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fandomhigh2005-11-03 06:03 pm
the-ascended.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2005-11-03 06:03 pm
Greco-Roman Archaeology
Daniel is sitting at the front of the class, looking sober.
"I'm going to continue with a discussion about the architecture in Rome in a minute. But, I presume you all heard Dean Bristow's announcement yesterday. I don't know how many of you knew Ms Pryde, but I'm going to be in my office all day if you feel like you want to talk to me. I know you're asking yourselves why talk to the archaeology professor... well, I'm an orphaned widower, so I do have experience in this sort of thing."
He pauses, taking time to make eye contact with each student.
"Okay. Back to Rome.
The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater was begun by Vespasian, inaugurated by Titus in 80 A.D. and completed by Domitian. Located on marshy land between the Esquiline and Caelian Hills, it was the first permanent amphitheater to be built in Rome. Its monumental size and grandeur as well as its practical and efficient organization for producing spectacles and controlling the large crowds make it one of the great architectural monuments achieved by the ancient Romans.
The amphitheater is a vast ellipse with tiers of seating for 50,000 spectators around a central elliptical arena. Below the wooden arena floor, there was a complex set of rooms and passageways for wild beasts and other provisions for staging the spectacles. Eighty walls radiate from the arena and support vaults for passageways, stairways and the tiers of seats. At the outer edge circumferential arcades link each level and the stairways between levels.
The three tiers of arcades are faced by three-quarter columns and entablatures, Doric in the first story, Ionic in the second, and Corinthian in the third. Above them is an attic story with Corinthian pilasters and small square window openings in alternate bays. At the top brackets and sockets carry the masts from which the velarium, a canopy for shade, was suspended.
The construction utilized a careful combination of types: concrete for the foundations, travertine for the piers and arcades, tufa infill between piers for the walls of the lower two levels, and brick-faced concrete used for the upper levels and for most of the vaults.
The Colosseum was designed to hold 50,000 spectators, and it had approximately eighty entrances so crowds could arrive and leave easily and quickly.
The plan is a vast ellipse, measuring externally 188 m x 156 m (615 ft x 510 ft), with the base of the building covering about 6 acres. Vaults span between eighty radial walls to support tiers of seating and for passageways and stairs.
The facade of three tiers of arches and an attic story is about 48.5 m (158 ft) tall — roughly equivalent to a 12-15 story building.
I'm not going to set any homework tonight. But what I do want you to do... if you do feel that you need to talk to someone, do. If not to me, then to another member of staff, or you can go to the clinic or see someone in town.
I'll see you next week."
"I'm going to continue with a discussion about the architecture in Rome in a minute. But, I presume you all heard Dean Bristow's announcement yesterday. I don't know how many of you knew Ms Pryde, but I'm going to be in my office all day if you feel like you want to talk to me. I know you're asking yourselves why talk to the archaeology professor... well, I'm an orphaned widower, so I do have experience in this sort of thing."
He pauses, taking time to make eye contact with each student.
"Okay. Back to Rome.
The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater was begun by Vespasian, inaugurated by Titus in 80 A.D. and completed by Domitian. Located on marshy land between the Esquiline and Caelian Hills, it was the first permanent amphitheater to be built in Rome. Its monumental size and grandeur as well as its practical and efficient organization for producing spectacles and controlling the large crowds make it one of the great architectural monuments achieved by the ancient Romans.
The amphitheater is a vast ellipse with tiers of seating for 50,000 spectators around a central elliptical arena. Below the wooden arena floor, there was a complex set of rooms and passageways for wild beasts and other provisions for staging the spectacles. Eighty walls radiate from the arena and support vaults for passageways, stairways and the tiers of seats. At the outer edge circumferential arcades link each level and the stairways between levels.
The three tiers of arcades are faced by three-quarter columns and entablatures, Doric in the first story, Ionic in the second, and Corinthian in the third. Above them is an attic story with Corinthian pilasters and small square window openings in alternate bays. At the top brackets and sockets carry the masts from which the velarium, a canopy for shade, was suspended.
The construction utilized a careful combination of types: concrete for the foundations, travertine for the piers and arcades, tufa infill between piers for the walls of the lower two levels, and brick-faced concrete used for the upper levels and for most of the vaults.
The Colosseum was designed to hold 50,000 spectators, and it had approximately eighty entrances so crowds could arrive and leave easily and quickly.
The plan is a vast ellipse, measuring externally 188 m x 156 m (615 ft x 510 ft), with the base of the building covering about 6 acres. Vaults span between eighty radial walls to support tiers of seating and for passageways and stairs.
The facade of three tiers of arches and an attic story is about 48.5 m (158 ft) tall — roughly equivalent to a 12-15 story building.
I'm not going to set any homework tonight. But what I do want you to do... if you do feel that you need to talk to someone, do. If not to me, then to another member of staff, or you can go to the clinic or see someone in town.
I'll see you next week."
Re: Sign in
[OOC: Oi. And yet another class which seems to have eaten my original comment. *grumble*]