Archeology of Ancient Rome

1st Midterm

Monarchy (753–509 BC)

Traditional founding of Rome

Ruled by Kings

establishment of early religious and political institutions

Republic (509–27 BC)

Government led by elected magistrates and the Senate

Expansion throughout Italy and the Mediterranean

Development of civic and public architecture

Empire (27 BC–476 AD in the West)

Beginning with Augustus (but continued the traditions of the Republic. He kind of formed the two together)

Expansion of imperial power

Construction of monumental buildings, forums, temples, and palaces

SPQR?

Roman Temples Functions

Centers of religious worship

Houses for cult statues of the gods

Locations for rituals and sacrifices

Public ceremonies performed outside the temple

Main Temple Types

Podium Temple

Peripteral Temple (Surrounded by coulumns)

Tholos Temple (Circular plan)

Temple of Vesta

• Circular (tholos) temple

• Located in the Roman Forum

• Contained the sacred fire of Rome

• Maintained by the Vestal Virgins

• Original temple 8 c BC

• Destroyed several times in 3rd and 2nd  c BC

• Rebuilt at the same time of augustus

Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina

• Located in the Roman Forum

• Dedicated to Emperor Antoninus Pius and his wife Faustina after death in 140 AD

• Antoninus dies 20 years later and his name was added

• Example of an imperial cult temple

Basilicas

 Functions:
• Legal proceedings
• Business transactions
• Social gatherings
• Administrative activities

Curia

Senate House of Rome
• Meeting place of the Roman Senate
• Located in the Roman Forum
• Center of political decision-making

Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum)

 • Commissioned by Emperor Vespasian
• Completed by Emperor Titus in AD 80
• Used for gladiatorial games and public spectacles
• Largest amphitheater in the Roman world

Capitolium (Ostia)- • Main temple of ancient Ostia Antica, dedicated to the Capitoline Triad: Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva

Built during the reign of Hadrian in the 2nd century AD
• Located at the northern end of Ostia's Forum
• Served as the religious and civic center of the city

Palatine Hill and the Imperial Palace Importance

• Traditional birthplace of Rome

• Residential center of Roman emperors

• Palace of the emperor designed at the time of Augustus

Key Emperors

Augustus

• Established the first imperial residence

Tiberius

• Expanded palace facilities

Domitian

• Major reconstruction and enlargement

• Created the large palace complex visible today

Imperial Forums General Purpose

• Political centers

• Religious spaces

• Administrative areas

• Monuments celebrating imperial achievements

• Instruments of imperial propaganda

Main Architectural Elements

• Temples

• Basilicas

• Libraries

• Porticoes

• Statues

• Triumphal monuments

Forum of Caesar (46 BC)

• Built by Julius Caesar

• Included Temple of Venus Genetrix

• Celebrated Caesar's ancestry and achievements

Forum of Augustus (2 BC)

• Built by Augustus

• Included Temple of Mars Ultor

• Connected Augustus to Roman military success

Forum of Trajan (AD 112–113)

• Largest Imperial Forum

• Included Basilica Ulpia

• Included Trajan's Column

• Celebrated victories in Dacia

Significance of Imperial Forums

• Expanded public space beyond the Roman Forum

• Demonstrated imperial wealth and authority

• Reinforced the legitimacy of emperors/ Displayed imperial power

• Connected emperors to gods and heroes

• Celebrated military victories

Arches Purpose

• Commemorated military victories

• Celebrated emperors and important events

• Served as monuments of imperial propaganda

Arch of Titus

• Located near the Roman Forum

• Commemorates victory in the Jewish War and the capture of Jerusalem

• Dedicated after Titus' death by Emperor Domitian

• Built 81-84 AD 

• Arch of triumph

• Divus Titus

Arch of Janus

• Located in the Forum Boarium

• Four-sided arch

• Possibly functioned as a monumental gateway or commemorative structure

Ludus Magnus Function

• Main gladiatorial training school in Rome

Ludus Magnus Features

• Located next to the Colosseum

• Connected to the amphitheater through an underground passage

• Included training arena and accommodations

• Set up by Emperor Domitian in 80s AD

• There was a court yard in the middle

Opus Latericium

Brick-faced masonry made with kiln-fired bricks

Opus Caementicium

• Roman concrete

• Major innovation in Roman construction

Mortar

Binding material used between masonry units

Bricks

Standardized building material used throughout Roman architecture

Entablature

• Horizontal structure supported by columns

• Includes architrave, frieze, and cornice

Peristyle

• Open courtyard surrounded by columns

Buttresses

• Structural supports that reinforce walls

• Example: Curia in the Roman Forum where senators met

Wooden Centering

Temporary wooden framework used during arch and vault construction

Castrum

• A fortified Roman military camp with a grid layout.

Horrea

Roman warehouses for storing grain and goods.

Divus

• A deceased emperor officially made a god.

Roman Concrete

• Combination of lime mortar, water, and aggregates

• Allowed construction of large-scale buildings

Brick Construction

• Used together with concrete cores

• Faster and more economical than stone construction

Scaffolding and Centering

• Temporary structures used during construction

• Essential for arches and vaults

Imperial Forums: Functions

• Increase public spaces, no longer sufficient in roman forum structures

• Celebrate the accomplishments of the emperor

• The architectural complex became a bulletin board for the ideological political and dynastic programs of the emperor. 

• Construction time

• Functions of the buildings

Times

• Forum of Ceasar, 51 BC

• Forum of Augustus, 2 AD

• Forum of Peace, 71-79 AD

• Forum of Nerva, 97 AD

• Forum of Trajan, 113 AD

Temple of Mars Ultor

• Vowed by Octavian in 42 BC (defeat of the assassins of Ceasar.) 

• Columns on three sides (periptero sine postico) 

Amphitheater Flavian (Colloseum)

• Begun by Vespasian in 70 AD

• Top Level finished off by his son Titus inaugurated in 80