The use of the arch and a very powerful cement allowed them to erect gigantic brickwork buildings which were then embellished by applying slabs of marble.
Why did the romans use marble.
Unlike wood the marble is cut slowly and with a constant feed of oil i thought i read somewhere that romans used olive oil for this but i cannot confirm or water to wash away the grit and to.
Piramide di caio cesti.
A lot of people think of ancient rome as a pretty monochrome place.
The colour of empire.
And died in the eruption of mt.
I have read excellent answers on the subject bit there is another less known aspect that sheds a very different light on the deep motivations of the cost of marble in rome during the late republic and high empire.
The most commonly used from italy was carrara luna marble from tuscany see for example the 30 bce temple of apollo on the.
How we use marble in 2016.
Even though ancient grecian and roman times were over 2 000 years ago most cultures still appreciate marble in present day.
The first all marble building was the temple of jupiter stator in rome 146 bce but it was not until the empire that the use of marble became more widespread and the stone of choice for the most impressive state funded building projects.
Marble is included in the making of modern buildings places of worship floors walls and of course countertops.
Roman sculpture did however begin to search for new avenues of artistic expression moving away from their etruscan and greek roots and by the mid 1st century ce roman artists were seeking to capture and create optical effects of light and shade for greater realism.
In the popular imagination its temples and palaces gleam with polished white marble while a visit to the ruins of the roman forum or a viewing of russell crowe s gladiator is tinted with beige and ochre in reality however the ancient city was a riot of colour.
The many marbles of ancient rome.
History contains many references to ancient concrete including in the writings of the famous roman scholar pliny the elder who lived in the 1st century a d.
The romans had an advanced knowledge of masonry techniques and unlike other ancient civilizations they did not need large blocks of stone to build their monuments.
The romans initially relied on the marbles used by the greeks but they found in the mountains near the town of luni today carrara still worldly renowned a source of white marble which could compete with the greek marbles.
Also there were great marble quarries in italy so.
By later antiquity there was even a move towards impressionism using tricks of light and abstract forms.