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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



337 



LECTURES ON THE HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE, 



By Samuel Clegg, Jun., m.i.c.e., f.o.s. 

 Delivered at the College for Gemral Practical Science, Putney, Surrey. 



(president, his grace the nUKK OF BOCCLEOCH, K.G.) 



Lecture X.— ROME. 

 Roads — Aqueducts — Fora— Basilica — Amphitheatres — Circi 

 Theatres — Thermce — Triumphal Arches. 

 DiONTsius of Halicarnassus says, that "of all the monuments of 

 Rome, the three that appeared to him the most to proclaim the 

 power and mafjnificenee of Rome, were the great roads, the cloaca?, 

 and the aqueducts." In the two former works, the Romans only 

 imitated the example of their Etruscan teachers, though they 

 carried them out to an extent commensurate with the vastness of 

 their dominion. The Roads, or Viae, traversed, like great arteries, 

 all the provinces of the empire; extending from point to point in 

 nearly a straight line, regardless of "engineering difficulties." 

 Mountains were tunnelled, and magnificent bridges thrown across 

 the widest rivers. The bridge constructed over the Danube by 

 command of the Emperor Trajan, consisted of twenty arches, 

 each 170 feet span; the piers were 150 feet in height from the 

 foundation, and the roadway 60 feet in width. Eight bridges led 

 across the Tiber to the different roads out of Rome. The bridges 

 were frequently decorated with niches and statues in the piers, and 

 often were entered through triumphal arches, or protected by 

 towers. In forming the roads, after the ground had been properly 

 levelled, a mixture of small stones and puzzolano was laid to a 

 certain depth; and on this were placed closely-fitted polygonal 

 blocks; wliere the blocks were defective, the interstices were 

 filled- in with flints, and in some instances with wedges of granite, 

 or metal; producing, on a horizontal plane, the appearance of a 

 Pelasgian wall. The road was divided into three parts, the foot- 

 way occupying the centre; this was raised above the carriage-way, 

 and was somewhat broader: it was protected by upright stones 

 placed at intervals, some being higher than others to assist the 

 passengers to mount on horseback, the Romans using no stirrups. 

 At the end of each mile was a stone inscribed with the number of 

 miles from Rome, measured from the Columna Milliaris, in the 

 Forum Romanorum. Every five or six miles, post houses were 

 erected, each of which was to be provided with forty horses. Of 

 Buch importance was facility of transit considered, that men of the 

 highest rank were appointed to superintend the preservation of 

 the public roads: Augustus himself was at one time surveyor of a 

 district. 



The Romans were probably the first builders of Aqueducts; for 

 though the Etruscans excelled in tunnelling and draining, there is 

 no record of any aqueduct (as the term is generally understood) 

 before the time of the Roman republic So necessary was it 

 thought to have a plentiful supply of fresh water, that no expense 

 was spared to obtain it. Water was conveyed from springs forty 

 or even sixty miles distant; and in the most flourishing period of 

 the Empire, forty streams flowed into Rome through fourteen 

 aqueducts. Pliny says, speaking of the aqueducts, "If any one 

 will diligently estimate the abundance of water supplied to the 

 public baths, fountains, fish-ponds, artificial lakes for galley fights; 

 to pleasure-gardens, and to almost every private house in Rome; 

 and will then consider the difficulties that were to be surmounted, 

 and the distance from which these streams are brought — he will 

 confess that nothing so wonderful as these aqueducts is to be found 

 in the whole world. ' 



Some idea may be formed of the expenditure lavished upon an 

 efficient water supply, from an application made by Herodes 

 Atticus to the Emperor Hadrian, for 300 myriads of drachms for 

 the purpose of bringing a stream of fresh water to the city of 

 Troas in Asia Minor; at the same time reminding the Emperor 

 that he had granted larger sums to much less important towns. 

 Hadrian complied with the request; but when the aqueduct was 

 finished, the expense was found to have exceeded 700 myriads; 

 whereupon the munificent Herodes himself presented the extra 

 sum to the city: 500 myriads amounted to about 161,458/. 



These noble structures were erected wherever the Roman power 

 extended. They were either single, with one row of arches, like 

 the Aqua Martia at Rome; or in a double row, one over the other, 

 like that at Segovia; or even triple, like the celebrated Pont du 

 Gard near Nismes. This great aqueduct extends between two 

 mountains, and crosses the river Gardon, which passes under the 



No. 158.— Vol. XUI.— Novembbe, 1850. 



fifth arch; it is about 207 feet in height. The source of the Aqua 

 Claudia at Rome, is +6 miles distant; the walls for ten miles were 

 raised on arches, and some of which arches are 100 feet in height. 

 The Romans gave a considerable inclination to the water-courses, 

 and caused them to deviate from the straight line, in order to 

 check the rapidity of the current. In some instances, the water 

 was filtered through gravel laid for that purpose in the channel. 



The Reservoirs, or Castelli, into which the aqueducts poured 

 their waters, were of great capacity, and frequently elegant in 

 design and decoration; one is described, built by Augustus, at 

 Nicopolis, as a large oblong building, at each end of which was a 

 reservoir fed by the aqueduct of the city; round the interior of 

 the building were niches, where stood marble statues of naiads, 

 holding shells, from which the crystal stream overflowed into the 

 castellum. Thus did this luxurious people combine utility with 

 beauty 



In viewing the ruins of Rome, the observer cannot fail to be 

 struck with the magnificent remains of the ancient Fora. These, 

 like the Agora of the Greeks, were the great centres of business: 

 tliey were open spaces, oblong in form, surrounded by porticoes 

 and' other public buildings, and adorned with altars, columns, and 

 statues. They were of two kinds, the Fora Civilia, and the Fora 

 Venalia; the former appropriated to the transaction of public 

 business, the latter to the holding of markets. The surrounding 

 porticoes were two stories in height, the lower serving as the 

 offices of bankers and merchants, the upper for the populace as- 

 sembled to witness the gladiatorial combats, which were exhibited 

 in the forum before the erection of the amphitheatre. There 

 were only two fora at Rome before the time of Augustus, who 

 laid out a third; others were afterwards added by succeeding 

 emperors. The principal, both in extent and importance, was the 

 Forum Romanorum; which, amongst other public buildings, con- 

 tained the Julian Basilica, the Curia Julia, where the senate held 

 its sittings; and the temples of Castor and Pollux, and Jupiter 

 Tonans. In this forum was the rostrum from which orators ad- 

 dressed the people: it received its name during the time of the 

 Commonwealth, from being decorated with the prows of vessels 

 taken from the enemy. The ruin of the great Forum Romanorum 

 is so complete, that its very limits are a matter of discussion: its 

 present name, Campo Vaccino, or bullock-field, describes its de- 

 graded state. 



The Fora of Julius Cajsar, or Augustus, and of Trajan, were all 

 celebrated for their architectural magnificence; the latter was 

 entered by four triumphal arches, and in the centre stood the 

 beautiful Trajan column, designed by the architect Apollodorus. 

 This column, of the Tuscan order, is 12 ft. Sfj- in. lower diameter 

 and 97 ft. 9 in. in height; the bas-reliefs with which the shaft is 

 covered ascend in a spiral line from base to summit; within, stairs 

 leading to the top are cut in the solid marble. It stands upon a 

 lofty pedestal, ornamented with eagles, crowns, and other insignia: 

 the'ashesof the great Trajan are said to repose beneath. Part 

 of a hill had to be cut away to afford room for the Forum Trajani, 

 and the height of the column denotes the depth of the excavation. 

 Tlie Antonine column is nearly a copy of this; but as the shaft is 

 nearly parallel, it is inferior to it in elegance. 



The Curiae and Basilicae were always situated in or near the 

 Forum; the former were places of assembly. Vitruvius recom- 

 mends that in the Curia, the walls should be intersected by a cor- 

 nice, to be continued round the interior, half its height from the 

 floor; "for without this precaution, he says, "the voices of those 

 who are debating, would ascend to the upper part of the court, 

 and be lost to the audience. But when coronaa are intioduced, 

 and continued along the walls, the sounds will be interrupted in 

 their ascent, and be distinctly heard before they are dispersed in 

 the air." 



The Basilica was a building adapted to the two-fold purpose of 

 the meeting of merchants, and the administration of justice; it 

 was of oblong form, divided by rows of columns into three, or five 

 aisles; the longitudinal aisles were terminated by another in a 

 transverse direction; here waited the advocates, notaries, and all 

 those who were engaged in prosecuting causes. Opposite the 

 central aisle, this division, or transept, projected out in a semicir- 

 cular recess, raised a few steps, so as to form a kind of dais. This 

 part was called in Greek n/Siris, and in Latin tribuna: here sat 

 the praetor with his assistants; and from this courts of justice 

 have been called Tribunals. The longitudinal aisles were used by 

 the merchants as an exchange; the central one was two columns 

 in height, the upper row forming a kind of gallery. The aisles 

 were covered by a flat ceiling; the tribuna with a semi-dome, or 

 conch. The basilica presented a plain exterior, the decoration 



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