The ancient Greek world was one of the most dynamic, innovative and progressive periods of art in Western civilization. The Greeks were a people who fought for naturalism and perfection in their art. In his buildings, the external structure and aesthetics were the main concern. The Greeks considered beauty as a distinctive feature of the gods and their search for beauty was almost a religious exercise. The job of the ancient Greek architect was to make a beautiful temple for the god. The development of Greek temple design also gave rise to the three orders of columns; Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, which were widely used in Greek buildings and have greatly influenced other cultures.
The Romans were the first builders in Europe, and probably the first in the world, to recognize the advantages of the arch, vault, and dome. The structures they left behind are a reminder of the genius of Roman engineering. They invented concrete and loved to build arches and monuments for themselves. They also loved to be entertained. The Romans enjoyed everything from chariot races to gladiator contests, musical works, and ballet. Three of the most important buildings designed for mass entertainment were the theater, the amphitheater, and the circus.
The Hepaisteion, Athens
The main function of a Greek temple was to house the god for whom it was built. That is why the temples were decorated on the outside, nobody entered. No part of a Greek temple was symbolic or meant anything other than what it was, a temple to a god, with a sheltered colonnade for worshippers. Greek architects did not strive for individuality, the ancient Greek builder could erect a standard temple with a brief verbal description.
Early Roman temples differed from Greek ones both internally and in their relationship to their surroundings. Often as many as three gods were housed together, while their rooms were narrow, the temple as a whole tended to be higher and grander than Greek temples.
The Hepaisteion is a typical peripteral style temple. It has a massive appearance with simple Doric capitals and thick, heavy columns made of stone drums built around it. Its shapes of mass and volume are simple rectangles, cylinders, and cones with triangular roofs. The temple stands in isolation resting on a low base, accessible from all sides by three steps. The temple site was almost as important as the temple itself. Unlike the Greeks, Roman temples had a focus and most only had frontal access.
The Hepaisteion is basically a room called a cella with a porch at the front and back, which is enclosed within a colonnade supporting the roof, which in turn protects the cella from rain and sun. Many of the early Roman pagan temples are similar to the Hepaisteion, but with the difference that it pushes the cella towards one end of the room and the decoration inside the temple.
Stone was the main building material used in the construction of Greek temples. Wood was used on the roof and ceiling. Terracotta tiles were also used. Anything that was marble was cut into large blocks and held together with clamps and dowels. Paint was used to highlight the moldings to strengthen the contrasting elements of the frieze.
Theater of Marcellus, Rome
The Greeks may have invented drama, but the Romans revolutionized theater design. They changed the Greek theater, a structure usually built on the side of a hill, with its circular orchestra and free-standing stage, into a free-standing structure linking the auditorium and the stage. The back of the stage was as high as the auditorium so that the audience could not see outside as in a Greek theater. Many Roman theaters, like Roman amphitheatres, had a velarium, or canopy, that was rigged to shield the audience from the sun. Roman theaters were regularly built on concrete vaults that supported the auditorium and allowed easy access to the seats, as crowd control was a major concern for the Roman builder.
The Theater of Marcellus in Rome was first commissioned by Julius Caesar and completed during the reign of his great-nephew and adoptive son Augustus. The façade was made of travertine and had forty-one bays with a half column on both sides of each bay. This style was widely copied after the theater was built. Similarities can be seen in the Colosseum, which was built much later. Like many Roman structures, the Theater of Marcellus was built with concrete and baked bricks 3.5 to 4.5 centimeters thick. The bricks were very porous to absorb the mortar and give better adhesion. The half circle shaped structure that was a standard design for Roman theaters. The back of the stage area or scaena frons was decorated with a continuous row of columns three levels high running the width of the stage. The scaena frons was another Roman innovation first used in the 4th century BC. C. but it did not reach its ideal until the 2nd century AD.
In Roman theaters, the orchestra was part of the audience. It was often set up with movable chairs for VIPs. The Greeks used the orchestra as a stage area.
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There are many differences between Greek and Roman architecture. The Greeks built many structures on top of the hills, the Romans transformed the hills into architectural structures. The early Greeks used the post and lintel system, while the Romans made extensive use of the arch, vault, and dome. Concrete was an important building material for the Romans, the Greeks were always trying to find better building materials and used huge stones held together with clamps and dowels.
In the design of theaters, both the Greeks and the Romans preferred to use slopes, but due to the large cities, the Romans were forced to build their theaters on level ground. This practice brought about the revolutionary design of a free-standing theater structure.
The Greeks took their religion seriously and built their temples to the gods. The Romans took the view, took it inside the temple and declared that what happened inside was very important, so the temple had to look good on the inside as well.