Lucille Richardson

That the ancient Roman civilization cast a long shadow is of course uncontested. As one considers all of the areas in which this civilization excelled, laying the foundation for the complex and sophisticated society that was the first to dominate a greater part of the Western World, no legacy is more strikingly dramatic than that imparted by its architecture and engineering.

Last month, the Shakespeare Club heard the report on this topic, which was presented by Lucille Richardson.

Consider for a moment that at the height of its powers during the “Golden Age” of the 2nd century CE (under the rule of Trajan and Hadrian), Rome had an estimated population of some 1,000,000 inhabitants. To meet even the rudimentary needs of a citizenry of that population density would have been demanding; to comprehensively provide for the necessary public services on a sophisticated level (commensurate with that expected by a society of such high cultivation and refinement) would indeed be a great challenge for its architects and engineers. That they rose to the occasion is undeniable.

The types of required structures were numerous, encompassing three distinct categories: imperial, public and domestic. An indication of the grand scope of the work undertaken by the construction industry, one continually pursued at a frenetic pace, The types of specific structures erected represented a multitude of varied types, frequently of monumental scale, and greater in number than those of any earlier civilization: temples, tombs, forums, markets, basilicas, leisure or entertainment facilities (that is, baths, theaters, amphitheaters, and circuses), streets, arches, gateways, bridges (some which are still used, having served as models for engineers up to the 18th century), efficient networks of roads (50,000 miles of them, for trade, military, and communication purposes), aqueducts and their attendant systems (for reservoirs, irrigation, fountains and baths), and a domestic of residential architecture that included 5 story apartments — virtual tenements — and, opulent villas.

“To what do we attribute such a rich architectural legacy and on such a recognizably grand scale?” In evaluating the accomplishments and contributions to technology and engineering that formed the basis of so many architectural marvels of stunning significance, we find that two actors were of such paramount importance as to deemed indispensable. They concern the material, concrete and the arch (inherited from the Etruscans.)

It is not overstatement to declare that the invention of concrete (during the reign of Augustus) and its perfection into its refined form, the hydraulic type (made remarkably strong by the accidental addition to the volcanic ash, pozzolana), comprised a defining event, one that allowed the Romans to extend and exploit the principles and techniques of the arch to its utmost conclusions in the form of the vault and dome. These structural forms and this material were integral to the stable and highly durable construction of almost every type of building and especially to those of the monumental style. The newly achieved capacities to easily and graciously span vast interior spaces provided by the breaking the limitations imposed by timber length and eliminating the need for intermediate support columns, led to a revolutionary new concept in architecture, that based on the organization of interior space. Examples of these newly achieved capacities took the form of a detailed examination of the Pantheon and four Mass Entertainment Facilities: the Coliseum, the Theater of Marcellus, The Circus Maximus and the Baths of Trajan.

While one can recognize elements of earlier styles in their constructions, namely those inherited from the Greeks, it is apparent that the Romans modified and elaborated them to suit their own specific needs. Taking architecture to new heights, the Romans have provided us with abundant reason to appreciate their monumentally influential achievements.