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Architecture is a collection of curiosities dedicated to the buildings and architectural solutions of the ancient Roman world. This category includes lesser-known facts, interesting construction details, and unusual information about Roman temples, amphitheaters, aqueducts, roads, and other structures of the Roman Empire.
One of the greatest engineering achievements of ancient Rome was the development of building materials that allowed for the construction of structures on an unprecedented scale. However, it’s important to remember that Roman cement and Roman concrete were not the same thing. Cement served as a binder, while concrete was a finished construction material.
Curia Hostilia is one of the oldest and most important places related to the political functioning of ancient Rome. Built according to legend by the third king of Rome, Tullus Hostilius, this curia was the central meeting place of the senate – the most important ruling body in the Roman Republic. It was here that senators met to debate laws, war decisions, and foreign policy, shaping the future of one of the greatest empires of antiquity.
For 2000 years, people wondered how the Pantheon was able to stand intact while many other structures had fallen. As an architect, I have wondered about this too.
In ancient Rome, one of the oldest forums was the Forum Boarium. The Forum Boarium together with Forum Holitorium1 were located at a strategic point on the Tiber at the first crossing of the river.
Castellum Aquae in Pompeii was a water dispenser that supplied water to the entire city. The building was located at the highest point of Pompeii (42 meters) and was connected to the Serino aqueduct.
Inner garden (hortus) in a Roman house (so-called Casa della Nave Europa) in Pompeii. The preserved columns that surrounded the greenery and created the peristyle (internal courtyard) are visible.
What are we talking about? Of course, probably the largest monolith ever brought and placed in Rome. The obelisk of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III, which was ordered to be placed on the Circus Maximus by Emperor Constantius II.
In the ancient port of Arles on the Rhône, in 2014, French researchers made an astonishing discovery. They found a Roman water supply network – eight threads of lead pipes laid across the Rhône bed, at a depth of 12 meters. Each section of pipe laid on the bottom is approximately 200 meters long. These sections consist of 3-meter-long sections.
Almost everyone knows the Ionian, Doric and Corinthian orders. However, there are numerous examples of columns not adhering to any of these Greek styles in the architecture of ancient Rome. Aside from simple modifications and evolutions of the Hellenic originals, one can also find some very distinct forms that can surprise them with their uniqueness.
Dacians were a people living in what is now Romania and part of Hungary. To this day, we can admire the remains of buildings and fortresses they built in the Orăștie mountains, which are part of the Carpathians. They prove how well-developed the Dacians were.
