Greek and Roman Architecture
Jennifer Thackrah
ART 101
May 24, 2013
Harvey Tidwell

Greek and Roman Architecture
The art of architecture has been around for thousands of years. Some of the most extravagant and amazing architectural designs and inventions came from the ancient Greek and Roman time period. Proven to be masters in architecture, the Greeks and Romans created vast structures using techniques and inventions that we have adopted and still use today.
Greek architecture was quite elaborate in its time. Greek structures were characteristically massive and extremely long and more commonly known for their temples. In addition, the Greeks also choose the placement of their temples atop higher ground overlooking the city so the structure could be seen from all over (Sayre, 2009). The Greeks used load-bearing construction to bear the weight of the structures' roof. Furthermore, post-and-lintel construction was also an essential technique used in all Greek architecture. Post-and-lintel construction used horizontal beams that were supported at the ends by a wall or vertical posts (Sayre, 2009). The vertical posts or columns used in post-and-lintel construction were composed using several large pieces of stone called drums (Sayre, 2009). Each drum had grooves carved into them that helped line the drums up evenly into a single column. The columns tapered at the top and bottom to help the columns look vertical; this technique is called entasis (Sayre, 2009). The Greeks developed three distinct orders or types of architecture; the Doric, the Ionic, and the Corinthian (Sayre, 2009). The Doric order was considered more masculine, while the Ionic order was more feminine (Sayre, 2009). Being the first of the three orders, the Doric style was considered more plain and blocky. The Ionic style was more intricate and easily recognized by its scroll capital, or top of the column (Sayre, 2009). The Corinthian order was strikingly beautiful and had an embellished capital with elegant acanthus leaves. In addition, the Corinthian order was later more commonly used by the Romans. One example of Greek architecture, and a prime display of post-and-lintel construction is the First Temple of Hera at Paestum, Italy. This structure was built using the Doric order and had several columns close together to prevent the lintels from cracking (Sayre, 2009). Another example of Greek architecture is the Temple of Athena Nike located in Athens, Greece. This structure was not as vast as other Greek structures; however, the temple, like most, was placed atop a high hill and is a prime example of the Ionic order (Ancient-Greece.org, 2003).
The Romans were the first to perfect the arch when they discovered that the arch was capable of holding structures that were a great deal longer than the post-and-lintel type (Sayre, 2009). Arch stones were wedge shaped and only when the top wedge called the keystone was in place, would the structure be secure (Sayre, 2009). Once the keystone was in place at the top of the arch, the weight and pressure was distributed evenly. Many bridges were constructed using several arches. In fact, the Romans constructed a large aqueduct called Pont du Gard to carry water to a Roman compound in France (Sayre, 2009). The aqueduct was constructed with several arches that spread across a small gorge. Another amazing example of Roman architecture using arches is the famous Colosseum. The Romans used several arches lined up one behind the other to create a barrel or tunnel vault (Sayre, 2009). This allowed them to produce large indoor spaces. In addition, the Colosseum itself was a great architectural break through for the Romans. Colosseum means amphitheater which translates to "double theater" (Sayre, 2009). The Romans took two half circle theaters and constructed them together creating a full circle structure. Using barrel vaults to construct the Colosseum, the Romans were able to build this massive structure capable of holding many spectators (Sayre, 2009). In addition, the Romans made these structures stronger by using a material they invented called concrete (Sayre, 2009). Another technique the Romans perfected was the dome. The dome is easily described as a continuous arch the rotates creating a hemisphere type ceiling (Sayre, 2009). A prime example of the Roman's dome perfection is seen in the temple known as the Roman Pantheon which was constructed using concrete and reaches 142 feet high (Sayre, 2009).
Greek and Roman architecture is an amazing display of the construction capabilities from thousands of years ago. The vast and elaborate structures that the Greeks and Romans created gave life to their cities and clearly states the knowledge and passion they possessed for architecture. In conclusion, the Greeks and Romans paved the way for modern architecture today.

References
Ancient-Greece.org. (2003-2013). Temple of athena nike. Retrieved from http://www.ancient-greece.org/architecture/athena-nike.html
Sayre, H. M. (2009). A world of art (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.