Life in ancient rome - Research Paper Example

Rome was categorized into two sections the free people and the other one was the slaves ("Life in Ancient Rome"). Latin was the language of the ancient Romans. The clothing of the poor used to be from coarse dark types while the clothing of the rich used to be from white wool or linen. Ancient Romans had a simple intake of food such as nuts, salads, breads and other such types. The roman literature had been greatly influenced from the Greeks. The literary works of ancient Roman mainly consist of history of Rome (Adkins and Adkins, 374).

Dome of Florence (Source: http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/image-files/brunelleschi-dome-florence.jpg) Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the young architects of Ancient Rome. Brunelleschi was highly interested in the ruins of ancient Rome. He planned to visit Rome with his friend and study the architecture of Rome. During the visit many measurements were taken by Brunelleschi and also some drawings were made by him too. Brunelleschi was inspired by the buildings of Rome and this was useful for grooming his artistic abilities.

He had studied the architecture of the Pantheon dome and this helped him in constructing the Dome of Florence. There are about 4 million bricks used for the construction of the dome. The design of the dome is in an octagonal herringbone pattern and has been constructed from materials of various types. Where there is a minimum level of curve, stones have been used in those areas as resistance would be greater this way ("Filippo Brunelleschi Italian Renaissance architect"). The dome structure is developed on a drum rather than the roof.

This engineering allowed the structure to be built without scaffolding on the ground. There are shells used at the sides of the dome. These shells have the support of ribs . These ribbed reinforcements are combined with each other in a horizontal structure as well as a vertical structure and attached with this is a staircase that can be seen till the top. The dome was a symbol of importance for the city of Florence. It is one of the strong symbols of Renaissance as it is a main building of architecture and skilful engineering in Florence ("Brunelleschi's Dome ").

It was one of the largest dome's constructed in that era. A neo gothic style has been used for the construction of the dome. Brunelleschi is buried under Florence Cathedral and many architects still come over from other places to follow his design and architectural techniques. Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti (Source: http://arthistory.about.com/od/special_exhibitions/l/bl_ghiberti_high_prev.htm) A public competition had taken place by a merchant of Florence for making a pair of doors. These doors had to be placed in the Florence Baptistery.

Competitors of Ghiberti were Jacobo della Quercia and Brunelleschi. The theme of the competition was the Sacrifice of Abraham. Ghiberti won the competition as his work consisted of a smooth model and the surface of the work was superior to that of Brunelleschi. The gates of paradise are considered as one of the masterpiece renaissance work of Lorenzo Ghiberti. The commencement of this masterpiece work had taken place in the year 1403 and it was completed by the year 1424. His work reflects upon the charm and grace of architectural work.

The doors are made up of bronze and consist of 28 panels that are quarterfolded. Reflections of the Old Testament has been carved on the