Rome is an incredible city that attracts thousands of travelers from all over the planet with its unique architecture, mysteries hidden in the ancient streets, and the spirit of antiquity. However, it is ridiculous to assume that this majestic city appeared in an instant.
A bit of history
The process of its metamorphosis - from a small unsightly town to a whole state - took almost eight centuries, it began in the 8th century BC. The architecture of Ancient Rome reflected literally every turn on the difficult path of the formation of the city. The Romans turned out to be perfectly developed for their time: already in the 5-2 centuries BC. their streets were covered with high-quality pavement, the water supply system was functioning, bridges were thrown across the rivers. As far as building materials are concerned, even then the inhabitants of the city used durable concrete.
Currents
Ancient Roman architecture is unique in that motives of various styles are surprisingly intertwined in it. When the power of Rome covered Greece, Greek art literally poured into the Romans, which is very clearly visible in the surviving monuments of that time.
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The architecture of Ancient Rome was saturated with Hellenistic motives, statues and paintings by Greek masters were brought into the city in huge quantities. The direction that changed the Greek notes was the so-called August classicism: restraint in performance was compensated for by the massive construction of the city. In the thirties BC. Rome began to grow at a dizzying speed: public buildings and bridges, aqueducts and forums were erected, free territories were greened. The architecture of Ancient Rome during the reign of Augustus is distinguished by the use of marble, relief inlay, decorative paintings. Some of the angularity of the Greek style is replaced by smoother lines. A very significant event in the history of Roman architecture took place in the second century AD during the reign of Hadrian. At this time, the architecture of Ancient Rome was replenished with the world famous and surviving Pantheon.
Unique building
The Colosseum is the most famous historical monument that Ancient Rome left us. The architecture of this building is a huge classical amphitheater; it was used to entertain the townspeople: gladiatorial and animal fights, harassment and other entertainment shows were arranged in it. In the 3rd century. AD a powerful fire caused serious damage to the Colosseum, but it was successfully rebuilt.
And in the 14th century. AD a strong earthquake partially destroyed the structure, after which the amphitheater was not restored. Today, the monumental building is in a very poor condition, despite its impressive grandeur and steadfastness.
Temple art of Rome
The period of development of the construction of temples in this city falls on the beginning of the first millennium. The most prominent representatives of this trend are the following: the temple of Antoninus and Faustina, as well as the temple of the Divine Hadrian. In the architecture of the latter, Greek and August motives are clearly traced - the columns are made in the Corinthian style, and the walls are faced with marble tiles with a beautiful relief. As for the temple of Antonin and Faustina, it seems that it wants to soar above the ground: in addition to the fact that the structure is erected on a high podium, 17-meter columns, made in the Corinthian style and decorated with luxurious capitals, are placed so that it seems that the building stretches upward.