Roman Architecture: Maison Carrée, Pantheon, and Colosseum
Maison Carrée
Brief Description: Rectangular temple.
Elements of Support: Cella and Corinthian order columns. The columns are attached to the wall. The capital has acanthus leaves, and the columns rest on a base.
Elements Supported: Architraved system. The entablature has three parts: an architrave with three strips, previously a frieze decorated with plant themes ran throughout, and a protruding ledge. It also features a gabled roof and a triangular pediment.
Interior Space: A rectangular cella with an opisthodomos. The cella occupies the entire width of the temple and is narrowed to a deep portico.
Exterior Space: Elevated on a high podium, the temple is only accessible from the front where there is a staircase. This accentuates the frontality and verticality of the temple. It is a pseudoperipteral temple.
Relationship with the Environment: Located in the old Roman forum in Nîmes. When entering the forum, the front facade of the temple is prioritized.
Style: Classical Roman. Features that differentiate a Roman temple from a Greek one include the accentuated frontality due to the staircase, and the facade is different from the side and rear, which are insignificant. It is a pseudoperipteral temple. The Roman temple was inspired by the Etruscan. When the Romans imitated the Greek columns, they placed them there, but they do not have the same function as those on the wall.
Background and Explanation: It was a temple built by Augustus in the 16th century BC and was dedicated to the *numen* of Rome and Augustus. For this reason, it had plant decoration, because they usually had no decoration.
Function: Religious worship and glorification of the power of the Roman Emperor.
Pantheon
Brief Description: Circular temple preceded by an octastyle portico or pronaos.
Elements of Support: Cylindrical wall base, Corinthian order columns.
Elements Supported: The dome. The portico has an entablature with a triangular pediment. The frieze bears inscriptions of Agrippa.
Exterior Space: The dome’s construction is made of concrete, which accentuated the frontality of the building. Originally, the facade was built on some stairs and a small peristyle.
Interior Space: Circular, with the diameter of the plant exactly equal to the height. Harmonious dimensions due to very accurate measurements. The cylindrical wall is divided into two levels: the lower wall has a series of rectangular and circular niches. The second level is separated by an entablature and features blind windows with decorative triangular pediments. The dome is a hemisphere decorated with inverted pyramid-shaped coffers, creating a shadow effect. At the top is the oculus, the only light source in the building.
Relationship with the Environment: It should have been surrounded by an arcaded square, but this was never built. Today, it is part of a square in central Rome, and its proportions harmonize with other buildings.
Style: Introduces a new structure through the use of the dome. It combines new architectural elements with elements of classical Greek architecture, especially in the decoration. It is more harmonious than other temples due to its proportions, a result of mathematical accuracy. The interior is very important.
Background: Temple to all gods – *pan* (all), *theon* (gods) – due to the centralization of all their cults. It was erected during the era of Emperor Hadrian, on the site of the previous Pantheon of Agrippa.
Content and Meaning: Architectural forms and iconography. The circular plan ends with a dome, representing the cosmos. It is a synthesis of heaven and earth because the building is on earth, and Rome became the center of the universe. There are five concentric circles, each with 28 coffers, representing the five known planets. The 28-day lunar cycle is a symbolic representation of the universe.
Function: Religious temple dedicated to the worship of various deities. The interior is highly developed and more important because the cult takes place inside, isolating people from the outside world.
Colosseum
Brief Description: Ellipsoidal building. It had a capacity for 50,000 spectators, of which 45,000 could be seated. The shape of the amphitheater derives from the theater.
Elements of Support: Arches and pillars. The arches of the openings between the 2nd and 3rd floors originally held statues. The arches support the inner vaults.
Exterior Space: It has overlapping rows of arches, with a total of four stories. The three lower floors are open to arches. The first floor has Tuscan columns, the second Ionic, and the third Corinthian, with capitals featuring acanthus leaves. These columns are decorative. The fourth floor was added later and features Corinthian pilasters framing square windows. The attic was used to lift the wall and provide more shade inland. Small brackets attached to the wall supported flagpoles on which a huge awning, called the *velarium*, was fixed to protect the audience from rain.
Interior Space: It consists of an elliptical tier or *cavea* around the arena. The seating area was divided into three sectors and arranged in corridors with barrel vaults. These corridors allowed all spectators to exit. The accesses were called *vomitoria*. A podium separated the arena from the seating area. The arena floor was wooden and had a basement underneath.
Relationship with the Environment: There is consistency with the spaces, articulated by the curved lines of the arches and barrel vaults. The building offered great monumentality.
Style: The importance of this building is constructive because it introduces new forms like arches and vaults, and many materials. Striking at first sight.
Content and Meaning: Several shows were held: gladiator fights (*munera*), animal hunts (*venationes*), and naval battles (*naumachiae*). Admission was free, and distribution was carried out according to political and social hierarchy. Women could attend.
Function: Entertainment. Events were held until 438 AD, when Valentinian III abolished the shows.
Background: After the fall of Rome, the Colosseum was used as a quarry for materials. This building represents a synthesis of Roman construction techniques and Hellenic decorative elements. The application of the three orders on the exterior fulfilled two functions: it alluded to Greek architecture, a sign of elegance, and it reduced the scale of the building.