Travertine TRAVERTINE is a form of massive calcium carbonate, CaCO3 resulting from deposition by springs or rivers. It is often beautifully colored and banded as a result of the presence of iron compounds or other (e.g., organic) impurities. This material is variously known as calc-sinter and calcareous tufa and (when used for decorative purposes) as onyx marble, Mexican onyx, and Egyptian or Oriental alabaster. Travertine is generally less coarse-grained and takes a higher polish than stalactite and stalagmite, which are similar in chemical composition and origin. Travertine, the stone of the Colosseum and St. Peters as well as of several structures in New York and Philadelphia, is not a volcanic tufa but calcareous sediment that was deposited on the ground by the hot springs that first began to flow during the earliest eruptions of the Alban volcanoes. The best quality, in fact the only reliable one in Latium, is that which is found between Bagni and the Sabine hills below Tivoli. Lanciani, who has fascinatingly described the quarries there, estimated that five and a half million cubic meters of stone had been extracted from the ancient quarry alone. And yet, because of its position under a flat grass-grown plain, the Romans did not discover the existence of this remarkable stone till after the middle of the second century B. C.; and even after that they failed for a century to develop a system of extracting the stone in a sufficiently easy way to make the extensive use of it practicable. In the later decades of the second century B. C. it displaced peperino for inscriptional monuments for obvious reasons. Its employment in large structures cannot with certainty be posited before the construction of the Mulvian bridge in 109,...
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...lonade, as well as for the door posts and the horizontal arch over the door near the ground on the Forum side. The builder, therefore, chose it not only for parts that needed decoration but also for points of great strain, and that he knew its ability to stand wear is proved by his employment of it for the long staircase of 66 steps which lead up inside from the Forum to the Capitoline. Peperino and stone from Grotta Oscura are not found as integral parts of the masonry. Most of the vaults are of concrete. There seems to be only one piece of marble, and that is the threshold of the small door on the Forum side; a strange piece of luxury; it is Pentelic. References Frank, Tenney. Roman Buildings of the Republic: An Attempt to Date Them from Their Materials. American Academy in Rome: Rome. 1924. p. 34 Travertine http://www.antalya-ws.com/english/underwat/falez.asp#
of the greatest architectural structures in the time. Along with the forum he built Trajan's column, which at the base depicted the war against Dacia.
"National Roman Museum - Palazzo Massimo Alle Terme." Soprintendenza Speciale per I Beni Archeologici Di Roma. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
The exterior of the Pantheon, like its history, went through many metamorphoses. The porch of the old temple used to stairs since the construction later raised the ground level leading to the portico. The temple has a Greek facade that has a granite pediment that lies upon the giant Corinthian columns. Although the columns are not like the Greek ones that have drums: they are not segmented. The temple was originally framed by a colonnade and surrounded with other temples as well. The structure was built with with concrete and was once faced with marble. Basalt was used for its foundation; and pumice was used to build the building’s upper structure (Rickerson, 222). The building composed of a rectangular pronaos (portico) with
Pantheon and Hagia Sophia Pantheon and Hagia Sophia are two extremely outstanding architectural pieces of their times. They have been built according to the traditions of those particular times. The materials used to built these buildings and the purpose for which they were used are all very important aspects and have been briefly covered in this report. Pantheon The statesman Agrippa built pantheon in 27 B.C. Then it was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times. The present structure was probably originally built as a temple for all the pagan gods. We do hear of it as being a law-court and a reception area for Emperor Hadrian meeting his quests too. Some say that the rotunda of the building was once a Roman bath. Due to all this mystery, the Pantheon is often referred to as the Sphinx of Rome. The visitor will probably not appreciate the construction as much as the Flavian amphitheatre, but it is still a great masterpiece of engineering and well worth a visit. Most Roman and Greek temples at the time of the Pantheon's construction were large, colonnaded, rectangular enclosures with sanctuaries situated in their centers. The Pantheon was different. It consisted of a large circular drum topped with a hemispherical dome. It is a masterpiece of both engineering and art a lasting memory of Ancient Rome’s might. Roman architecture is architecture of wall and enclosed tactile space. Individual column with entablature is no longer the basic architectural unity. Spatially, it shows a development from closed, simple space units and regular articulation to more complex spatial relations, more fluid interpenetrati...
The Medici Chapel is located in Florence, Italy and it is a house to the Medici family. The Medici Chapel includes, the Crypt, The Princes’ Chapel (Cappella del Principi) and The New Sacristy (Sacrestia Nuova). The main rooms are the New Sacristy and the Princes’ Chapel, and the entrance is at the back of San Lorenzo. The New Sacristy was designed and built by Michelangelo in 1519. The Princes’ Chapel is where the members of the Medici family are buried.
Throughout the readings of both Aristotle and Augustine, each philosopher represented their views on the nature of happiness and their means for achieving that happiness in this life. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who spent the majority of his life either teaching, studying, and writing known for positioning the majority of the groundwork for western philosophy along with Plato (“Aristotle’s Ethics”). Additionally, he touched on areas focused primarily on biology, physics, morality, and politics which were described in detail in his numerous philosophical treatises. Augustine, who is normally referred to as Augustine of Hippo, wrote an abundance of works which were also groundbreaking for the development of Western philosophy (“Saint Augustine”). His main focus was on the teachings of God as well as directing individuals to find peace with God because in order to achieve happiness, he believed finding peace with God was the first step. Traditionally, humans believe that happiness is achieved through the fulfillment of human nature and accomplishing a specific task or goal, and both Aristotle and Augustine defined this happiness and flourishing state in similar yet distinct ways. Aristotle and Augustine each developed separate views on the nature of happiness and the path to achieve that happiness; however, the best human life and highest fulfillment of happiness are achieved through Augustine’s approach to human flourishing.
The Romans discovered many things that would aid the construction of their great civilization. The Romans discovered that a particular mixture of volcanic rock rubble and water could be used to create very strong structures; their concrete mixture could even be used in underwater applications. The Romans used concrete to make foundations for large buildings as well as bridges. They also used concrete as mortar to hold together the stones that made up roads, walls, and bridges. The Romans discovery of concrete allowed them to build very large structures that have survived many centuries.
Before addressing the column’s physical attributes it’s important to discuss the significance of the closely related landmarks that surround it. According to author Marilyn Stokstad, “The last and largest Imperial Forum was built by Trajan about 110-113 CE and finished under Hadrian about 117 CE on a large piece of property next to the earlier forums of Augustus and Julius Caesar” (Stokstad 191). At the north end of the courtyard was a closed off section from a building referred to as the Basilica Ulpia (Fig. 2). It was created in c. 112 CE and named after the family which Trajan had been a part of. The basilica was a long, spacious structure measured 385 feet long (without the apes included) and 182 feet wide that was mainly used for government related purposes (Stokstad 192). There were also two libraries behi...
Originally a Gothic town hall, the Palazzo della Ragione or Basilica (commissioned in 1549), was on the verge of crumbling and Palladio won a competition to redesign it. His answer was to encase it on three sides with a two-storey loggia that provided reinforcement and transformed the exterior with classic columned arcades on two levels. Arches were placed between pilasters, Doric on the lower level, Ionic above, supporting entablatures. In each bay, the arch rests on small columns placed away from the larger pilasters with a rectangular gap in between - now known as the ‘Palladian motif’.
The era of the Pax Romana – though still a period of time filled with civil war and conquests in an attempt to expand the empire – was an overall period of stability for Roman society. During this time the Roman people knew their Emperor was an unwavering political powerhouse with an ability to run the Empire efficiently. In addition to having an efficient political leader, Rome had a strong military force stable enough to protect them from outside forces. The security of the Pax Romana period allowed Romans to focus on politics, culture, and technology providing them the opportunity to progress and flourish as a society.
His articulation of the Orders are more than an recitation of Classical form. The Doric, Tuscan, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite columns and other architectonic elements associated with the orders draw on the wealth of Greco-Roman architecture in Italy. Six unmatched walls of different orders and heights form the vertical structure of the fountain. Marble and bright yellow, ochre and red surfaces cover the facades, ...
The Façade, designed by the architect Carlo Maderno, “Is 114.69 metres wide and 48 metres high, and has an order of Corinthian columns and pilasters, over which lies an imposing cornice with a central tympanum, crowned by a balustrade with thirteen statues (nearly 6 metres high).” There can be found an inscription on the entablature stating that the Façade was built under Pope Paul V Borghese. In the lower order there are five entrances to the atrium, over which are nine windows, three of which possessing a balcony. The main window, the “Benediction Loggia”, where the Pope gives his blessing upon his election, and at Christmas and Easter. When Maderno added the nave, which is the main body of the church,
words that help capture what is medieval art. The artists behind these pieces of artwork
The Baroque era was the age of magic. Flat surfaces became three-dimensional and paint on plaster became alive. It was the age of masterful illusion. Nothing exhibits this mastery better than Baroque ceiling paintings.
Boëthius, A., Ling, R., & Rasmussen, T. (1978). Etruscan and early Roman architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press.