THE IMPORTANCE OF JANUS IN ROMAN ANTIQUITY Commonly referred to as the god of beginnings and the originator of all things, the Roman god Janus bears quite an interesting story. Born a mere mortal, Janus managed to achieve the status of king and eventually came to be known as one of the oldest and most important immortal gods in Roman antiquity. The worship of the great deity has been observed and it appears that Janus was not only a god important to Rome’s general public, but a god just as important in the Roman household. Rumored to be a son of the great god Apollo, Janus’s claim to fame is his involvement in civilizing the people of the Roman Empire. He is claimed to be the eldest of the native kings of Italy and is praised for having taught his people correct customs and the proper way to worship gods.
In most Greek city-states the most powerful individual was the high priest or priestess of the city’s patron deity. Great temples were built in every city to honor the gods and offer sacrifices. These temples were usually built on the acropolis, or highest place in the city, to denote the gods’ position above man. This also served as a place to retreat to in case of attack, providing both the high ground for physical safety and the protection of the gods (“Acropolis,” n.d., para. 1).
The Vitruvian Man in Renaissance Architecture: Man’s image as a source of inspiration for architectural order, proportion and beauty. In the early stages of the Renaissance, notions regarding all aspects of art which included architecture began to evolve from the preceding cultural movement as Renaissance artists and architects sought for more simplistic forms of expression in comparison to the complex, geometrics that was utilized in the Middle Ages. The movement began on a scholarly level but was linked with technological, ecclesiastical and economic changes and given its European locality, it provided a powerful stimulus for the development of fine art and engineering. This was coupled with a concern to seek unity with the whole classical world of Greece and Rome. Artists and Architects in Italy began looking at ancient artefacts, structures and scriptures for inspiration in seek of a new ‘truth’ and thus Humanism was born.
From the beginning of time, mankind has developed many distinct methods of construction. These architectural methods have advanced from round huts to pyramids to skyscrapers. Over the years, designers from many different cultures have improved ways of constructing buildings in order to create those of the highest quality. One culture, in specific, that is well-known for its excellence in architectural design is that of Ancient Rome. They are most famous for their architecture, based on the new ideas and materials that they established.
The Ancient Greeks continue to influence our lives today in three prominent ways: architecture, politics, and medicine. In present day, Western architecture owes a heavy debt to the classical styles of Ancient Greece. Ancient Greeks started building temples of worship to their gods at about 600 B.C. One defining feature in these temples was the distinctive column styles known as Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. These can be most easily defined and identified by each column’s capital.
Architectural Styles Project Neoclassical architecture is a style of architecture which is inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. If you look closely at a Neoclassical building, you will see many elements that you would see on the Parthenon in Athens or the Pantheon in Rome. Neoclassical buildings exhibit features of symmetrical shape, tall columns that span the full height of the building, triangular pediments, and domed roofs. Not all Neoclassical buildings have these features, but they are very common. It is called neoclassical architecture, because it is neo, or new age, buildings that use ideas and styles from the classics.
Author: James E. Packer Title: The Forum of Trajan in Rome, A Study of the Monuments in Brief Publication Information: ©2001, University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, London Marcus Ulpius Traianus was a Roman Emperor in AD 98-117, known as the Roman Emperor of Trajan. Because of the militaristic skill that he showed, Nerva chose him to be his successor on the Imperial throne. Trajan was praised in his time by the Romans because he built roads and aqueducts. Trajan’s forum was an elaborate one and was made of polished marble, bronze and gold. The two main elements of the new Forum of Trajan were that it had an open piazza as well as a basilica, both of which were very large.
The Meaning of the Pantheon Hadrian’s Pantheon is one of the greatest architecture of all time. It speaks of an ever wider world then imperial Rome, and has left a grand treasure upon more than any other building. The far-reaching influence of the Pantheon, compounded of mystery and fact, upon subsequent architecture is undeniable: the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, the Hedwigskirche in Berlin, Villa Rotonda in Vicenza, the Round Temple at Ostia and the Chapel in Maser, etc. These progeny of Pantheon are the result indicated an imagery expressing universality, which made the Pantheon possible to be meaningful in different ways in different historical periods. In fact, at the back of the Pantheon porch is an inscription of 1632, placed there by Urban VIII.
By examining some their vastly different buildings, Sant'Andrea di Mantova, the Palazzo Te, and San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane respectively, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of what is meant by all’antica architecture. All’antica or classical architecture is “derived from Antique precedents that were respected as having some kind of authoritative excellence”. Inspired by the long forgotten First Century Roman architect, engineer and author of the highly regarded De Architectura, Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (90-c. 20 BC), Alberti composed a decisive treatise, The Ten Books of Architecture (1482 AD). It celebrated and interpreted all that antique architecture was, into a modern context. All’antica elements range from the incorporation of the canonical five orders; Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite; intercolumniation; temple fronts; triumphal arch motifs; ornamentation; plan; to the more abstract notions of harmony, balance and
Student: Loginova Tatyana Group: IYA12-01B (A) The description of the Ennis House The Ennis House is one of the most famous buildings in Los Angeles. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Mabel and Charles Ennis in 1923. The house is situated on a hill and this fact adds greatness to its view. The building consists of several concrete blogs. Its design is based on ancient Mayan temples.