Roman Architecture
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The great revolution in Roman architecture is generally dated from the time of Nero's Domus Aurea (64-69 AD). But the expanded repertory of architectural shapes and procedures that was the foundation of that revolution first began to come together in the time of the Republic. Increased wealth and important political changes created a growing demand for architectural projects of all sorts. Simultaneously, the expansion of Roman power brought more Greek influences directly to Rome. Then, when the development of the potential of concrete construction made Roman innovations in vaulting and domes possible, architecture sped forward. The decades prior to Sulla's brief reign as dictator were particularly productive ones for architecture. But the subsequent periods of civil war and the emergence of an old-fashioned official taste under the influence of Vitruvius resulted in the advances of the earlier period being temporarily set aside. The Augustans razed most of the secular public architecture of the Republic and rebuilt much else. Of the Republican architecture that has survived, the most impressive monumental work is the sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia (c. 80 BC) at Praeneste (later Palestrina). This gigantic complex offers a "prophetic blend" of the new uses of concrete, vaulting and arches, hinting at the certain eventual decline of the dominance of trabeated design and construction (Kostof 206). The study of the Praeneste complex demonstrates that the Neronian archi
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oked to the future" (MacDonald 7). At Praeneste, though the construction of the arcaded and vaulted terraces was very similar to those at Tivoli and Terracina, the importance of the arch and the vault in the overall design of the complex was far greater.
The dating of the Praeneste complex is sometimes placed as early as the mid-second century BC but more often it is dated at 80 BC. Praeneste had been subdued by Sulla in his war to establish himself as dictator at Rome. He "destroyed the city on its surrender, and enlarged, or rather rebuilt" the temple complex that existed there (Rivoira 21). The site was already quite famous as a "place of divination by lots" where people, basically, came to have their fortunes told and to honor the goddess of Fortune (Kostof 206). It is likely that the existing temple was rebuilt and that Sulla's architect expanded the existing hillside concept to cover far more of the steep hill. The name of the architect is not known. But some have speculated that the Hercules temple at Tivoli, the Tabularium at Rome, and the Praeneste complex all had the same architect. Rivoira points out that the three buildings shared "three novelties in construction, the quadripartite ungroined cloister-vault, t
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Rome Praeneste, BC Romans, Republic Increased, Greek Classical, Nero's Hercules, Italy Ward-Perkins, Mediterranean MacDonald, Praeneste Palestrina, Augustus MacDonald, BC Praeneste, roman architecture, praeneste complex, century bc, seventh level, ward-perkins 39, kostof 206, sixth level, fourth level, macdonald 8, late republic, portico sixth level, hercules temple tivoli, 8 annular vaults, 80 bc praeneste, seventh level stepped,
Approximate Word count = 3086
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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