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history of architecture
COLOSSEUMINTRODUCTION
* Location:Rome
* Built in:70-82AD
* Type ofbuilding:Amphitheatre
* Built by: Vespasian and Domitian
* The name: Itis also called for a colossalstatus of Nero hat
once stood nearby , but its real name
FLAVIANAMPHITHEATRE
* Style:Ancientroman , classical , Doric ionic and Corinthian
engaged columns , Corinthian pilasters.
* Emperor Vespasian started the works, and Emperor Titus
completed it.
* It is the biggest amphitheatre built by the Roman Empire
* It had seating for 80,000 peopleHISTORY
* The Flavian Amphitheater was built in the center of
Rome where all citizens could enjoy its entertainment.
* They were divided into three levels: the level that was
closest to the arena floor was reserved for the senators
and the emperor.
* The majority of people sat in the second level. These
people were called Plebeians or the middle class. Most
of these men were farmers orartisans.
* The last level was at the top of the amphitheatre and
furthest from the arena floor, theslaves and thewomen
stood up here There were no seats for these people.
+ The Domus AUrea was torn down.lake used for the
Colosseum,
* Schools for gladiators and other buildings were built in
the center of the city: in effect. placing it in the ral and
symbolic heart of Rome.EXTERIOR
* The external facade, about 48 m high was divided into
four storeys, each one had 80 external arch openings.
* The amphitheater was ringed by 80 entrances at
ground level, 76 of which were used by ordinary
spectators.
* Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each
staircase.
* The northern main entrance was reserved for the
Roman Emperor and his aides, whilst the other three
axial entrances were most likely used by the elite.
* All four axial entrances were richly decorated with
painted stuccoreliefs.
* The outer wall is estimated to have required over
100,000 cubic meters of travertine stone which were
set without mortar held together by 300 tons of iron
clamps. wisToRY OF ARCHITECTUREINTERIOR
* Each seating level at the Colosseum was reservedby law for
people of a specific status orprofession.
* These levels reflected the rigid social andclass system of imperial
Rome.
* The emperor had a special reserved box seat at the arena-side;
directly across from him was another box reserved for the Vestal
Virgins, the priestesses of the goddess Vesta. Senators also had
arena-side seats; they brought their own chairsand sat in white
togas with the broad purple stripe that designated their senatorial
class
* Directly above the senators sat the knights(known as equites)
followed by ordinary Roman citizens (plebians). The knights and
plebians also wore togas to theColosseum.
* Seatings were made of marble.
* Seats are made of marble and inscribed with a number.
* Aline divides each seat from its neighbor.PLAN
* The ancient Roman
Colosseum was designed
using the principle of the Arch.
It is elliptical in plan and is 189
meters long and 156 meters
wide, with a base area of 6
acres . The perimeter originally
measured 545. The central
arena is an oval 87 m long and
55 m wide, surrounded by a
wall 5 m high, above which
rose tiers of seating.SECTION
* The public seating (cavea)
was divided based on a social
class, The cavea was divided
in 5 sectors which were
separated by corridors. The
seats closest to arena were
reserved for senators, Knights
and other social categories
occupied the upper stands,
while the highest sector, also
known as summa cavea, was
intended for the plebs. The
complex was designed not
only to control the crowds,
but to keep them
comfortable.
OF
CROSS SECTION t
COLOSSEUM
Me! MIsTORY OF ARCHITECTUREELEMENTS
WALLS.
* A framework of columns was made from a
limestone called travertine.
* On the lower floors, a local volcanic stone called
tufa provides the filler.
* Ceilings are made from a light volcanic stone
calledpumice.
* There was no mortar used to hold the wall
together.
ARENA
* Arena floor size: 86.1M long- 54M wide.
* It's a wooden floor covered with sand.
* Parts of the floor can be lowered and raised to
introduce scenery or animals into the arena.‘Secon oor olan: Cornhan cok
6.40mhigh
First floor column: onic
6.45mhigh
‘Ground fleor column:Derie column
7.05 high
COLUMNS
* The colosseum includes all the ancient architectural orders
which are style recognizable mainly by the columns
employed.
* Columns were utilized both for structural purpose and for
decoration.
ARCHES
* The arch’s engineering purpose is to directpressure down and
‘out, creating compressive stress in the arch.
* When the Colosseum was built, Roman concrete was a recent
discovery which could support the weight of large scale
structures, but the Romans were unsure of its lifespan.
* The builders combined Roman concrete with stone to build the
arches to increase its strength.
* The Colosseum has 80 arches lining its perimeter, each 4.2
meters wide and 7.05 meters tall on the ground floor, and 6.45,
meters tall on the upper floors with a total of fourfloorsVAULTS
* Vaulted arches were made of Roman concrete,
which added strength to the building without
adding much weight.
* Vaults were invented by the Romans by
combining multiple arches for structural
support.
* The ceilings of the passages and corridors on the
exterior all had vaulted arches with supports
made of durable limestone.
* Vaults made the ceiling much stronger than a
flat ceiling and transferred weight from the
arches down through the columns.
* Barrel vaults were present on the first floor of the
colosseum, lining the entire outer perimeter.
* Groined vaults were constructed in the interior of
the structure.HYPOGEUM
* It consisted of a two-level subterranean network
of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where
gladiators and animals were held before
contests began.
* Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to
the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces
concealed underneath
VELARIUM
* Velarium means retractable,
* It was a type of awning stretched over the whole
seating area protecting spectators from rain and
provides shade
* The main use of velarium wasto create a
ventilation updraft creating circulation and a cool
breeze.MATERIALS
* Travertine it is a sedimentary stone made of calcite which is
whitish , yellowish,reddish in colour. Used as main pillar the
ground floor and external wall
* Tuff; it was used for some pillar and radial walls.
* Tiles and brick : they were produced with clay mixed with
water and often with sand straw and finely ground pozzolana.
* Brick could be used in wall structures as roofing andfilling
* Tiles were used for the floor of the upper storeys and the walls
* Cement or concrete : it is a building material usually
produced by mixing finely ground limestone and clay. It is
used in vault.
* Motar: a mix and binding agent and water or with water and
sand,
* Lime : it is a binding agent that romans obtained by heating
limestone in a kiln* The main structural framework and facade are
travertine(a variety of limestone), the secondary
walls are volcanic tufa, and the inner bowl and
the arcade vaults are concrete.The Coliseum
had a retractable roof.
* On hot days an awning called a velarium was
unfurled above the upper deck to shade
spectators from the Sun.
* It was operated by sailors from the Roman
Navy who were stationed around the top of
the Colosseum's arcade
* All the marble seats and decorative materials
disappeared, as the site was treated as little more
than a quarry for more than 1,000 years.* Bellow Arena was hypogeum,
aextensive grid of tunnels and
corridors as well as cellars which
are still visible today in the
middle of the construction.
* Cellars were used as chambers
for the gladiators, slaves,
weapons, equipment needed for
the games and the cages for the
animals.* Construction contained lifts operated by
pulleys and ropes which led directly to the
arena through the trap doors.
* It had 110 drinking fountains and two
restrooms large enough to accommodate a
packed house
* The Arena floor was wood covered with
sand.BIBLIOGRAPHY
* https://www.ehow.com/list_6714196_different-types-roman-columns.html
* https:/Awww.smithsonianmag.com/history/secrets-of-the-colosseum-75827047/
Wwww.rome.net/colosseum
© https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/roman-coliseum/
* https://www.britannica.com/topic/Colosseum