Tem

ple

of P

osei

don

at Is

tham

iaca

. 600

BC

E

Mile

tus

Foun

ded

ca. 5

00 B

CE

Part

heno

nca

. 447

- 43

2 B

CE

Tem

ple

of A

then

a N

ike

ca. 4

25 B

CE

Pri

ene

Foun

ded

ca. 3

34 B

CE

The

Impe

rial F

orum

sca

. 48

BC

E -

112

CE

Co

loss

eum

ca. 7

2 - 8

0 C

E

Pan

theo

nca

. 125

CE

Had

rians

Vill

aca

. 118

- 13

4 C

E

Bat

h of

Car

acel

la, R

ome

ca. 2

12 -

216

CE

Bas

ilica

St.

Pet

erca

. 330

CE

Em

pero

r Aug

ustu

s ru

les,

use

of c

oncr

ete

is c

omm

on31

BC

E -

14 C

EFo

rum

of A

ugus

tus,

Rom

ebe

gun

ca. 2

4 B

CE

Foun

datio

n of

Con

stan

tinop

leca

. 324

CE

St.

Mar

ia M

aggi

ore

ca. 4

32 C

E

Chu

rch

of t

he P

roph

ets

ca. 4

65 C

E

SS.

Ser

gius

and

Bac

chus

ca. 5

25 -

530

CE

Hag

gia

Sop

hia

ca. 5

32 -

537

CE

St.

Hrip

sim

e C

hurc

hca

. the

7th

Cen

tury

CE

Augusta Raurica ca. 44 BCEThe oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine,

founded by Lucius Munatius Plancus in the area of

a local Gallic tribe. The city underwent most of its

development in 15 BCE under Emperor Augustus.

Rome ca. 753 BCEThe origin of Rome has mythological and topographic ex-

planations. The city grew surrounded by seven hills, ruled

by seven Etruscan Kings. Mythology states the brothers

Romulus and Remus founded the city on top of Palantine

Hill. At its height the city had a population of one million,

where the typical insulae consisted of ten storey high

low-cost housing. The city remained the capital of the

Roman Empire until Emperor Constantine I, who moved it

to Constantinople. The inhabitants of which continued to

call themselves Roman until Ottoman rule.

Pantheon Trajan Forum Colesseum Bath of Diocletian

Major Roman and Byzantine Architecture

Examples in the Middle East Pe

rgam

onfr

om 3

rd C

entu

ry

Petr

a R

ock

Tom

bsca

. 312

BC

E -

106

CE

Dam

ascu

s an

d

Bei

rut

com

e un

der

Rom

an ru

leca

. 64

BC

E

Tem

ple

of J

upite

r at

B

aalb

ekB

egun

ca.

10

CE

Pom

pey’

s ta

keov

er

of S

yria

ca. 6

4 B

CE

Ale

xand

er t

he G

reat

con

quer

ing

Eas

tern

E

mpi

reca

. 340

BC

E

Ant

ioch

, Syr

iaFl

ouris

hes

unde

r Ju

lius

Cae

sar

ca. 4

7 B

CE

Thea

tre

and

gym

na-

sium

, Dam

ascu

sC

omm

issi

oned

by

Her

odca

. 43

BC

E

Tem

ple

of J

upite

r at

D

amas

cus

ca. 1

4 C

E

Um

ayya

d M

osqu

eca

. 706

- 71

5 C

E

Arc

hit

ect A

po

l-lo

do

rus

of

Dam

as-

cus

resp

onsi

ble

for

man

y pu

blic

wor

ksun

der T

raja

n ca

. 98

- 117

CE

Bo

ule

ute

rio

n T

hea

tre,

Eph

esus

ca. 1

47 -

151

CE

Bat

h o

f D

iocl

etio

nca

. 298

- 30

6 C

E

Foru

m o

f Tra

jan

, Rom

eca

. 105

CE

Fou

nd

atio

n o

f E

ph

esu

sca

. 88

BC

E

Fou

nd

atio

n o

f R

om

eby

Rom

ulus

and

Rem

usca

. 753

BC

E

753

BC

E

Ch

rist

715

CE

Fou

nd

atio

n o

f Au

gu

sta

Rau

rica

ca. 4

4 B

CE

0 300m 0 300m0 300m

0 300m

0 300m

0 300m

0 300m

78 79ROMAN AND BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE Tom DowdallROMAN REPUBLIC 509 -27 BCE ROMAN EMPIRE 27 BCE - 393 CE BYZANTINE EMPIRE 330 -1453 CE

Miletus ca. 500 BCEFirst example of the Hippodamus Grid

system after the city was destroyed by the

Persians. Residential zones are divided into

island lots called Insulae, and surround the

principle public and policital space, notably

the agora and temple.

Damascus ca. 64 BCEFirst came under western influence by Alexander

the Great ca. 330 BCE. In 64 BCE Roman

General Pompey took control of the western part

of Syria, including Damascus, and incorporated

the city into the League of Ten cities, called the

Decapolis. The Decapolis was a collection of

the most prominent cities in the middle east,

and indicates the importance Damascus had as a

centre of the Graeco-Roman culture.

The urban plan shows the first use of the

Decumanus (the major vertical street) and the

Cardo (major horizontal) in the region.

Priene ca. 334 BCEFirst city to apply the Hippodamus

system to a hilly topography. The

streets were stepped where neces-

sary instead of breaking the grid and

following the contours.

Beirut ca. 64 BCEKnown as Berytus to the Romans,

and also came under Roman rule in 64

BCE. The city quickly became embel-

lished by the dynasty of Herod the

Great with large public buildings being

erected as an indication of its status.

Berytus was widely known for its

school of law, which produced two of

Rome’s most famous jurists, Papinian

and Ulpian.

Ephesus ca. 88 BCEThe city was originally famed for its Temple of

Artemis, who had her chief shrine there, the Library

of Celsus, and its theatre, which was capable of

holding 25,000 spectators. The city was rebuilt

under Emperor Constantine I.

Source: R. Tayor, Roman Builders, 2003. Thomas, Monumentality and the Roman Empire, 2007. E.J. Owens, The City in the Greek and Roman World, 2004. Ching, A Global History of Architecture, 2007

Roman and Byzantine ArchitectureCities of the Roman Empire

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80 81ROMAN AND BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE_Tom Dowdall

MONUMENT: lasting evidence, reminder, or example of someone or something notable or greatMerriam-webster dictionary definition

Temple

Pantheon Rome

ca. 125 CE

Theatre

Bouleuterion Ephesus

147-151 CE

Ampitheatre

Colosseum Rome

72 - 80 CE

Baths

Baths of Diocletion

Rome

298-306 CE

Forum

Basilica

Market

Trajan Forum Rome 105 CE

Architect: Hippodamus of Damscus

Church

St Peters Rome

333CE

SYSTEMSBUILDING TYPOLOGIES DETAILS

Structural Innovation

The use of concrete allowed the Roman builders to develop the Arch, the Vault and Dome.

They achieved this with the use of complex formwork, and cof-fered domes to reduce weight

Wall articulation

With the onset of the arch as a more efficient structural concept to the post-and-beam, the Ro-man builders continued to articulate the wall com-bining the arch with the orders of the columns

Arch of Nero Rome55 CE

Eastern Influences to Roman Architec-ture

Stylistic variations to Ro-man architecture began to appear in the Eastern cities of the Empire, as an appropriation to the culture and climate of the region.The most prominent of these is the Syrian arch

The great covered colonnaded axes where an idea oflocal eastern inspiration,combining prestigewith the practicalpurpose of protecting shoppers and vendorsfrom the sun

Colosseum Rome72 - 80 CE

Byzantine variations of the Composite Capital

Ionic Order notation

Standard entablature Entablature pierced by a central arch, known as the Syrian Arch

The Arch-made of Voussoirs, wedged-shaped stones

The Groin Vault- An intersecting Barrel vault

The Dome

Coffered DomeFormwork for a vault0 10m

0 10m

0 30m

0 50m

0 30m

0 30m

Tuscan Doric Ionic Corinthian Composite

SimaCorniceDentils

Architrave

Voluted capital

Column shaft

Torus with horizontal flutes

Plinth

SS. Sergius and Bacchus St. Vitale

Basilica Eufrasiana Salonica

Classical Orders

Roman and Byzantine ArchitectureArchitecture Typologies and Elements

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