Professor Kleiner traces the evolution of Roman architecture from its beginnings in the eight-century B.C. Iron Age through the late Republican period. The lecture features traditional Roman temple architecture as a synthesis of Etruscan and Greek temple types, early defensive wall building in Rome and environs, and a range of technologies and building practices that made this architecture possible. City planning in such early Roman colonies as Cosa and Ostia is also discussed, as are examples of the first uses of the arch and of concrete construction, two elements that came to dominate Roman architectural practice. The lecture ends with an analysis of typical late Republican temples at Rome, Cori, and Tivoli.

Reading assignment:

Claridge, Amanda. Rome, pp. 3-11 (historical background), 37-43 (glossary of building materials), 51-52 (glossary of architectural orders and dimensions), 59 (fortifications), 119 (Palatine during the time of Romulus), 125-126 (hut of Romulus), 237-238 (Temple of Jupiter OMC), 253-254 (Temple of Portunus), 355 (Republican walls)

Credits:

The lectures in HSAR 252 are illustrated with over 1,500 images, many from Professor Kleiner's personal collection, along with others from a variety of sources, especially Wikimedia Commons, Google Earth, and Yale University Press. Some plans and views have been redrawn for this project. For specific acknowledgments, see: Image Credits - Lecture 2 [PDF]