Roman Architecture Research Articles

Review: The Socialist Life of Modern Architecture: Bucharest, 1949–1964, by Juliana Maxim

Review: <i>The Socialist Life of Modern Architecture: Bucharest, 1949–1964</i>, by Juliana Maxim

SAH/JSAH: Four Score and Counting

The American Society of Architectural Historians (ASAH)—as SAH was called until 1947—was formally established at the Harvard Faculty Club on a balmy late-July evening in 1940. Turpin Bannister, then teaching at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was elected the Society's first president and tasked with editing the first issue of its journal. Appearing in January 1941, that issue was printed in purple ink on a spirit duplicator (or Ditto machine) and bound in orange construction paper. On its cover was a drawing of an ancient Roman brickyard stamp, in reference to the lone and otherwise unillustrated article inside: “The Roman Brick Industry and Its Relationship to Roman Architecture,” by Harvard classicist Herbert Bloch (Figure 1). The newly launched Journal of the ASAH was mailed to the Society's twenty-five founding members and to almost two hundred other scholars who, it was supposed, might want to join them. “Few of those who receive this first number of the Journal will know that ASAH exists,” read the issue's opening lines. “An introduction is in order.”1Introductions to SAH will no longer be necessary for most people reading this, but a reminder or two seem warranted. This summer marks the Society's eightieth anniversary, while next year will be the journal's. We observe these anniversaries every five or ten years, and while doing so may sometimes seem blandly formulaic, such recognition also imposes an order on time elapsed and encourages us to measure changes wrought. Much as physical landmarks mark meaningful places, authors Scott Stephens and Lisa A. Williams observe, anniversaries are “temporal landmarks demarcat[ing] meaningful junctures in time. They interpose themselves between the past and a hoped-for future … between our actuality and our potentiality.”2 The scope and scale of SAH and JSAH have broadened considerably since those early Ditto-machine days. Recent years have seen substantial and largely successful efforts to internationalize and otherwise diversify our membership and the issues we address, to support and encourage significant research and the participation of emerging and nontraditional scholars, to disseminate and expand our work through technologies both old and new, and to build and secure the resources and mechanisms that make so much of this activity possible.Because we are students of history, it is our practice and our inclination to look backward. The Society and its journal now have eighty years of their own to look back on, and in the coming months JSAH will be doing just that: calling out, with the assistance of our publisher, the University of California Press, significant examples of past scholarship and introducing them to contemporary readers through online open-access publication (along the lines of our recent “virtual issues” on the Bauhaus and skyscrapers). But as anyone reading this is well aware, history is not simply about looking backward. Among its many uses, both practical and idealistic, historical study helps us to better understand the nature and causes of change, enhancing our knowledge of ourselves and our present circumstances, as well as our efforts to plan and build for what we hope will be a better future.So, by all means, do look back on those eighty years behind us and take from them what you will. But take a moment, too, to think about the years ahead and the still-unrealized potential that they hold. In just twenty years the Society will mark its centennial. What can we do now to keep on building an organization whose first one hundred years we will then celebrate with pleasure, pride, and the possibility of an even brighter future ahead? I hope to see you then.

Comparison Between Colorimetry and Sensory Panel in Studying Similarity Between Roman and Integration Bricks, Assisted by Multivariate Data Treatment

ABSTRACT The restoration of the Roman building of the third-fourth century CE called Minerva Medica, in Rome, highlighted a problem concerning the choice of the color of the bricks for integration. Current conservation practice in Italy favours a restoration that as much as possible is consistent with the original but leaves some visible differences to a careful observer. Color measurement is usually performed using portable spectrocolorimeters that provide the reflectance spectrum and also colorimetric parameters such as L* a* b*, h* L* C*, RGB, etc. In other sectors, such as for olive oils, for wines, and also for the colors of commercial products, sensory panels are used to provide results of difference/similarity and are known to be similar to observations made by consumers. In this study, data from a top quality spectrocolorimeter and from a sensory panel are compared. Twenty non-professional people were involved in the comparison between seven restoration bricks and three ancient Roman bricks from the studied site. Observations took place in a room with controlled lighting, and each observer filled out a sensory card using about 2000 known comparison colors. Comparison of the results was carried out with graphic methods and by means of cluster analysis. The results show that the sensory panel could be a useful alternative to colorimetry, while cluster analysis allowed a significant response to questions posed by conservation professionals, and was confirmed by other graphic-statistical methods.

Review: Da Gerusalemme a Pechino da Roma a Vienna: Sul Saggio di architettura storica di J. B. Fischer von Erlach, by Marco Folin and Monica Preti

Review: <i>Da Gerusalemme a Pechino da Roma a Vienna: Sul Saggio di architettura storica di J. B. Fischer von Erlach</i>, by Marco Folin and Monica Preti

Imperial Art and Power in the Liternum Episode of Silius Italicus’ Punica

Abstract The paper is concerned with Silius’ double ecphrasis of a Roman monument of the First Punic War at Liternum, and Hannibal’s planned counter-monument (Sil. 6.653-716). It is suggested that these are compared as parts of commemorative networks rather than as standalone memorials: ambiguities in Hannibal’s speech can be interpreted as hints that he might be planning a series of monuments, while the Roman monument is described as ‘secondary’ in relation to memorials in Rome. Significantly, the Roman monument stands outside the capital, thus the Roman conquest of Italy provides additional context for its interpretation. Although the local point of view is suppressed in the episode, other passages provide analogies for what local interpretations of the Roman monument might look like in the world of the Punica.

Socialist Content in National Form: A Guiding Principle of the "Communist Project" in Romanian Architecture

The article follows the theme of "socialist content in national form" in Romanian architecture during a period stretching from approximately 1944 to 1989 – a time interval that is usually associated with the specific political agenda that dominated society in a decisive and profound way throughout the era, which is usually indicated as "communism". This time interval can also be indicated by using other keywords and concepts, such as "socialism", "state socialism", "totalitarianism" or others, sometimes in association with the keyword "communism". For reasons that will be presented in the introduction, the title of the article will prefer the use of the term "the communist project" for indicating the chronological focus of the article; the word "project" also holds a conceptual meaning – therefore being considered appropriate in the context of a mostly conceptual discussion that the article focusses on – as it tries to examine one of the most powerful and influential key concepts of the era: "socialist content in national form".

In-plane static tests on a structural timber frame system proposal (TRAROM) inspired from traditional architecture and using local materials

A lightweight structural timber system is proposed, inspired from traditional Romanian architecture, and adapted to the current needs (wider spaces and increased comfort) and to the local construction market (low skill workforce, poorly controlled material quality, diversity of materials). A good seismic behavior was, also, a target, because Romania is one of the most seismic prone countries in Europe. In order to satisfy these requirements, a team of researchers, an architect, and design and construction site engineers gathered and tested walls with a new structural system inspired from a certain traditional house type. The tests were conducted in-plane in static cyclic loading.Several parameters were tested on 8 distinct specimens: the layout of the timber elements and that of the screw nails. As a waypoint in the project, a layout that was deemed the most satisfying (by considering strength capacity and manufacture parameters), so three additional specimens were tested to check variation of the results on this layout. The paper presents the details of the proposed system and also the main seismic characterization parameters. The resulting best layout is to be proposed for a house, as an example project, in order to be used by the government for reconstruction in case of disaster recovery (earthquake, floods), but also for other interested parties.

Housing and Honouring the Saints: English Medieval Architecture and the Cult of Relics

This article considers the architecture of English medieval churches and how it was affected by its function as a setting for the cult of saints. It looks at the impression which the patrons of medieval buildings were hoping to make on the minds and spirits of those who visited them. It is not concerned so much with the functional planning issues surrounding access, security, and the management of pilgrims as it is with the symbolic content of those larger spaces within which the shrine and its immediate surroundings are contained and visually celebrated. Plans, forms, and decoration carrying specific associations with prestigious buildings in Rome are considered in relation to some early medieval buildings. The new work at Canterbury, following the fire of 1174, created a new and influential architectural language adopted by other cathedrals in which aspects of the saint could be signaled by architectural detail and decoration. The article ends with the thirteenth-century Chapel of the Nine Altars at Durham as a setting for the shrine of Cuthbert.

Data-Driven Modelling of Daylight Scattering by Roman Window Glass

With the advent of window glass, its optical properties arise as one important factor in the illumination, and thereby the visual perception, of Roman architecture. Computational simulation allows to reconstruct the daylight illumination of buildings with known geometrical configuration if the scattering properties of window glass can be replicated. We describe a method to generate data-driven models of Roman window glass based on precise gonio-photometric measurements of archaeological finds. The method is employed to model four exemplary glass finds in the context of a simplified architectural scene, demonstrating the potential to support research in building history and archaeology focused on building techniques, lighting concepts, and perception with accurate and reliable photometric data.

THE ROMAN HOARD FROM TURDA (POTAISSA III)

The archaeological surveys undergone in 2015circa 250 m from the North-West bastion pertaining of the legionary fortress of Potaissa (Roman province of Dacia) (today, Turda, Romania), a Roman coin hoard has been discovered. It comprises of 543 imperial denarii (conventionally named Potaissa III). The earthen pot containing these coins had been hidden inside a Roman building, most likely underneath a wooden floor. The denarii are preserved in good condition, and were carefully selected for hoarding. The 543 coins’ cache starts with two denarii dating back to emperor Nero and ends with two denarii of emperor Macrinus. The hoard contains issues from almost all emperors and members of the imperial families, with the exception of Galba. The denarii issued under the Severan dynasty represent 62% of the total, which indicates a quick accumulation during the time of emperor Caracalla.

Ancient Romans and daylighting: the case of Villa of the mysteries in Pompeii

The goal of the paper is to analyse the daylighting design criteria in ancient Roman domus, by using as case study a famous ancient Roman building: the villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. At this purpose the work is divided in two sections: a typological analysis of the roman houses, aiming at understanding the link between the ancient building criteria and the daylight harvesting ones; a dynamic simulation of the daylight conditions inside the Villa of the Mysteries. In this regard, to assess the indoor daylight availability an ad-hoc methodology, based on the proposal of a new set of performance metrics (the Characteristic Daylight Illuminance -CDI-; the minimum CDI - CDImin-; the spatial CDI -sCDI-) is introduced in order to process simulation results. Results demonstrate that in the past there was a strong correlation between building criteria and daylighting ones: the choices about the dimensions of the windows and the use of static shading systems (porches and peristyles) were wise and reasoned. Moreover, there was a correspondence between daylighting criteria and the functions of the spaces: the more prestigious a room was, the more daylight entrance was permitted. Daylight levels were generally higher in representative spaces like atria, triclinia and tablina, with CDImin values generally comprised between 200 lx and 500 lx, and lower in cubicula and service/working spaces, with CDImin values generally comprised between 0 lx and 100 lx. The obtained results can be useful to design the modern electric lighting system in the villa. Moreover, the proposed analysis methodology can be easily exported to other applications (both ancient and modern buildings). Further studies should apply the same methodology to other case studies to verify if the outcomes of the research are generalizable.

The row houses at Oplontis

In the spectrum of the cities buried by Vesuvius, studies of humble dwellings have suffered from poor preservation, a lack of documentation and a general disinterest. Small commercial spaces frequented by non-élites, such as tabernae, thermopolia, cauponae, popinae and cenacula, remain difficult to identify as they often doubled as domestic spaces and Latin terminology does not always match the architectural remains. A few studies have focused on the place of such spaces within Roman architecture as well as on the economic rôles of tabernae and/or rental accommodations.1 This paper expands on these approaches by offering the preliminary results of research at Oplontis B (Torre Annunziata) by the Oplontis Project, one of the few sites where a series of row houses sheds light on the domestic aspects of tabernae and their rôle in urban development along the Bay of Naples.2

Romanian Architecture and Urbanism in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Articolul își propune să identifice posibilele abordări pentru arhitectura și urbanismul din România în contextul pandemiei de COVID-19. Metoda istorică inițială ajută la ilustrarea, în situația lipsei de noi soluții medicale, a caracterului peren al măsurilor de control al spațiului împotriva pandemiilor, cum ar fi izolarea, carantina și lockdown-ul, precum și a măsurilor de arhitectură și urbanism, cum ar fi controlul aerului și al densității urbane. Sunt analizate mișcări din arhitectură și din urbanism care au apărut ca reacții la probleme legate de sănătate, începând de la mișcările igieniste care au dus mai apoi la Modernism și până la New Urbanism sau Village urbain. Densitatea populației, ca factor agravant al pandemiilor, este studiată atât din punct de vedere istoric, cât și în conformitate cu literatura epidemiologică științifică actuală. Evoluția românească este prezentată în contextul abordărilor igieniste. Situația actuală este considerată alarmantă datorită lipsei abordărilor legate de sănătate aplicate la arhitectură și urbanism. Lucrarea propune în cele din urmă o reevaluare a principiilor arhitecturale și a planurilor românești de urbanism, fie ele în curs de aprobare sau viitoare, prin prisma unei abordări legate de sănătate. Articolul pune un accent deosebit pe reducerea densității urbane, promovarea spațiilor verzi, încurajarea cartierelor cu o mixitate funcțională, susținerea reducerii dimensiunii magazinelor din localități, stimularea comerțului de proximitate, a transportului cu bicicletele și a orașelor la scara pietonului.

Ceramic hinterlands: establishing the catchment areas of early Anglo-Saxon cremation cemeteries

ABSTRACT The cremation cemeteries of early Anglo-Saxon England have long been recognized as central places, serving discrete territories or catchment areas. Their prominent locations, size and proximity to prehistoric and Roman routeways and monuments have been viewed as indicators of their centrality. Yet, little is known about the extent of these hinterlands or where one catchment area ended, and another began. Focusing on urns from two cremation cemeteries in North Lincolnshire and pottery from 80 non-funerary find-spots, this study places cremation cemeteries within a ceramic landscape. Using thin-section petrology to identify domestic and funerary pottery with a common source, direct links are drawn between cemeteries and settlements and the catchment areas of cemeteries revealed. The methodology developed is not specific to the study of Anglo-Saxon cremation practice, rather it is applicable across time and regions, facilitating investigations into the hinterlands of cremation cemeteries throughout Europe and the wider world.

The assortment of ceramic building materials from the pottery workshop of Sextus Me(u)tillius Maximus at Crikvenica (Croatia)

Roman building materials, especially brick and tiles (tegulae and imbex) marked a new era in the architecture of Roman Dalmatia. While imported materials seem to still form the bulk of the evidence, recently identified and definitely located local productions provide the possibility to place these products within a technological and economical framework. The in-depth analysis of the array of ceramic building materials (CBM) of the workshop of Sextus Me(u)tillius Maximus in Crikvenica (north-eastern Adriatic) evidences their forming methods and production technology, while some distribution aspects and their role within the rural economy indicate their relevance within the regional CBM market. This paper will highlight such aspects and place them within a wider debate on the onset of production, the organisation of rural property, and the transmission of technology and knowledge through the adoption of “Roman style” architectural solutions.

Confronting Vitruvius: a geometric framework and design methodology for Roman rectangular temples

Studies of design principles of Roman temples typically have been based on Vitruvius, which inspired a belief that the colonnade was at the core of the geometric framework of every temple and that the lower column diameter (D) was used as a module to plan all other aspects, both horizontally and vertically. Archaeological evidence, however, shows that most extant temples do not match the Vitruvian model.1 Scholars have tried to explain the discrepancies in different ways: for example, by claiming that Vitruvius did not describe the actual state of Roman architecture but “what it should be”,2 that architects had to make “adjustments” to the “Vitruvian ideal” to create a particular effect, or that they had to make on-site corrections.3 A few studies have shown that also other design principles must have been at play. P. Barresi, based on the geometric analyses of several temple-podia of the 5th to 1st c. B.C. in central Italy, argued that they were designed and built relative to a square grid.4 He derived the size of each grid-module from the proportions of the rectangles of the temples' bases. He later reached the same conclusion for the temples of the Capitolium at Sufetula,5 while J.-N. Bonneville presented a similar theory for temples at Baelo Claudia.6 M. Wilson Jones observed that the principal parts of the façades of the Temple of Portunus at Rome and the Maison Carrée at Nîmes formed square contours,7 which he considered a reason for the “irregularities” (relative to Vitruvian principles) in the intercolumniations. He also presented other examples of simple geometric shapes in the compositions of the façades of Roman buildings.

Bath, city and society in Late Roman Athens

Baths are ubiquitous in the archaeological record of the Roman Empire – more numerous than any other form of Roman architecture. They are found at virtually every type of settlement, from imperial capitals and mid-sized provincial towns to border fortresses. More so even than theaters, amphitheaters or circuses, baths were an integral part of daily life for urbanites throughout the empire. By the Julio-Claudian era, most could scarcely imagine life without baths, by which time they had become a symbol of Roman identity and civilization. The baths were cultural centers, where debates, educational activities and theological discussions took place; they were places of social intercourse and were used for business transactions; athletes trained in their attached exercise grounds, and subjects of the emperor practiced cult in their halls. Some also served as healing centers, such as the thermal baths at Baiae and Hammat Gader.

Block-type military balneum in Timacum Minus its spatial arrangement, social impacts, and architectural analogies

The remains of a Roman bath are situated northeast of the remains of the Timacum Minus castrum. The discovered building is small in size, with a total area of about 242 m?. According to the specific layout of rooms, with a reduced spatial organization of its plan, the building belongs to the reduced block-type of military small baths - balneae. In the territory of Serbia, no military balneae of this type have been discovered so far, which are otherwise common for border areas throughout the Roman Empire. The specific spatial relationship between the individual rooms and the characteristic building forms registered in the building plan indicate that the origin of the architecture of the military balneum in Timacum Minus should be associated with the Roman architecture of the balneae that belong to the villae rusticae in Central Europe.

Corinth, 2018: Northeast of the Theater

The 2018 excavations at ancient Corinth opened up a new area of exploration northeast of the ancient theater. Part of a major east–west road dating from the 3rd to the 5th or 6th century A.D. was revealed. South of the road were remains of a substantial Roman building, the walls of which were extensively plundered in the 6th century or later, although portions of three rooms provide evidence of elaborate pavements that appear to be Early Roman. A few lower strata with predominantly Hellenistic pottery and mixed fills with redeposited Archaic and Classical sherds suggest that the area may provide an opportunity to explore undisturbed earlier contexts in the future.

Late Roman Building at the Čair-Castrum Site: Contribution to the Study of the Profane Architecture of Viminacium

Late Roman Building at the Čair-Castrum Site: Contribution to the Study of the Profane Architecture of Viminacium