Art+&+Architecture+2

=**ART AND ARCHITECTURE**= = =

media type="custom" key="8888456" width="270" height="270" align="center"

The arch is seen throughout Roman architecture and it is a vital aspect to some structures. Due to the fact that Rome applied the arch much more then all other civilizations, many people have come to believe that this is because Romans were the creators of this architectural feature. This idea is a misconception. In actuality, the first evidence of the arch dates back to around the second millennium of Mesopotamia. However, Romans took full advantage of the arch and used it in many famous infrastructures (i.e. Aqueducts, Colleseum, and these: More Roman Arches ). The arch has impressive structural support (as seen in the roman feats) which is because no one stone holds all the weight. All the pieces of the arch would be useless without one piece: the keystone. The keystone is placed at the top of the arch and deposits the weight above to either side. However, the keystone cannot be placed into the arch until all the other pieces are in place. Builders used wooden supports to hold up the stones until the arch could be placed in the correct position. Once the keystone is in place, the supports are removed and can be used elsewhere.

In some structures, individual stones were replaced by "pouring" an arch out of Roman concrete. The Roman advancement of concrete was a extremely strong as well as cheap. Concrete was a mixture of pebbles, bricks, water, and volcanic ash, which acted as a binding substance to solidify the mixture once it was dry. The technological advancement of concrete allowed for large domes and arches to be built considerably faster because the whole process of cutting a stone precisely to fit into place was eliminated. In domes, the rough concrete would be covered up with a marble revetment for looks. Concrete was used as a filler as well. In many cases, a walls was constructed out of stone, and then the concrete would be poured into the space in between to cut down on costs and increase strength.

Domes were a big part of Romes amazing architecture. The Romans discovered the use of the dome as roof after discovering the arch. The same idea is used with gravity and balance. The Dome is used in many different buildings in Rome. Buildings such as San Ber anda alle Terme, Ercole Callaico, and the most famous is the Pantheon. Domes were also used in Roman Baths. Almost all of the famous baths in Rome had a dome roof. Even later in Romes history domes came into place. Maybe the most famous painting in Catholic history is painted in Vatican City on a Dome roof. Even today we still use domes in architecture, for example the capital building.

Insulae are essentially the apartment buildings for plebeians and some of the low middle class living in urban areas.The layout of the buildings consists of the shops at the ground level, then the floors above them were dedicated to apartments. A average insula would be around six stories high. However, the insulae were not constructed of the highest quality material (wood, mud brick, low quality cement), thus the upper levels were the least desirable. Insulae did not have all the luxury or hypocaust (heating system), but did have water and necessary sanitation. In Rome around the 4th century, it was estimated that there was 42,000-46,000 insulae.

Roman baths were very unique and amazing. The baths required a way of heating up water. This was done by using a furnace and the hypocaust system carried the heat around the complex. Most Roman baths had 3 main rooms, the cold room, the warm room, and the hot room. The cold room was filled with ice baths. The warm and hot rooms were a different story though. Roman architects used fires as a heating system under the floors to heat them. In the hot room, the floor was so hot that men needed to wear shoes. The other amazing part of Roman baths was that they actually had running water.



The numerous Roman aqueducts that provided water to cities are a great achievement. To Rome alone, a total of 500 miles from five aqueducts delivered water for drinking, bathing, etc. However, only 29 of that 500 mile total were, and some still are, above the ground. Logically it does not make sense build above ground the whole way (besides to show power and wealth). The majority of the aqueducts were below the ground, which kept them clean and disease free. Because the aqueducts relied solely on gravity to bring the water to the cities, a sudden alter in topographic terrain (i.e. river or valley) would pose a reason for building a raised tunnel (see above). The rate water traveled at a rate of around several inches for every 100 feet. On the other hand, if the aqueduct came across a mountain, the builders would tunnel right though it while maintaining the same pitch so the water would continue to flow. As seen above, the arch, as well as concrete, was incorporated into the design of the raised aqueducts. The strength of the arch allowed for long areas to be spanned with no support while holding a good deal of weight. Aqueducts allowed Romans to live cleanly and have water at their control.



media type="youtube" key="FN1v5FYkTLQ" height="390" width="480" align="center"

====  Roman paintings might be the most important documentation in Romes history. Without the paintings of things like the Coliseum, landscapes of Rome, and portraits of emperors and other historically important people, we'd have no idea what anything looked like. Roman painting was divided into 4 periods, and is has many different aspects over time. Romans painted landscapes a vistas, still life, portraits, genre scenes, and triumphant paintings. The most famous ancient Roman painting is the Fresco. ====

====Greece influenced Roman sculptures greatly. Most sculptures are of humans, nude or clothed, but they always were in a natural position. Most powerful figures had portraits sculpted of themselves. These busts usually did not show the exact characteristics, but rather enhanced them to make them more of a respectful figure. Additionally, having a sculpture of oneself in Rome was viewed higher then a painting. Mosaics (pictures created out of lots of colored stone or glass) were often used inside of palaces and wealthy citizens homes because of their beauty.====