Early Roman architects were inspired by post-and-lintel and more refined Greek forms, and drew on Etruscan and Asian models for the semicircular arch, vault, and dome. To these elements they added the use of concrete, leading, after the 2d cent. BC, to revolutionary structural forms.

Of early Rome and the republic (c.500 B.C.-27 BC), the aqueducts outside the city of Rome are the most impressive remains. The principal Roman works belong to the period 100 B.C.-A.D. 300. The reign of Augustus initiated centuries of vast building enterprises. The special feature of Roman design was the combined use of arches (eventually the main structural element) and columns, which served as buttresses or decoration. Concrete replaced cut-stone construction after the 2d cent. BC Brick was used in all periods, especially baked brick for facing during the Empire. Stucco, porphyry, alabaster, and marble were also used to finish buildings. Brick vaults were developed fully, their buttresses integrated into the interior. Immense unencumbered vaults, e.g., those of the Pantheon, created pure spatial effects.

Splendor and utility were the Roman ideals, as opposed to the subtle refinement of the Greeks. Urban planning was extensive. Towns were laid out according to a logical plan, focusing on a forum, with colonnades and principal buildings surrounding it. In Rome itself successive forums were built by the emperors. Temples, conforming to the Etruscan type, were elevated on high bases. Facing the forum, they were without side porticos. The type is seen at the Maison Carrée, Nîmes, France. Circular temples included that of Vesta at Tivoli (1st cent. BC).

The Romans developed the basilica, baths, amphitheater, and triumphal arch. Roman theaters combined stage and auditorium in a unified structure. Baths, probably derived from Greek gymnasia, were built on a totally unprecedented scale, in luxurious detail. Houses typically had an atrium with a roof opening, and the Greek peristyle was used. Four or five story urban houses suggested the modern tenement. A third house type was the luxurious country villa

Towns water was supplied by the means of aqueducts, large road-like constructions that could go on for hundreds of kilometers, and deliver the fresh water from the farthest sources. The aqueduct usually started at a mountain lake, or other water source high above the ground, and from there, the aqueduct was built with a constant slight slope, so the water could travel all the way down to the city. In the city, the water was collected in special containers, and from there distributed to the people. In case of the water shortage, surprisingly, the reach peoples houses would be shut off first (but of course they had their own water reserves), secondly, middle-lower class houses would be shut off, so only the public fountains remain. This was a very wise way to distribute water without leaving anybody out, and wasting as little water as possible.

Here are some views of the ancient Rome, and other city related pictures, to see all of the available pictures, click here.

Arc of Constantine	reconstruction	Aqueduct	Aqueduct on top
Christian painting in Rome	Ruins of Circus Maximus	reconstruction	reconstruction
reconstruction	reconstruction	reconstruction	reconstruction
reconstruction	floor pattern	reconstruction	reconstruction
reconstruction	Arc of Constantine	View with Colosseum and Aqueducts	Baths of Agrippa
Baths of Caracalla	Sample of Roman early jewelry	Roman wall	Roman view
Circus Maximus	Villa Malta	head of the wolf statue in Rome	city's plan
Porta Nigra (Roman structure)	Villa Medici	reconstruction	Paved road