Roman Architecture | Architectural Pillars Trace Back to Roman Times

Architectural pillars utilized in our ultramodern day owe an amazing amount of the ideas to the Roman architects. See the Romans were actually the first culture to use the columns and they did it so much that they actually made architectural columns recognized across the globe. The main intention of the Roman columns used in the Empire were used for both practical and functional reasons but, they were also used for aesthetic reasons as well. The Romans like the aristocrats were really concerned with things that were beautiful.

Obviously looking back on things like The Colosseum, Aqueduct of Segovia and the Roman Arenas these places are all places of beauty even if they weren't used for things OF beauty. As we all know the arenas were usually a place of blood-shed. But when you actually look at the arenas that were available the architectural is just stunning. I mean it still makes me wonder how the Colosseum was built in 72 A.D and yet it looks like it was built now.

Seriously innovative and advanced beyond their time! A Roman basilica, a roofed hall with a large central area called a nave, flanked by side rooms, would often use architectural columns. The first basilicas were used for business meetings and legal proceedings. This kind of construction was later conformed by the Christians and became a standard blueprint for church edifices many of which are still used today. The main center of Rome was the forum and this was true for all of the other Roman cities as well.

This was often an open area surrounded by stores and it was the primary meeting place of each town. They also had the Senate, Office, Roman Basilica, Sacred Buildings and Civic buildings. Of course if Rome was the place of birth for columns and pillars you would also suspect that these buildings would also use the same pillars and you are correct. In fact, it became almost a "rule" of sorts. The Roman influence was frequently seen throughout the Middle Ages in places such as Palaces and cathedrals in churches. A lot of these incredible buildings have survived since the modern times (as has The Colosseum) and still stand to this day!

To see the influence the architectural columns of Roman times have had on us today simply take a walk around the grounds of any university that is more than fifty years old. At the very least the administration building, and probably most all of the classroom buildings will employ architectural pillars as well. The Roman influence on our architecture is the same now, and always has been apparent if you only take the time to look!

This author is a HUGE fan of Architecture

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Roman Architecture | Romans in the Decadence of the Empire

French artiste Thomas Couture (1815-1879) was a popular 'History' & 'Classical' painter of 'Realist' flavor, portraitist, and the teacher of the nineteenth century. 'History Painting,' considered the 'grand genre' for a long time, dates back to the 'Renaissance' era. Couture's most famous painting "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire" belonged to this style of art. Apart from illustrating the historical events of the recent past, 'History Painting' pertains to the technique of capturing the scenes from Christian History, Classical History, and mythology. The paintings belonging to the historical genre are often based on religious, allegorical, or literary subjects, and usually carry a moral or an intellectual interpretation of life. Some of the most iconographic historical events have been depicted in these paintings. In addition, sometimes, artists took great liberties with the historical facts by creating even those events on canvas, which had not ever actually occurred.

Thomas Couture painted his most famous painting "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire" in the year 1847. This splendid work portrays on a monumental canvas, an orgy, which was interpreted as sarcasm or satire on the debauched regime of the July Monarchy under the French King Louis Philippe, during 1830 to 1848. "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire" conveys the moral corruption synonymous to the then Roman society. The scene takes place in an enormous hall, surrounded by tall marble pillars and beautiful statues. In the center of the hall, is a platform on which there are semi-naked men and women lying everywhere, completely engrossed in the frenzy of physical pleasure. They all seem inebriated or drunk, and a few of them are even shown dancing under the effect of intoxication. Outside, the clear blue sky shines bright, offering a striking contrast to the drunken madness inside the palace. Right in the front of the platform, a couple of well-sculpted urns are shown. Thomas' respect and love for classical culture comes alive with his pulchritudinous display of Roman sculptures and architecture in "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire."

The Roman Empire and civilization had an indelible influence on the cultures of almost all European nations. While under 'Neoclassicism,' the Roman architecture, art, and lifestyles were all borrowed by these nations, even the Roman decadence did not go unnoticed on that front. It brought about a time when people developed greater interest in the decline of the Roman Empire than in its grandeur. Thomas Couture also tried to express his version of social criticism through "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire," which effectively criticized his contemporary French society. The painting, which won immense appreciation and accolades, now adorns the walls of Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.

Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art . Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com Annette has bonus offers on her work only. Buy 2 paintings of any size and receive 1 painting of your choice for free of equal size and value. SHIPPING IS FREE IN CANADA AND US ON SMALLER ITEMS Please feel free to subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com

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Roman Architecture | A Roman Town in Extremadura

420 kilometres north of the Costa del Sol, in Extremadura, is the small town of Merida. It is too far for a day trip from the Costa del Sol and in any case there is far too much to see in one day so try for one of the special offers at the Medea Melia Tryp which is about 20 minutes walk from the centre of the town. Merida is remarkable in that its history dates back to Roman times and being in a remote, less well-known part of Spain, has not been developed to any great extent. Consequently there are still many traces of what was once one of the most important Roman and Islamic cities in the peninsula.

Augusta Emerita was founded in 25 BC for retired Italian soldiers who had fought in the Cantabrian war. It was also intended to be the capital of the recently (27 BC) created province of Lusitania. Its location made it a communications centre where roads from Lisbon (Olisipo), Astorga (Asturica), Toledo (Toletum), Cordoba (Corduba) and Seville (Hispalis) all met.

The Medea Hotel is an excellent place to start an exploration of Augusta Emerita. Even the hotel itself is built in a 'Roman amphitheatre' style and is alongside one of the main Roman roads that led to the city allowing us to march smartly down to the Roman bridge. Recently pedestrianized, the bridge has been in constant use for over 2000 years. Repairs over the years have been in keeping with the original style and the majority of it is original. It is one of the finest examples of Roman architecture in the peninsular. Sixty arches carry the bridge across the river to the south gate into the city. On the right of the gate are the original walls. Those to the left have been demolished. It is easy to imagine the legionnaires breathing a sigh of relief after marching from Portugal with their destination in sight.

Once in the city the choice of destinations is daunting. To cover the Roman period a visit to the amphitheatre and theatre is a must. The theatre is the best example of its kind in western Europe. Next to the theatre is the amphitheatre. Built in 8 BC it is also an excellent example with many of the passages below the seating still in their original form. The pit in the floor was where gladiators and wild animals were kept prior to their 'performance'. Many people are confused by the words theatre and amphitheatre, expecting the latter to be a semi circle and the former to be round. During the early part of the Roman Empire gladiatorial games to the death and pitting man against beast were popular entertainments. These took place in the round amphitheatre. Later, during the Imperial period, plays and music became popular and for these purposes the semi circular theatres were built.

A visit to the Museum of Roman Art near the theatre is also a must. Here you can see the usual glass, coins, statues and other artefacts found during excavations but the two highlights are the fine mosaics, and the examples of Roman water technology. Some of the mosaics are huge and extremely well preserved. Romans were as class conscious as any other people and mosaics were used to impress friends and neighbours. The smaller each individual tile in the mosaic the more detail can be achieved with consequential increases in cost.

It is the technology that really impresses. Huge bronze valves used to isolate sections of water piping for maintenance, valves to control the rate of flow of water and one-way valves. A detailed video, also available for sale, shows how the Romans understood and used water pressure to move water vertically as well as horizontally. Given a few more years they could easily have invented the steam engine. It is easy to realise how the uneducated Visigoths, who replaced the Romans, found the technology incomprehensible and thus failed to maintain it.

When wandering around Merida it is impossible not to notice other examples of Roman architecture. There is an arch, still in use, monumental aqueducts, bath houses unearthed beneath demolished buildings from a later era and many examples of original walls still used in current buildings.

Breathtaking it may be but you still have to keep body and soul together. Fortunately there is no shortage of watering holes. Menu del Dia is definitely the way to go here and if you get the chance try the ham. Extremadurans claim their ham is superior to Serrano, and they are right.

A favourite form of entertainment during Roman times took place at the Hippodrome or circus. The one at Merida is one of only three known in Spain, the other two are at Toledo and Tarragona. Built in an oval shape, over 400 metres long and 150 metres wide, the Merida circus could seat 30,000 people, almost the entire population. They were treated to chariot races, seven laps with no rules other than the winner was the first across the finishing line. Champions were venerated, there were no prizes for coming second and accidents were common. The chariots were as light as possible and pulled by two or four horses. They entered the ring at the start of the race via starting gates situated in a line at one end of the circus, very similar to the start of a modern horse race today, and thundered around the central platform that was called a spina. On occasion the entire circus could be flooded to enable re-enactments of naval battles.

The huge amount of water required to flood the arena would have come from the aqueduct that passes the western end of the circus. This is the Acueducto de San Lazaro and it is impossible to miss it. The arches supporting the water channel march off for well over a kilometre towards the hills north of the city. Notice how at the circus end modern buildings abut the aqueduct. There are not many houses with a finer arch at the end of the drive than the one here at Merida. Recently excavated beneath the aqueduct is the site of a public baths area and a sports area, a Roman desportivos.

Walking back into town you will next arrive at the Casa del Anfiteatro that is a whole site in its own right. The south section of the aqueduct emerges here and there is a water tower with a house alongside. Inside the house you will find some wonderful mosaics.

From there it is a short walk to the south end of town, near the bullring. You will come to a site called Columbarios, which is a Roman cemetery. Two of the vaults have been identified as belonging to the Julius family and the Voconius family. The cemetery would have been situated outside the city walls as was customary at the time. The epigraphs and portraits have survived. Leaving the cemetery you will arrive at the Casa del Mitro. This was a large villa also situated outside the city walls. Some wall decorations and mosaics have survived along with the foundations, an extensive bath house and a huge underground water cistern.

To really take away an idea of what life was like around the 1st century AD then a visit to Moreria is essential. This is a 12,000 square metre site behind the city wall alongside the river north of the Roman bridge. Originally it was an urban area, the houses, large and small are there to see, with a section of the east west main road through the town. It is easy to imagine this bustling street with covered arcades on each side housing shops and taverns. Four minor roads lead off and penetrate the city walls to give access to the river. This site is particularly important for revealing a continuous history of occupation from Roman, through Visigoth to Moors and then Christians, each leaving their layer for us to find.

Nick Nutter is the editor of a successful magazine, Andalucia Life, in southern Spain. He writes articles about the places he visits. The web site http://www.andalucia-life.com is updated every month with new articles, days out, places to go, news from the Costa del Sol and more.

For more exciting places to visit in Andalucia, Extremadura, Portugal and Morocco, visit http://www.andalucia-life.com/magazine/list.cfm?LeftNav=Places to Visit

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