Did Roman Architecture Show Any Artistic Advance Over Greek Architecture - Essay Example

Many of the Roman buildings were turned into places of worship during the Christian era. This paper highlights how Roman architecture shows artistic advances over Greek architecture.

Roman culture and architecture, in specific, are established on that of the Greeks. In the republican period, Roman architecture merged Greek components and developed structures like the curved arch and the round temple. The principal Roman advancement in architecture was the establishment of sophisticated arched construction. This is where a ceiling is held by arches. During the Greek era, the arched building was uncommon and straightforward. The common style of construction was referred to as post-and-beam (Kleiner 14). This was made up of vertical posts that held horizontal beams.

The Romans also made advances in building materials. Early Greeks used stone, mud, plaster, and wood in their buildings. In their natural form, these structures could not exist for long. Nonetheless, the Greeks built their temple with limestone or marble. Moreover, early Romans also used similar materials, especially limestone and marble. The Romans advanced building materials by utilizing concrete in many of their structures. Concrete is a combination of lime mortar, sand, and water. It is stout but light, permitting the Roman architects to build free-flowing and larger buildings. In addition, temples are the only form of Greek architecture that is still in existence (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 59). These structures were discernible on the inside and ornate on the outside. Conversely, Roman structures still exist. This is because of their progress in building technology. Unlike Greek structures, Roman buildings were ornate both on the inside and outside, showing the desire for pleasure.

Also, Romans improved the construction details. Greek buildings are usually of post and lintel and rectilinear construction. The Greek structures were made up of a pediment held by columns. This was placed on a plinth to act as a foundation. On the other hand, Romans are associated with developing the dome, for example, Hadrian's Pantheon in Rome and the arch, for example, the Gottfried Richter and the Pont du Gard. These two elements are found in Roman structures, but not in Greek buildings. These extreme, complex forms were made possible by the use of concrete in building (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 81). Arches were popular in triumphal arches, aqueducts, and bridges, while domes occupied sizeable areas and were found in bathhouses, emperor’s residences, and temples.

In addition, Roman architects modified the style of columns. Columns were necessary supports and common in both Roman and Greek structures. Both the Roman and Greek cultures used the Ionic and Doric orders. These were most simply identifiable by observing the column capitals (Kleiner 36). Greek structures employed the Ionic and Doric columns, containing cleaner lines. Nonetheless, the Roman architects advanced the columns from the Ionic and Doric columns to a more ornate Corinthian technique, for example, the Colosseum, which contains the Ionic, Corinthian, and Doric columns.