in these houses had a certain purpose. That was a new idea then, but still remains with us today!
This is the Head of Augustus, which is located currently at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California. This is an example of the glass eyes used with statues.
This is a statue of Constantine the Great. He was an emperor who legalized Christianity. His mother is responsible for holy spots being established, such as the path Jesus walked on his way to being crucified. The statue of 30 feet tall, with just the head remaining. The features are exaggerated in the eyes to show that the eyes are the gateway to the soul and so that the iris and pupil could be seen.
This is an example of an equestrian statue. It is of Marcus Aurelius. It was the only equestrian bronze to survive from Greece. Michelangelo did a copy but was not pleased with it so he placed it on a simple pedestal. The original is in the Palazzo dei Conservatori.
This is the Aqueducts. The use is to get water to the city, and is done with the force of gravity. It is made with concrete and it expands and contracts with the temperature. They do repairs on it between April 1 and November 1 because of the weather. Rome has 77 aqueducts supplying 350 million gallons of water a day.
This is the Column of Trajan, which holds Trajan's ashes inside!
The drawings on the outside represent a record of Trajan's conquests and victories. This is called Bas Relief.
This is an ancient Roman fresco. Fresco's were paintings in wet plaster. The paintings were used for decoration of homes, and had family portraits and fake landscapes painted.
This is an ancient Roman mosaic. Each piece of a mosaic was half a centimeter. Some of the smaller stones were 150 tiles per 1 square centimeter. That's crazy insane! These were created when the New Testament was being written.
These 3 pictures are bodies that became preserved like that from being covered in ash. This is from the city of Pompeii. A volcano erupted and the ash covered the city of Pompeii within a short amount of time and killed everyone. This is such a big deal because of the way everything is so well preserved.
I hope you all enjoyed this post as much as I did! I am thankful for the Romans and their intelligence they had to create the systems we may take for granted in today's times!
