Roman Architecture casts new light not only on many familiar monuments of the city of Rome but
also on less well-known examples from across the Roman empire. Rome and its empire were
fundamental to the development of western architecture and its forms and motifs remain
significant elements of our own built environments. Roman Architecture places the varied
architecture of ancient Rome from its humble apartment blocks to its grand public structures
within the broader context of Roman society. It takes as its starting point the writings of the
Roman architect Vitruvius as one voice in a broader contemporary debate about the nature and
value of architecture. What did the Romans themselves think architecture was for? What was
built by whom and why? How was architecture represented in text and image? The interplay of
type and variation that are the hallmark Roman architecture are here traced back to the human
actions and choices from which they originated. Janet DeLaine explores how the desires of
patrons for novelty and individuality were met by architects and builders working within the
practical constraints of available materials and the moral prescriptions of religious and
social norms to create new forms. Ranging from early Rome to the late empire this volume
casts new light on many familiar monuments of the city of Rome but also on less well-known
examples from across the empire. Through an examination of the key types of buildings at the
heart of Roman society and their decoration it reveals the symbolic meaning of architecture in
terms of competitive power displays and commemoration and it explores how architecture helped
to define being 'Roman' at different times and in different places of the empire.
