The use of concrete in Roman architecture was pivotal in the construction of many magnificent buildings that represent the roman era.
The Roman city of Pompeii was discovered in the late 1590s, but excavation did not begin until 1738. Pompeii has been used ever since as an example of Roman culture, however because of the city’s destruction and history, horrible initial excavations and modern humanity’s stupidity, Pompeii cannot be considered a prime example for understanding the Roman World.
Pompeii was founded by the Oscans in 7 century B.C. at the southeastern base of Mt. Vesuvius. In 80 BC, Pompeii was established as a Roman colony. The citizens of Pompeii consisted of Oscans, Samnitics and Greek people, these different cultures colliding
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They were more focused on finding antiques and treasures than sifting through the layers of the city and archiving everything they found. Because of the easier access to the ancient city, hundreds of treasure hunters flocked to Pompeii to try and dig up precious artifacts. Once people began digging up the city of Pompeii there wasn’t a system of categorizing items found or a way to preserve the city that was excavated. This led to the degradation of frescos, walls, ceramics and other items within the city of Pompeii. The city wasn’t well guarded either, leading to looters destroying and taking precious artifacts that could lead to the understanding of the way of life for the citizens of Pompeii. It wasn’t until a hundred years after the initial excavations of Pompeii that a structure was created in systematically excavating the city and categorizing the items uncovered. This was a massive systematic excavation which led to the uncovering of huge portions of the city, however the people that dug up the layers covering the city did nothing to help preserve the remnants of Pompeii. This led to the erosion and ruin of important structures of the city. The degradation and undocumented looting of Pompeii has created many gaps for archeologists trying to understand the way of life for the citizens of Pompeii. From the limited archeological discoveries, archeologists form blanket generalizations that cannot account for the entirety of the Roman World. Every human has a different way of living, especially when they have different cultures and live in different climate regions; citizens of Pompeii cannot be an accurate representation of the rest of the Roman World because of many missing and undocumented artifacts that show the way of life and also because not all roman citizens behaved and ornamented their lives the exact same
The Roman Empire was one of the most advanced cultures of its time. The grandeur of Rome has had abiding effects on the societies of the entire world. Evidence of the brilliance and creativity of the Romans can be found in many modern countries such as the remains of roads, walls, baths, basilicas, amphitheaters, and aqueducts. These exhibit the technological advances made by the engineers and architects of the Roman Empire. Many modern civic buildings have been built using the Romanesque styling.
As the empire reached its peak, it covered a large area of land. And around this time Romans started to use concrete for their infrastructure. They used concrete to build a huge transportation system with roads that made trade easier and more efficient. They also used this concrete to create buildings, and other supporting structures. Along with roads, entertainment centers were built such as arenas and amphitheaters.
Compared to other ancient cities, Pompeii was very advanced. Pompeii was divided with walled blocks called insulae. The town had homes, apartments, and shops. Some insulae could have twelve homes. In the city there was a Forum.
These factors are mainly comprised of the fact that the Romans in power treated
Life in Pompeii…… Before Tragedy Struck Once a city with many people, now a city with none. In 79 AD, Pompeii became a “Dead City.” Pompeii was once a city a long time ago, and was a very big city. Pompeii has archaeologists digging, Pompeii has many many roles that people played, and people in Pompeii had busy lives.
This essay will be focused on the cultural use, differences and similarities of Greek and Roman architecture with special focus on Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome Italy. Both buildings have various similarities; I will focus on how each country adapts to their differences. It is important to note that five (5) architectural orders were highly favored in the Greek and Roman architectural pattern. The Parthenon and Pantheon are both ancient temples, while the Parthenon was built in Ancient Greece for the goddess of Athena as a gratitude to heaven for the defeat of Persia; the pantheon was built in Rome to celebrate the Roman gods. Construction of Parthenon started in 447 BC when Athenian Empire was at the height of its power (web archive.org (n.d.))
An important part of the Roman culture was the idea of clan names, which came from the Etruscans. The Romans would cremate and bury their dead outside the city and instead placed those tombs on major roads, as the Etruscans once did. Governmental structure
Document 6, written by a high official of Rome, emphasizes the brilliance it took a man to construct roads that had “grace and beauty” (Doc 6). This document summarizes how the Romans viewed technology like roads with practical uses, but they cared more about the beautiful architecture of it and how it enhanced the character of Rome. Another piece technology that the Romans valued was the aqueducts as shown by document 8. A Roman general, governor, and water commissioner reports the use of their aqueducts and marvels in the water production compared to other civilizations. The Romans are rarely interested in the improvement of technology unless it benefits and brings pleasure to the entire society, or mainly the upper class.
Citizenship in Athens & Rome: Which Was a Better System? The Romans left a powerful legacy that impacts our modern-day society. It was founded in 753 BC around the center of the Italian peninsula. They took up 15% of the world’s population by conquering territories in western Asia, southern Europe, and northern Africa.
Both civilizations accomplished elaborate grave construction and funeral rituals. Etruscan funerary art, with its emphasis on depicting individuals and their daily lives, also appears to have contributed to Roman funerary art (Pierucci, 2014). A further aspect supported by the theory of Roman origin from Etruscans is the architectural and urban planning similarities. Etruscan cities, such as Veii and Tarquinia, had well-designed infrastructure, developed drainage systems, and the most impressive public buildings. These features are also observed in early Roman cities, pointing to a possible influence or resume of Etruscan practices (Curry,
The elaborate political system of Pompeii and Herculaneum would suggest that people took an active interest and support for politics. The comitia, the curia and multiple political roles reflect the Romans respect the significance of politics and politicians. Politics was important as it contained the operational framework
They had work to do. They had chores to do. They had to sew clothes and wounds. Daily life in Pompeii is similar to ours. Since the volcano erupted in Pompeii, a lot of people died.
The sewer system, running water system, and indoor plumbing system reduced the chance of diseases from affecting the population. The roman adequates were an amazing demonstration of their ability to engineer amazing things. They would transport the water to the city, and if you were a patrician then it would go right to your house. Whenever a new city was added they would be a brand new road from the city to Rome. The Roman roads had milestones which are like signs that we use today.
Personal homes in Roman society were “very public” and were not only provided as indicators of their “status” in society, but their power (House…Vettii). Circulating throughout the Roman public, was the desire to be a “participant in cultured society” and this was shown through Roman architectural elements, small gardens, large dining rooms, and a “world of images” (Zanker 120). Even though, a small group of people could afford crucial elements essential to a Roman house, those unable, made the best out of what they had. In Pompeii for example, those who wanted to construct “architectural elements of villas and other grand residents, imitated [them] in modest small, dwellings (Zanker 120). Also, those able to afford small gardens,
The Destruction Of Pompeii Mount Vesuvius had a very bad impact on ancient Italy. Some towns were more hurt than others. In Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii the important things were the background, lasting effects, and magnitude. There are many interesting facts about the background of the eruption in Pompeii including the location, the date, and how it happened. To begin with, according to Mary Bagley, Mount Vesuvius is located in Pompeii, or what is now today western Italy.