Classical Architecture

Greek (1200 – 30B.C.): This architecture used materials ranging from wood to mud-brick or clay, metal such as bronze, and rocks including limestone and marble. Architects in this time period would use these materials to make five main types of buildings: religious, civic, domestic, recreational, or funerary. Some features of buildings in this time period include columns and the upper parts of public buildings, which would be made of rock. Another feature is beams and supports inside of the buildings that would help make the building stronger, these beams would be made of wood. For roofing metal would often be used for roof tiles. Since these buildings were made from this type of materials there are very few remaining structures left standing. A building that was restored from this time period is the Stoa in Athens (seen below).

Roman (200B.C. – 500 A.D.): This type of architecture adopted many aspects from Greek architecture. In this type often used were the arch and the dome, which became very popular and are still used today. The dome was very useful for allowing vaulted ceilings and by allowing there to be large public space that was covered. The Segovia Aqueduct shows a good use of Roman arches (seen below). An example of a domed building is the Pantheon, which has a dome made of concrete. Concrete is considered the most useful contribution of architecture from this time period.

Augustus is a famous architect from this period and is known for building a lot of brick and marble buildings. His stepson Tiberius also rebuild The Temple of Castor and Pollux in Roman forum.