Why Roman Architecture Echoes That of Ancient Greece

 

 

Greeks and Italians: ‘Una Faccia, Una Razza’ – ‘one face, one race’.

The ancient Greeks and Romans, created unique styles of architecture, together known as classical architecture and constructed some of the most eye-catching buildings, still seen today, using architectural forms and principles which influenced the World.

When we compare Ancient Greek and Roman architecture, we must take into account Greece’s Roman past and the mutual respect which grew between Greeks and Romans.

The Greek – Roman relationship began during the 8th–6th centuries BC when ancient Greeks, owing to over population, a lack of land, resources, food and not least, due to the natural trading instinct, inbred in Greeks, set out to colonize the Mediterranean.

 

Greek Colonization of Sicily and southern Italy

 

 

The largest and most significant Greek colonies, which brought with them a taste of Greek life, were along the coastal areas of Southern Italy; Campania, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, areas which came to be known as Magna Graecia, Latin for ‘Greater Greece and they had an enormous influence over the locals, especially the Sicilians, who went as far as taking Greek culture as their own.

These powerful Greek colonies prospered greatly and some, for instance; Neapolis, now Naples, Syracuse, Akragas (Agrigento), Taras (Taranto), Rhegion (Reggio Calabria) and Kroton (Crotone), still exist today.

 

 

The Greek – Roman relationship was a good one, as unlike the Phoenicians, the Greeks had no desire to either invade or gain profit through violence and looting, instead, they came in peace.

The Romans were so in awe of the ancient Greeks that they put all aspects of Greek culture on a pedestal and even mastered the Greek language and spoke it as mark of respect.

Another sign of Roman respect for Greece, or should I say flattery, as we all know the saying: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, was their reproduction of examples of ancient Greek architecture and ancient Greek sculptures and statues,which were scattered throughout the early Greek Mediterranean colonies.

 

 

Below are just a few of the many magnificent examples of Ancient Greek architecture that sprung up in the Greek colonies and were an inspiration to the Romans.

 

The legacy of the Greeks to the Romans

(Ancient Greek ruins in Italy)

 

Paestum

 

 

The ancient ruins at Paestum are among the only Greek ruins left on Italy’s mainland.

Paestum, a major Greek city in ancient times, is a Greco-Roman site, located south of Naples (then known as Neapolis – New City) where the remains of three ancient Greek Doric temples were discovered; the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Neptune and the Temple of Ceres as well as defensive walls, a Roman forum, the remains of a Roman amphitheatre and a number of ancient tombs.

The ruins date back to 600 — 450 B.C. and are some of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world.

 

Locri Epizephyrii

Calabria

 

 

Locri Epizephyrii, so called so as not to be confused with the Locri of Greece, is an ancient city on the mainland of Italy, in Reggio di Calabria which was established by Greeks c. 680 BC and was the first Greek community to have a written code of laws, given by Zaleucus c. 660 BC.

Excavations in 1889–90, and resumed in 1954, have revealed a Doric temple, a sanctuary of Persephone, amphitheatre and numerous 5th-century-BC terra-cotta native plaques.

 

The Ancient Greek Theater of Taormina

Sicily

 

 

The Taormina Amphitheatre (Teatro Greco Romano), Sicily, originally built in 300’s B.C. by the Greeks (who inhabited Sicily from 750 BC), in the 3rd century BC was rebuilt and enlarged by the Romans in the second century B.C.

Today the theatre continues to be used for concerts, plays and other events.

 

The Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi)

Arigento

 

 

A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997, the Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi) in Arigento, one of the oldest cities in Sicily, is a famous archaeological site which has some of the best-preserved Ancient Greek ruins in the world.

The Valley of the Temples, which houses the ruins of nine ancient temples, was constructed in the 5th century BC when the Greeks first built the ancient city of Acragas.

After having been destroyed, first by the Carthaginians around 406 BC and then the Christians in the 6th century AD, the temples have since been partly reconstructed.

Also to be found in the valley, is the tomb of Theron of Acragas, who died in 473 BC, a Greek tyrant  of Acragas (Agrigento), who came to power by using public funds, allocated for the hire of private contractors meant to assist with a temple building project, to instead hire a personal group of bodyguards who helped him to seize control of the town’s government.

 

Archaeological Park of Neapolis

Syracuse, Sicily

 

 

Located on the southeastern coast of Sicily and founded by ancient Greeks from Corinth, the city of Siracusa, now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once one of the most powerful city-states of ancient times. It was once described by the Roman orator Cicero as “the greatest Greek city, and the most beautiful of them all.”

In the 3rd century BC, after three years of harsh battle, Syracuse came under Roman rule in 212 BC.

The Greek mathematician, Archimedes, the most famous resident of Syracuse, died during this attack.

 

 

The Archaeological Park of the Neapolis is home to the remains of the ancient city of Syracuse dating as far back as the eighth century BC, including an Ancient Greek theatre, a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo, an altar to Sicilian King Hieron II ( the largest ancient Greece altar), ancient quarries and a fort known as the Castle of Euryalus.

The Theatre, carved into the rocks, is the main attraction in the Neapolis Archaeological Park and was home to classical performances and popular assemblies.

 

The Roman Conquest of Greece

 

A few centuries after the Greeks, during colonization, adorned many Italian cities with splendid examples of Greek architecture, the Romans would return the favour by enhancing Greece, mainly Athens, with equally splendid constructions, whilst Greece was under the thumb of the Roman Empire, from 31 BC to 180 AD, an era known as the time of the Pax Romana, a Roman Peace, a time when peace prevailed between Rome and the central areas of its Empire.

 

 

The Roman Empire, one of the largest empires in history, began gaining ground in the 6th century BC, firstly throughout the Italian Peninsula, as a republic and later, during the 3rd century BC, throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East as an empire, which would prevail for around one thousand years.

The Roman Empire, began in the west, with Augustus Caesar (27 BCE-14 CE) as the first emperor and ended when the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus (475-476 CE), was overthrown by the Germanic King Odoacer (the first Barbarian to rule in Rome) in 476 A.D.

 In the east, the empire endured, as the Byzantine Empire until the death of Constantine XI (1449-1453 CE) and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 CE.

 The onset of the Roman occupation of the ancient Greek world, was determined after the Battle of Actium (31 BC), when the Roman Republic became an Empire under Augustus, who defeated Cleopatra, the Greek queen of Egypt and the Roman general Mark Antony before going on to conquer Alexandria (30 BC), the last great city of Hellenistic Greece.

 

 

Previously, the Romans had thrashed the Greeks at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC, after steadily gaining control since before they defeated the Greeks at The Achaean War of 146 BC, the finale of Roman conquest of mainland Greece.

 

 

Greece remained under Roman control until after the third century AD, when it then became part of the Byzantine Empire.

The impact of the Roman Empire on western civilization was massive; it influenced almost every aspect of western culture and that included Greece, where many Roman Emperors contributed to the development and modernization of Greek cities, where ancient Roman ruins and structures can still be seen today.

 

Greek life under Roman rule

 

 

Although the ancient Greeks had plenty of reasons to hate the Romans, who ravaged their homes, desecrated and robbed their temples, annihilated their people and carried off thousands of their people to Rome, where they became slaves, life carried on much the same as usual, if not better, in fact, with The Pax Romana (Roman peace), came the longest period of peace in Greek history.

 

Pax Romana

 

 

The two hundred year era, which began with Augustus’s rule, from 27 BC to 180 AD, is known as the Pax Romana; Roman Peace, when peace reigned between Rome and the central areas of the Empire, which spanned from England in the north to Morocco in the south and Iraq in the east.

During the Pax Romana, the Roman Empire reached its peak in terms of land area and its population increased to an estimated 70 million people.

This was a time of peace, security, social stability and economic prosperity, something which Rome had never experienced before; it also brought economical and cultural progress, to Greek cities such as Athens, Corinth, Alexandria, Miletus, Thessaloniki and Smyrna.

The Greek aristocracy returned to the scene and were welcomed into the Roman Senate, who embraced Greek culture and made Greek, along with Latin, the official languages of the Empire.

Greece became a dominant trading crossroads between Rome and the Eastern, Greek – speaking, half of the empire.

 

The legacy of the Romans to the Greeks

(Roman ruins in Greece)

 

Many temples and public buildings were built by emperors and wealthy Roman nobility during the Roman occupation of Greece, many of them, considered amongst the top archaeological sites of Greece.

Julius Caesar began work on the Roman agora in Athens, which was finished by Augustus; dedicating the main gate; the Gate of Athena Archegetis, to the goddess of Athens, Athena.

Emperor Hadrian, a staunch philhellene made many contributions to Athens, for example, he built the Library of Hadrian and completed the construction of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, 638 years after its construction had been started by Athenian tyrants and in his honour the Athenians built the Arch of Hadrian.

 

The Roman Agora of Athens

 

 

Public life of ancient Athens concentrated around the Agora, (market) a large rectangular shaded area, surrounded by porticos, consisting of fountains, statues, temples and arcades housing all type of shops.

Here, bankers, men of business, men of letters, artists and artisans, politicians, orators and philosophers, would congregate to conduct business, discuss the meaning of life and answer all the questions of the day and generally put the world to rights.

The Roman Agora of Athens, located in the historic neighbourhoods of Plaka and Monastiraki, built at the end of the 1st century BC, with a donation by Roman Emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus, is a collection of Roman buildings which grew up around the original Agora of Athens.

In the centre of the Agora, built about 15 BC, is The Odeon of Agrippa, a gift to the people of Athens by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a Roman statesman and general.

 

 

Other important remains in the area include the Tower of the Winds, built by Andronicus of Cyrrhus and the Forum’s well-preserved western gate; The Gate of Athena Archegetis, constructed in 11 BC, a monument, dedicated by the Athenians, to their patroness Athena Archegetis; Godess Athena, built with donations from Roman emperors and considered to be the second most prominent remain in the site after the Tower of the Winds.

 

 

Next to the Roman Agora are the ruins of the Library, the most amazing building constructed in Athens by the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century (see below).

 

Hadrian’s Library

Athens

 

 

 Hadrian’s Library was created by Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 132 on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens. (Near Monastiraki Square)

The  Library was built in a typical Roman forum architectural style; with only one entrance, a porch of Corinthian order, a high surrounding wall and an inner courtyard surrounded by columns with a decorative oblong pool in the middle.

 

 

 The main room of the library, said to have once held 17,000 rolls of papyrus “books”, was located on the eastern side of the courtyard, adjacent halls were used as reading rooms and the corners served as lecture halls.

There was also a small amphitheatre on the site.

The library was seriously damaged by the Herulian invasion (an early Germanic people) of 267 and repaired in AD 407–412.

 

Theatre of Herodes Atticus

Athens

 

 

This amazing theatre was built in 161 AD, below the Parthenon, on the Acropolis, by the Roman tycoon, Herodes Atticus, in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla, sadly, it was destroyed and left in ruins by the Heruli, an early Germanic people in 267 AD.

Originally, it was a steep-sloped theatre with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of cedar of Lebanon timber and was used as a venue for music concerts (with a capacity of 5,000), much as it is today.

The theatre has been the main venue of the Athens Festival, which runs from May to October each year, featuring a variety of talented Greek as well as famous International performers, such as: Nana Mouskouri, Mikis Theodorakis, Placido Domingo, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Diana Ross and many, many more.

 

Arch of Hadrian

Athens

 

 

Hadrian’s Arch, was built in 131 AD, at the end of a street (now called Odos Adrianou) that led from the old city of Athens to Hadrian’s addition. The design of the gate is an attempt to combine a Roman arch (lower part) with a Greek temple (upper part)

The Arch of Hadrian, known in Greek as Hadrian’s Gate is a monumental gateway which bridged an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the eastern side of the city.

The arch was built in 131 to celebrate the arrival of the Roman emperor, Hadrian, who had become an Athenian citizen around twenty years before and to honour him for his many contributions to the city.

Two inscriptions, naming both Theseus and Hadrian as founders of Athens, are carved on the arch, one on either side.

 

 

On the northwest side (towards the Acropolis), the inscription was:

ΑΙΔ’ ΕΙΣΙΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ Η ΠΡΙΝ ΠΟΛΙΣ – this is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus.

The inscription on the southeast side (facing the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Acropolis reads:

ΑΙΔ’ ΕΙΣ’ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΥ ΚΟΥΧΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ ΠΟΛΙΣ – this is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus.

 

The Arch of Galerius and Rotunda

Thessaloniki

 

 

The Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda, commissioned by Roman emperor Galerius, are early 4th-century AD monuments in the city of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece.

The Arch of Galerius, faced with marble sculptural panels to commemorate Galerius’ victory of the Persian emperor, Narses, in 299 AD, stands on what is now the intersection of Egnatia and Dimitriou Gounari streets.

 

 

The central arch, originally covered part of the Via Egnatia, a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC, which linked together a string of Roman colonies stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Bosphorus.

 

 

The Rotunda

Thessaloniki

 

The Rotunda, said to be Thessaloniki’s oldest monument and most likely modelled on the famous Pantheon in Rome, is a large circular structure, built in 306 AD, next to the Arch of Galerius, by Emperor Galerius and was intended to be his mausoleum, however, he died and was buried in Serbia in 311 AD.

 

 

After standing empty for many years, Emperor Theodosius I, converted the Rotunda into a Christian church in the late fourth century and when Thessaloniki fell to the Ottomans in 1590 it was converted into a mosque and a minaret was added.

 

 Ancient Greek architecture

Versus

 Roman architecture

 

Ancient Greek architecture, most famously known for its temples, the Parthenon being the prime example, came from Greek-speaking – Hellenic people whose culture thrived on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands and in colonies in Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD.

Ancient Greek civilization is divided into two eras, the Hellenic period; from around 900 BC 323 BC and the Hellenistic period; from 323 BC to 30 AD.

Around 600 BC, in the earlier Hellenic period, significant forms of Greek architecture began to appear and later, during  the Hellenistic period,  Greek culture, spread as a result of Alexander the Great’s  annexation of foreign territory and later still, as a result of the rise of the Roman Empire, which enthusiastically embraced Greek culture.

This enthusiasm was reflected in the architecture of ancient Rome which has continuously influenced Italy until the present day.

 

Classical architecture

 

 

Ancient Greek architects, who focused on simplicity, harmony, perspective and proportion, aspects borrowed and used heavily by the Romans, gave the World some its most iconic structures, many of which still stand today (the earliest architectural remains date back around 600 BC.).

 

The three orders of classical architecture

 

 

There are three orders of classical architecture: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, which were first described by the Roman architectural writer Vitruvius, the most obvious similarity between Greek and Roman architecture is the use of columns, obvious in Roman buildings such as the Colosseum, the famous amphitheater in Rome, the largest of its time, which incorporates Doric, Ionic and Corinthian order columns.

 

 

The Romans preferred the Corinthian order and added their own touch by making it even more decorative and elaborate than the Greeks had.

 

The Doric order

 

 

Doric order, which developed on mainland Greece and spread to Magna Graecia (Italy), featured a column shaft that was wider at the bottom and had no base.

 

The Ionic order

 

 

The Ionic order, which originated in the Greek cities of Ionia, in Asia Minor and the Aegean Islands, introduced a slimmer, straighter pillar consisting of more decorative details, including a base, and an entablature (the upper part of a classical building supported by columns or a colonnade, comprising the architrave, frieze, and cornice. that was heavily carved).

 

The Corinthian order

 

 

The Corinthian order, which was highly decorative and included more ornamentation than the Ionic column, including fern and flower leaves, did not emerge until the Hellenistic period and was greatly favoured by the Romans.

 

The invention of concrete gave birth to the arch and the dome

 

 

While the Greeks are known for their columns, the Romans made a unique name for themselves and came into their own right as architectural engineers with one of their most ingenious creations; opus caementicium, known today as Roman concrete, which allowed them to improve on Greek design and to build quickly and economically with the use of arches and domes.

The Greeks had limited themselves to the post-and-lintel system, a form of ancient Greek architecture called trabeated, where upright beams (posts) support horizontal beams (lintels), however, with concrete, the Romans were able to move on from trabeated construction, to one based on massive walls, which spanned much larger areas, interspersed by arches and later domes.

The most spectacular use of the dome by the Romans is in the Pantheon, which was built in Rome during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.

 

 

With the invention of concrete and use of arches and domes, Roman architecture improved and advanced rapidly, especially the infrastructure of cities with the construction of roads, harbours, sewers, aqueducts and bridges.

 

 

Other important types of building that survive all over the Hellenic world are the open-air theatre, the processional gateway (propylon), the public square (agora), the town council building (bouleuterion), the public monument, the monumental tomb (mausoleum) and the stadium, all of which are mirrored throughout the Roman world.

 

Ancient temples: Greek and Roman

 

Despite Greek and Roman temples looking remarkably similar, they vary in quite a few details.

Whilst Greeks put emphasis on simplicity, the Romans constructed rather pretentious public buildings by capitalizing on the use of the arch, the vault, and the dome.

 A Greek temple can be approached from all sides via steps and the best view is from a corner, which is how many approaches to temples are arranged.

 On the other hand, a Roman temple looks its best from the front and can be entered only from the front and stands on a much higher platform than its Greek counterpart.

 

 

Take a look, for instance, at the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, southern France, built in 16 BC, one of the best-preserved Roman temples and then look at the Parthenon of Athens, you will spot the difference.

 

 

Can you spot the difference

between

Ancient Greek and Roman architecture?

 

 

 

I’m no architect, so it’s not surprising I see little difference between Greek and Roman architecture, if pushed, I would say Roman constructions, before the use of the arch and the dome, seem to have a cleaner, crisper, more minimalistic appearance than do the Greek.

The similarities between the two are only to be expected I suppose, after all, the Greeks and Romans spent thousands of years living in each other’s pockets, so to speak and building on each other’s territory, something was bound to rub off.

Is one better than the other? No, each has its own beauty, in some cases you might even say, the copy was better than the original!

The Romans may have imitated Greek architecture, however, they have now come into their own, not with architecture though but with ‘alta moda’ – ‘haute couture’.

 

 

Italian high-end fashion labels such as Gucci, Armani, Fendi, Valentino and Versace; who, by the way, has one of the famous logos inspired by Greek mythology; the Medusa, must be, by far, some of the most copied fashion designers the world over!

Again, I say to you:

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”

It’s always been all about the look!

 

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