1.4 Historical Review - Roman Architecture

cardo

north-south axis

decumanus

east-west axis

opus caementicum

Romans invented concrete (____), a mixture of lime mortar, sand, water, and stones, and was a great substitute for using marble or stone

voussoirs

True Arches are composed of wedge-shaped blocks called

keystone

placed in the center, holds the voussoirs in place

vaults

extruded arches

groin vaults

Vaults intersecting at right angles

dome

vaults turned full circle around their central axis

Roman Doric

Slenderized the column proportions, added additional moldings to the capital, and used a base. Sometimes the flutings were omitted.

Roman Ionic

the volute capitals were smaller and the ornaments around the neck were omitted. The volutes were sometimes repeated on all four sides, as compared to only two sides in the Greek versions.

The Roman Corinthian

the most commonly used style in Rome. The capital is slightly smaller and the acanthus details are also different

Tuscan

simplified Doric with no columnar flutings

Composite

combination of the capital of the Corinthian acanthus leaves topped with an Ionic volute

Pedestal

a high base onto which a column would stand. Usually 1/3 to 1/4 the height of the column, it is treated with a cornice on top and a projecting plinth at the bottom.

Pilasters

square shaft attached to the wall, projecting from the wall a distance around 1/4 its width. Having no structural function, they are meant as decoration to create vertical subdivisions of a wall.

module

a term that was in use among Roman architects, corresponding to the semidiameter of the column at its base

minutes

The module was divided by the 16th-century theorists into thirty parts, allowing for much greater precision than was thought necessary by Vitruvius, whose subdivision was usually six parts.