Roman Architecture

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Roman Architecture

Many centuries before the birth of Christ, the city of Rome grew, prospered, and developed into a thriving Republic. As in most cultures, Rome's buildings became more elaborate and impressive. They developed fantastic building technologies and ideas. The feats of Roman engineers were groundbreaking, and many structures built by this culture still stand today. With knowledge borrowed from the Greeks, Rome made impressive architectural achievements, these were namely major attributes of buildings, colossal structures, and a legacy that would influence later buildings (Cornell and Matthews 11).

According to legend, the city of Rome was founded in about 753 BC, by a group of shepherds. It sat at an ideal location, along 7 hills on the Tiber River 15 miles from the Mediterranean Sea in present day Italy. Situated in an ideal defensive location it grew. Roman rule spread throughout the Italian peninsula due to its military strength and diplomacy (Cornell and Matthews 17).

The first settlements discovered in Rome were on Tiber Island, later the sire of a temple to Aesculapius god of healing. Little is known of early Roman history because its first historical literature was recorded in 200 BC (Cornell and Matthews 14).

The earliest structures that were inhabited by the ancient Romans were crude huts. At the end of the seventh century BC these huts were demolished. This made way for a decidedly more urban aspect of construction with permanent stone temples, houses, and various other public buildings. Building was encouraged by the leader Tarquin I who lived from 116 to 579 BC. He made grants of land to be used as building sites. Tarquin promoted the development of shops and porticoes. Servius...

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...lso influenced by it. Some of the world's most famous buildings were built by Rome or influenced by it (Bernard 66).

With knowledge borrowed from the Greeks, Rome made impressive architectural achievements, these were namely major attributes of buildings, colossal structures, and a legacy that would influence later buildings (Cornell and Matthews 11).

The Romans succeeded in building some of the most architecturally sound buildings of ancient times. They ideas were the forerunners of architectural practices today.

Works Cited

"Architecture." World Book Encyclopedia. 1002 ed.

Bernard, Charlotte. Caesar and Rome. New York. Henry Holt and Company, 1995.

Cornell, Tim, and John Matthews. Atlas of the Roman World. New York. Oxford Limited, 1994.

Nardo, Don. The Age of Augustus. San Diego. Lucent Books, 1997.

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