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Classical Civilization
Religion was a very influential aspect when it came to architecture found in ancient Rome. Romans had trouble believing in a single supernatural being acting in control of anything. To them, they believed many aspects of life practically, which included religion that permitted the belief in multiple gods. Roman religion was based on fragments of traditions, superstitions, taboos and rituals. In fact, religion served as a contractual relationship between forces acting in physical control of man more than it served as a spiritual experience.
In order to perform all these rituals and practices, temples, domes and even personal houses had to have specific locations for ritualistic practices. Note that, the domes and temples were entirely dedicated to religious activities. One common element about the houses and the religious buildings was the hearth, a spiritual centre for a residential house. The hearth was a special place designed to have an unrelenting fire. Rich families had a special place designed for the fire while the poor set the hearth in the centre of their rounded huts. Sacrifices would be made on the hearth; it was not made with any special material for uniformity within the housing structure (Gedacht, 2004). In other cases, especially in peasant settings, the hearth was just a place at the centre of a home setting.
Another important place in the home of any Roman household was the family shrine that constituted to an altar. Since the Romans believed in many gods, especially Jupiter and his wife Juno, the Romans spent a lot of time praying and making sacrifices towards the given deities (Gedacht, 2004). Shrines permitted the choice of building materials could as either cheap or expensive depending on class factors. Following this, shrines were an important part of a homes’ interior architecture and they housed family gods known as the Lares, the most important godly aspects in a Roman’s life.
As earlier noted, Roman religion was very influential on domes and temples structuring; specific domes were dedicated to certain activities or gods. From this, it is evident that religious activities determined a building’s structure in terms of design aspects. For example, the temple of Vesta had a special place designed for an ever-burning fire known as the eternal flame. This was to accommodate the major superstitions, rituals and sacrifices the Romans believed in. The dome known as the Pantheon (still in existence), was originally built for the twelve gods of heaven, under the consulship of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. In order to describe a perfect universe ruled by the gods, it was later reconstructed under the leadership of Emperor Hadrian in such a way that the height of the rotunda and the diameter are equal (Stamper, 2005).
The temples’ had interior architecture adorned with sculptures, statues and other types of art on the walls. For instance, many temples evidenced sculptures of men leading animals to be sacrificed at a given temple (Stamper, 2005). Other sculptures were representative of various gods and deities that were responsible for particular happenings. Note that, the Roman god known as Jupiter, who was believed to be the king of all the other gods, could be found sculptured in other public places apart from the temple. Other gods believed by individual households could also be engraved in shrines and temples constructed towards the given deities. This was mostly achieved by the middle class and the rich due to the affordability aspect, in order to invoke a supernatural presence in their homes.
In conclusion, the Romans were very religious with regard to believing in gods, superstitions and rituals. This was depicted in their architecture whether in their own homes, temples or other public buildings. It was essential for the Romans to invoke the presence of gods in such places as a way of discouraging the presence of omens. Some of these buildings used by the ancient Romans are still utilized today within the Christian religion following the Catholic sect that was established within Rome. A good example of such is the Pantheon Dome, which is used as a church today.
The Pantheon is distinct because it is said to have a “perfect” space. The height of the rotunda is equal to its height.
The sculpture found in a temple is used to invoke the spirit of sacrifice to the gods.
A family shrine found in Pompeii’s house.
Works Cited
Gedacht, Daniel. Art and Religion in Ancient Rome. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2004. Print.
Stamper, John. The architecture of Roman temples: the republic to the middle empire. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2005. Print.
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