OPUS 5

An interior view of Hagia Sophia.*

The grand Basilicas and Cathedrals found in the Roman era created a very strong spiritual presence. The designers of these buildings, such as Isidoros of Miletos and Anthemios of Tralles who built Hagia Sophia, used domes to create a connection between heaven and earth, as well as tall columns to show height. (Roth 290) These structures, as well as numerous windows were used to shed luminous dazzling light. This light also increased the presence of high spirits because it made awe-inspiring reflections and colors.




The Greek architecture was used as a precedent to the later Roman buildings – Romans took the best of Greek arches, as well as ideas for large interiors and other structures, and then improved on them. (Roth 290) The Roman building types all came from the same ideas, but started to become more diverse. Also, the architects became much more focused on materials such as concrete and mosaics. (Blakemore 53) The use of mosaics unified the peoples, because they created pictures which told stories, even ones the illiterate could read. Also, the concrete and mosaics proved a functional purpose; they kept buildings such as the Baths clean.
There were other small details used as well, such as flowers, leaves and mythological scenes all steming from a Greek prototype. (Blakemore 67)


Many moments were shared in these great Baths, as we talked about in class. These places were used as a gathering area, a center for exercise and learning, and a place of course public bathing. Since it was public, men and women were not allowed at the baths at the same time (and neither were servants); however it still served its purpose, allowing people to bathe and socialize. These moments enable us to tell the story of how Romans lived during this time; creating a general area for the ‘circuses’ part in ‘bread and circuses’, distracting people by engaging them in many opportunities for social situations.

The building worked as a system of separate interests. These separate metrics, such as the bath being used as a place for bathing, a place for reading, a gymnasium, and even a theatre, create unity once again. Everything is being done in the same general building, but there are vast differences in what can be going on in each specific area, as well as the issue of who is supposed to be there – as I have already mentioned, there are separate times of the day for men, women and slaves.
Along with the different metrics presented by a bath – it is a single area for many purposes, and serves many dualities. This is to say, as I have previously stated, that they are separated into different spaces based on what a person wants to do, and different times of day based on whom the person is. It tells the story, as well, of how the Romans lived in this time – divided in some ways, but brought together in others.



This week we concentrated on the end of Roman architecture, before the Dark Ages began. We learned specifically about the Baths of the Diocletian, as well as many other structures. In all, the precedents to these types of buildings were other Roman and even earlier Greek buildings. Also, the architecture helped to create moments, which along with the buildings system (metric), and it’s many dualities, created a story of how the Romans lived. Last I found that in much of the architecture at this time, there was a Holy presence, sought after in cathedrals and through minute details, such as mosaics.

*This picture can be found at www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/lecture_mid_civ.htm the photographer was not credited.