Roman Architecture Research Paper

1315 Words6 Pages
The symbol of U.S. Power, the Capitol building, derives its architectural style from the ancient Romans, a society of warriors, poets, philosophers, and engineers. Its columns, domes and arches all find their root in Roman architecture (Capitol Dome, n.d). In the 21st century, Roman architecture is present in many buildings and has influenced many different structures. Today's architectural design borrows heavily from the Roman traditions. The arch is one of the simplest but most influential architectural achievements created by man. The Romans invented the arch and it has survived throughout history until this day, still remaining one of the most used structures in buildings (Alchin, 2014). Two of the most iconic examples of the arch in ancient…show more content…
In time these structures would become a symbol of democracy, ambition, prestige, power, and strength. The Roman people created one of the first republics in history after they overthrew the kingdom of the Etruscans. During this time period, the senate would discuss and make decisions on important matters of the republic. This democratic body would fall when Julius Caesar took over the senate and began a long age of ruling emperors that would build architectural structures to glorify themselves and control the people. During the age known as the Roman Empire the emperors would look outward toward conquest. They conquered many nations and imposed their architecture and way of life on these people. They would achieve this by constructing large temples made out of marble and concrete to demonstrate to these people that the resources and wealth that the Roman Empire possessed were endless and that if they should decide to revolt this limitless wealth would be used to stop them in their tracks. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rhine in his campaigns in Gaul, he constructed a bridge that spanned four football fields, over a 1000 feet across, in a mere ten days. It was a marvel of engineering and architecture and the natives of Britain, who observed the construction of the bridge from the…show more content…
The place that is the epitome of Roman architecture in government buildings is Washington D.C., the seat of U.S. power. The Capitol building and the Supreme Court building are two examples of Roman influenced buildings today. The Capitol building is a replication of a spherical Roman Temple; its dome is built in the Roman fashion and loosely modeled after the Pantheon, and the columns are built in the Corinthian style (Corinthian Columns, n.d). The Supreme Court Building is also heavily influenced by the Roman temple and contains all three types of column styles: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian (Supreme Court Building, n.d). These buildings, like many others in Washington D.C., have incorporated the Roman style because of the ideals that the founders stood for. They wanted to start a country that exemplified the values of democracy, ambition, power, and unity. They believed these values to be exemplified by the Romans and they wanted the place where the root of the U.S. government stood as a reminder to strive toward being as great if not greater than the Romans had been. In time, the U.S. would achieve those goals to become a superpower that believed in the ideals of freedom, equality, and
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