![]() ![]() They added more seating space by having a centralized stage with seats creating an elliptical 527 meter circumference with a 48 meter height divided into four floors. The Romans took this concept, and improved it in the construction of the Colosseum in 80 CE. One main feature of these amphitheaters is that they are completely open spaces with a stage on one extreme, and a semicircular seating arrangement in front of it. These structures were built on hills, which allowed everyone, no matter how far away from the stage, to see everything. The ancient Greeks developed the idea of an amphitheater to stage plays, and entertain the masses. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Photo by Emma Griffiths CC BY 4.0) Roman Colosseum (Photo by Dennis Jarvis CC BY 4.0)ī. This ancient Roman style consisted of an external Greek façade with many contributions to suit Roman needs. In the 2 ndcentury BCE, the Romans borrowed architectural ideas from the Greek, and created their own style. Much like America has done, the Romans also borrowed ideas from other cultures. Roma was founded by Romulus in the year 753 BCE, and it became a republic in 509 BCE with the rise of the Senate. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t un-see it, and you’ll find Italy around you, every single day! Stop I: Ancient Rome So, the best way to explore Italy’s influence on American architecture is to take a tour of Italian architecture and history.īeware though, that this is a trip back in time, and with chronological stops along the way. When it comes to architecture, different religious, political, and artistic movements play a big role in dictating what the next building is going to look like. In some ways, we see that even today! All you need to do is buy a plane ticket to New York City, go down to Battery Park at the tip of the island of Manhattan, and recharge your closet with fake Gucci, and Fendi products. In reality, they made a few alterations to an already existing model that was born in Italy. When we look at long-standing governmental structures, churches, and even suburban houses designed by American architects, we might be inclined to think that they invented it. While America’s motives are clear, it takes a curious eye to see exactly how America has embedded Italian architecture into its own. It is history, culture, past, present, and future intersecting into one always recycling concepts, and reinventing itself: an everlasting reflection of the people. So why not copy their architecture? After all, architecture is, in my humble opinion, the perfect, most functional combination of science, and art. There is no surprise here, seeing as the United States always aimed to be the most powerful nation, and the Roman Empire was, and continues to be even after its fall, the greatest, longest lasting world power to ever exist. A very palpable one is Italian architecture, which has been imitated all over America since the very beginning of our nation as we know it, in an attempt to become a little more like the Romans. Over the years, there have been many ideas and movements that have originated in Europe (specifically in Italy) which Americans have shamelessly adopted as their own. It is said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and if that truly is the case, the Italians could burst with pride at any moment. “Architecture should speak for its time and place, but yearn for timelessness” Frank Gehry And aside from both being made of marble and sharing a similar etymology - both names are derived from the Greek word parthenos, which is an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, meaning "virgin" - these two famous buildings of the ancient world actually have very little in common.Architettura Pubblica dall’Italia all’America Roman Colosseum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) ![]() The Parthenon, for instance, is in Athens, Greece, and the Pantheon is in Rome, Italy. But the two are very different they're not even located in the same country. And that's no surprise because the names are super similar. The point is, the Parthenon and the Pantheon often are confused as being the same thing. ![]() Would you picture a similar scene in your head? If a friend who was about to go off on a European adventure told you they were going to visit the Pantheon, would you immediately picture an ancient temple with white marble columns? What if that same friend told you they would also be stopping by the Parthenon. ![]() It was built sometime between 126 and 128 A.D. The Pantheon is one of today's best-preserved structures from ancient Rome. ![]()
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