Architecture. Зайцева И.В. - 23 стр.

Vitruvius “De Architectura” (27 B.C.). It consists of ten books and covers almost every
aspect on architecture.
       Whereas Greek architecture is tectonic, built up from logical series of horizontals
and verticals, Roman architecture is plastic with much use of rounded forms (arch,
vault, and dome). The Romans were more experimental than the Greeks in their
construction. Modifying and expanding earlier form to suit their purpose, the Romans
often used supporting columns for decorative effects, while the walls became the
essential elements, and they also made extensive use of coloured marble. But the true
greatness of the Romans lay in the creation of interior space.
       In Roman architecture there were three types of houses: the domus or town –
house; the insula or multi – storey apartment house, and the villa or country house. The
domus was usually of one storey only and inward – looking, consisted of suites of
rooms grouped around a central hall, or atrium (a quadrangular court) and one or more
peristyle courts. The insula had several identical but separate floors and was often
vaulted throughout with concrete construction. Independent apartments had separate
entrances with direct access to the street. The villa was derived from the traditional farm
– house and was more casual in plan than the domus.
       The Romans were great builders and engineers famous for their factories, roads,
aqueducts and bridges, grand thermae and amphitheaters, theatres, and temples.
       The greatest surviving circular temple of antiquity, and in many respects the most
important Roman building, is the Panthenon in Rome. In consists of rotunda about 142
feet in diameter surrounded by concrete walls 20 feet thick, in which are alternate
circular and rectangular niches. Light is admitted through a central opening, or oculus,
at the crown of the dome. The rotunda and the dome are among the finest examples of
Roman concrete work. The interior was lined with marble.
       The Romans also developed the Tuscan and Composite orders. The Tuscan order
is a simplified version of the Roman Doric, having a plan frieze and no mutules in the
cornice. The Composite order is a late Roman combination of elements from the Ionic
and Corinthian orders.
       The evolution of new constructive elements was aided by important technical
discoveries. A part from stone Roman architecture soon began to make use of bricks,
which at the peak of Roman architecture became the main building material because of
their adaptability. The invention of concrete provided a material that encouraged the
monumental tendencies of Roman architecture.

      2.5.1 Find the false sentences using the information from the text. Correct them:

1) “De Architectura” by Vitruvius is the source of information on Roman architecture.
2) Roman architecture is tectonic, built up from series of horizontals and verticals.
3) The Romans were not so experimental as the Greeks in their construction.
4) In Rome the column was often degraded to merely decorative use.
5) There were four main types of houses.
6) The Panthenon is the greatest temple of ancient Greek architecture
7) The Romans added the Tuscan and Composite orders.