Sebastian Fabila PalomaresM. Smith1:10Roman ArchitectureTo understand Roman architecture, one must understand where the original ideas for what we consider Roman came from. I will demonstrate how Roman architecture is a synthesis of Greek and Etruscan styles and how they have managed to survive until today. We must go back before the beginning of Rome to the Etruscan ancestors of the Roman whose temples provided the basis for Roman styles. understanding that they began using wood for the cullums and mud and brick for the podium and structure to create simple rectangular temples. due to the highly flammable materials they used, the temple was often burned down and each time had to be rebuilt in a different form. and by creating a high podium reaching 13 feet in height, they came closer to the property as they saw it. their temples were made in tri-cella meaning three parts for their god Jupiter and his two wives Juno and Minerva. temples were built with a long porch to allow people to pray inside the temple. the cullums were self-supporting, meaning they were not attached to anything and the sole purpose was to hold up the ceiling. Another important asset of the Etruscans was that the material made the temples with a single staircase giving a facade to the temple. The first temple the Romans had was the Roman Optimus Maximus built on one of the seven Capitoline hills and showed all the Etruscan features, a high podium, deep porch, freestanding columns and a tricella. Following the Etruscan, we must understand the characteristics of a Greek temple. the Greeks did not allow people to enter the temple and so their temple was designed to meet their needs. having freestanding columns with and a circle...... middle of paper ...... because of its weight it sank. the dome being the largest in the world measuring 142 feet in diameter makes the pantheon very large and finally the oculus the hole in the center of the ceiling being round allows light to enter. finally the survival of Roman temples is due to Christian churches, they managed to keep many of them in good condition; they would transform the temple by sealing the wall and building a gate. like the temple of Portunus, it was actually transformed into a church and is called the Church of Saint Mary of Egypt. many other temples have been modified and it is very possible that many temples are still found. As we can see, the Romans actually synthesized both Roman and Greek while improving them and making innovations that are still used today. and thanks to the Christian church we have many temples standing after more than two centuries.