Concrete In Roman Architecture Essay

The Roman Empire
The use of concrete in Roman Architecture

Introduction:
Roma, Modern day Rome, was founded in 753 BC, by the first of the seven Roman Kings, Romulus. The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful civilizations in history. The Roman power was echoed in their buildings with large arches and vast interior spaces, which was possible through the use of concrete.
The Romans became such a powerful civilization, firstly, because of its location, Italy, between other powerful civilizations and right on the Mediterranean Sea. Secondly, the location of Rome gave the civilization access to an abundance of resources and thirdly, great leaders such as, Julius Caesar and Augustus Octavian who started to build Rome as a great Empire and city

Modern day concrete is stronger than the Roman concrete because it incorporates steel bars, which builds up tensile strength within the material. Essentially, it is Ferro- or “reinforced” concrete. The Romans did not use steel or metal to reinforce their concrete.

The influence of concrete on Roman Architecture:
Concrete, as the Romans developed and used it, defines much of what makes Roman Architecture distinctive to us today. Roman Architecture is essentially a dialogue between the older, traditional rectilinear forms of the Greek civilization and the early Italic post-and-lintel traditions. However, Concrete allowed the Romans to construct vast spanning vaults, domes and arches, which would often remain standing more than 2000 years later.
The Romans incorporated many architectural concepts from earlier civilizations, such as the Etruscans, the Egyptians and the Greek, into their buildings. However, these previous civilizations never tried to roof spaces as wide or as high as the Romans did. Although the best attempts of these early civilizations looked wonderful from the exterior, the interiors depended on a forest of supporting columns, something that Roman buildings didn’t necessarily have to depend