6.3 Architecture of power: Athens and Rome
Architecture is the discipline that deals with planning, designing and constructing buildings. But architectural works are not just the results of skilful technical knowledge: they are also a cultural product of societies, reflecting values and ideas about status, identity and power.
Looking at the way ancient societies developed monumental architecture can help our understanding of the role of architecture in our contemporary world.
EPQ Suggested Questions
In your EPQ project you may want to focus on one of the following questions:
- What role had architecture in expressing power in Greece and in the Roman empire? You can choose one of the examples below and discuss it in detail or carry out a comparative analysis of two or more examples to discuss how architecture reflect notions about power and identity.
- How far notions about power and identity expressed in ancient Greek and Roman architecture reflected in the revival of Classical architecture during the Eighteen and the Nineteen centuries? And how is power (being it political, cultural, social) expressed today in architecture?
Material culture
Religious architecture
- The Parthenon in Athens and the role of temples in classical Greece as an expression of civic identity
- The sanctuary of Delphi and the role of Panhellenic sanctuaries in the history of classical Greece
- The forum of Augustus in Rome and the role of the Temple of Mars Ultor (Mars the Vindicator) in Augustan propaganda
- The capitoline temple of Dougga (Thougga, Tunisia) and the role of temples in Roman colonial settlements
- The Sebasteion of Aphrodisias and the role of temples celebrating the imperial family in the Roman provinces
Architecture of spectacle
- The sanctuary of Olympia, the Olympics and their role in ancient politics
- The Colosseum in Rome and its role in Roman imperial propaganda
Modern architecture of power
- Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
- Place Vendôme, Paris, France
- The US Capitol, Washington, USA
- The Jefferson Memorial. Washington, USA
References
- Futrell, A., 2001. Blood in the arena: The spectacle of Roman power. University of Texas Press.
- Jenkins, I., 2006. Greek architecture and its sculpture. Harvard University Press.
- Kyle, D.G., 2012. Spectacles of death in ancient Rome. Routledge.
- Lawrence, A.W. and Tomlinson, R.A., 1996. Greek architecture. Yale University Press.
- Mattingly, D.J., 2013. Imperialism, power, and identity: Experiencing the Roman Empire. Princeton University Press.
- Noreña, C.F., 2011. Imperial ideals in the Roman West: representation, circulation, power. Cambridge University Press.
- Pitts, M. and Versluys, M.J. eds., 2014. Globalisation and the Roman world: world history, connectivity and material culture. Cambridge University Press.
- Ramage, N.H. and Ramage, A., 1991. Roman Art: Romulus to Constantine.
- Scott, M., 2010. Delphi and Olympia. The spatial politics of panhellenism in the Archaic and Classical periods, Cambridge University Press.
- Scott, M., 2014. Delphi: A history of the center of the ancient world. Princeton University Press.
- Sear, F., 2002. Roman architecture. Routledge.
- Stamper, J.W., 2005. The architecture of Roman temples: the republic to the middle empire. Cambridge University Press.
- Thomas, E., 2007. Monumentality and the Roman Empire: architecture in the Antonine age. Oxford University Press.
- Vale, L., 2014. Architecture, power and national identity. Routledge.
- Ward-Perkins, J.B., 1994. Roman imperial architecture. Yale University Press.
- Welch, K.E., 2007. The Roman amphitheatre: from its origins to the Colosseum. Cambridge University Press.
- Zanker, P., 1990. The power of images in the age of Augustus. University of Michigan Press.
Online resources
- Perseus digital library: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/
- The Grove Art Online: http://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/