Roman Architecture

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Roman Architecture

The architectural style of Rome was firmly rooted in the Hellenistic traditions.
However, Roman architecture is probably more accurately reflected in the development
of new engineering skills and secular monuments than the ideas of gods and perfection
that birthed the Greek architecture. They introduced not only new ways to construct a
more efficient building but also a entirely different purpose for the building to be built.
While still holding the beauty that was so masterfully achieved by the Greek culture and
adding their own practically and ingenuity, the Romans developed an architectural style
that remains to this day.
The Greeks people had a very good reason, in their minds, to build a beautiful
piece of architecture; the worship of gods. Most all of the examples of Greek architecture
that we know of today were temples. The gods were the driving force behind any major
architecture of the Hellenistic period. This is not true of the Roman culture. Though the
Romans did build temples to their gods, the Roman style was more predominantly seen
in public dwellings and social gathering areas, such as basilicas and forums, than in their
temples. In fact, a majority of the temples that the Romans built were nothing more than
copies of Greek temples, with the exception of the domed Pantheon that will be
discussed later. Also, the Romans included their emperors in the temples along with the
gods and sometimes the temple was just for the emperor himself.
Another major difference between Greek and Roman architecture was the
purpose behind the building. Greek architecture was meant to be viewed as a piece of art
work that was dedicated to the gods. This is easy to see from the ornateness of the
outside of the building with the pediments and metopes and the rather drabness of the
inside with the exception of the friezes. The Greek designed it as a sculpture in a sense,
with all of the beauty to be viewed from the outside. This way of thinking is turned
completely around in the Roman architectural style. Although the Roman building are
beautiful on the outside, the true art lies on the inside with the many-colored walls and
paintings that gave a sense of depth to the room. Also, the Roman architect was
concerned with the lighting of the room so that the interior decorations could be seen
clearly. These things were important to the Romans because their buildings were meant
to be gathering places for the public. The basili...

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