J. N. Hopkins. The Genesis of Roman Architecture. Yale University Press. Excerpt (original) (raw)
Related papers
The dispute over the question" Is there such a thing as a Roman style?" has centered largely on the field of sculpture, and for quite understandable reasons. Even if we discount the wholesale importing and copying of Greek originals, the reputation of the Romans as imitators seems borne out by large quantities of works that are probably adaptations and variants of Greek models of every period. While the Roman demand for sculpture was tremendous, much of it may be attributed to antiquarianism, both the learned and the fashionable variety, and to a taste for sumptuous interior decoration. There are thus whole categories of sculpture produced under Roman auspices that deserve to be classified as "deactivated" echoes of Greek creations, emptied of their former meaning and reduced to the status of highly refined works of craftsmanship. At times this attitude extended to Egyptian sculpture as well, creating a vogue for pseudo-Egyptian statuary. On the other hand, there can be no doubt that some kinds of sculpture had serious and important functions in ancient Rome. They represent the living sculptural tradition, in contradistinction to the antiquarian-decorative trend. We shall concern ourselves here mainly with those aspects of Roman sculpture that are most conspicuously rooted in Roman society: portraiture and narrative relief.
S. Clough Edwards, review of Principles of Roman Architecture
NEXUS NETWORK JOURNAL – VOL. 7, NO. 1, 2005: 116-118, 2005
In his Principles of Roman Architecture, Mark Wilson Jones presents an intriguing and original examination of Roman construction, placing a strong emphasis on the mathematical and geometric systems employed by Roman architects. Key to the fresh insight presented in this volume is the decision of the author to formulate the majority of chapters not by building type, but by the investigation of themes within design practice. As Wilson Jones acknowledges in the preface, this structure allows for the most comprehensive study of shared principles across different building types. Traditionally, studies of Roman architecture have tended toward the archaeological, a problem addressed by the author. Recent works have broken with this tradition, in particular Rabun Taylor's Roman Builders: A Study in Architectural Process (Cambridge:
Roman Architecture and Crafting Analysis (Annotated Bibliography)
This report will showcase a collection of sources gathered on the architecture of Western Europe, focusing primarily on the villas of the Roman countryside. Many works cited use excavations carried out through history and modern time, effectively comparing and contrasting discoveries. Not only is architecture a primary focal point of the compilation, but various subtopics are covered, including stone and metalwork as it relates to the structures, and various aspects of interior aesthetics are considered, such as pottery, glasswork, and room placement. Subsequently listed sources also cover driving forces behind Roman architecture, including geographic occupation, Roman conquests, and workshop techniques.
Michele George, review of Principles of Roman Architecture
Phoenix, Vol. 56, No. 1/2 (Spring - Summer, 2002), pp. 207-209, 2002
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.