List of ancient Greek and Roman roofs

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The truss roof of the 4th-century church Old St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. The triangular frame of beams of the main nave is largely self-supporting, since the forces are carried along the beams rather than acting vertically on them.

The list of ancient roofs comprises roof constructions from Greek and Roman architecture ordered by clear span. Roof constructions increased in clear span as Greek and Roman engineering improved. Most buildings in classical Greece were covered by traditional prop-and-lintel constructions, which often needed to include interior colonnades. In Sicily, truss roofs presumably appeared as early as 550 BC.[1] Their potential was fully realized in the Roman period which saw over 30 m wide trussed roofs spanning the rectangular spaces of monumental public buildings such as temples, basilicas, and later churches. Such spans were thrice as large as the widest prop-and-lintel roofs and only superseded by the largest Roman domes.[2]

Greek roofing[]

List of ancient Greek monuments by descending largest clear span
Image Monument Location Region Date Type of roof Width between cella walls Clear span between colonnades Largest clear span
Agrigent Model Zeus-Tempel.jpg Temple of Olympian Zeus
(or Olympeion) 		Agrigento Sicily Truss [3] 12.85 1– 12.85 [4]
Agrigente 2008 IMG 1937.JPG Temple of Heracles Agrigento Sicily 5th century BC, early Truss [3] 11.84 1– 11.84 [4]
Selinunte.jpg Temple E Selinunte Sicily 480/70 BC Truss [3] 11.70 1– 11.70 [4]
The Parthenon in Athens.jpg Parthenon Athens Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 19.20 11.05 11.05 [4]
Serradifalco-Akragas-Tempio-di-Cerere.png S. Biagio Agrigento Sicily Truss [3] 10.35 1– 10.35 [4]
Syracuse Cathedral 010 2387.jpg Athene Syracuse Sicily Truss [3] 19.82 1– 19.82 [4]
Athen Erechtheum BW 2017-10-09 13-47-38.jpg Erechtheion Athens Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 19.80 1– 19.80 [4]
Treasury of Gela Olympia Greece Truss [1] 19.68 1– 19.68 [4]
Temple of Athena Alea Tegea Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 18.94 1– 18.94 [4]
Olympia-ZeusTempelRestoration.jpg Temple of Zeus Olympia Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 13.26 18.52 18.52 [4]
Selinunte Temple C aerial view.jpg Temple C Selinunte Sicily 550 BC Truss [3] 18.50 1– 18.50 [4]
Megaron Gaggera Sicily Truss [3] 18.47 1– 18.47 [4]
Athenians Delos Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 18.34 1– 18.34 [4]
Koldewey-Sicilien-vol2-table13.png Temple D Selinunte Sicily 540 BC Truss [3] 18.20 1– 18.20 [4]
Agrigent BW 2012-10-07 12-24-45.JPG Temple of Hera Agrigento Sicily Truss [3] 17.68 1– 17.68 [4]
Temple of Concordia, Agrigento.jpg Temple of Concordia Agrigento Sicily Prop-and-lintel [5] 17.55 1– 17.55 [4]
Koldewey-Sicilien-vol2-table15.png Temple A Selinunte Sicily Truss [3] 17.50 1– 17.50 [4]
Delfi Apollons tempel.jpg Temple of Apollo Delphi Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 10.72 17.32 17.32 [4]
Selinunte-TempleG-Plan-bjs.png Temple G Selinunte Sicily Truss [3] 17.93 17.15 17.15 [4]
Selinunte AF3.JPG Temple F Selinunte Sicily 530 BC Truss [3] 17.12 1– 17.12 [4]
Temple of Isthmia Isthmia Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 11.7 ~7.0 ~7.0 [4]
Greece Cape Sounion BW 2017-10-09 10-12-43.jpg Temple of Poseidon Sounion Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 16.53 1– 16.53 [4]
ItaliaPaestumHeraionFoceSeleResti.jpg Heraion At the mouth of the Sele River near Paestum Italy, Lower Prop-and-lintel [3] 16.14 1– 16.14 [4]
Artemis Kalydon Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 16.14 1? 16.14 [4]
Corfu Mon Repos Temple R04.jpg Kardaki Temple Corfu Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] ~6.0 1– ~6.0 [4]
Hera temple II - Paestum - Poseidonia - July 13th 2013 - 04.jpg Second Temple of Hera Paestum Italy, Lower 480/70 BC Prop-and-lintel [3] 10.85 15.9 15.9 [4]
Paestum BW 2013-05-17 12-26-42.jpg Temple of Athena/Ceres Paestum Italy, Lower Prop-and-lintel [3] 15.70 1– 15.70 [4]
Apollo Delos Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 15.70 1– 15.70 [4]
Paestum BW 2013-05-17 15-08-53.jpg Paestum Italy, Lower 550–10 BC Prop-and-lintel [3] 11.44 15.6 15.6 [4]
Metapontum 2013.JPG Tavole Palatine Metapontum Italy, Lower 15.60 1– 15.60 [4]
Olympia - Council house Bouleuterion.jpg Bouleuterion (S) Olympia Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 11.07 15.53 15.53 [4]
Bouleuterion (N) Olympia Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 10.80 15.40 15.40 [4]
Bassai Temple Of Apollo Detail straight.JPG Temple of Apollo Bassae Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 16.81 15.23 15.23 [4]
Rhamnous-2.jpg Rhamnous Attica Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 15.17 1– 15.17 [4]
Metroon Olympia Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 15.08 1– 15.08 [4]
Olympia - Hera Temple.jpg Temple of Hera Olympia Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 18.37 14.84 14.84 [4]
Temple of Hephaestus.jpg Temple of Hephaestus
(or Theseion) 		Athens Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 16.24 14.74 14.74 [4]
Artemis Corcyra Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 17.37 14.1 14.1 [4]
Temple of Asclepius Epidauros Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 13.95 1– 13.95 [4]
Model temple of Aphaia Glyptothek Munich.jpg Temple of Aphaia Aegina Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 16.28 13.85 13.85 [4]
Syrakus - Tempio di Apollo.jpg Apollo Syracuse Sicily Truss [3] 19.70 13.6 13.6 [4]
Korinth BW 2017-10-10 10-55-28.jpg Apollo Corinth Greece Prop-and-lintel [3] 18.47 13.45 13.45 [4]

Roman roofing[]

List of Roman monuments by descending clear span
Image Monument Location Region Date Type of roof Clear span
Throne room of the Flavian Palace Rome Italy, Central 192 AD Truss [6] 31.67 [6]
Aosta Teatro romano 01.jpg Roman Theatre Aosta Italy, Upper Augustan Truss [6] 30.49 [6]
Diribitorium Rome Italy, Central 117 BC Truss [6] 29.60? [6]
Coenatio Iovis Rome Italy, Central 192 AD Truss [6] 29.30 [6]
Trier Konstantinbasilika BW 4.JPG Constantine's Basilica Trier Germany 300 AD Truss [6] 26.05 [6]
OdeonofagrippaAthensSitePlan.png Odeon of Agrippa Athens Greece 115 BC Truss [6] 25.75 [6]
Temple of Venus and Roma (14819291950).jpg Temple of Venus and Roma Rome Italy, Central 135 AD Truss [6] 25.75 [6]
Basilica Ulpia J Guadet 1867.jpg Basilica Ulpia Rome Italy, Central 113 AD Truss [6] 25.16 [6]
SaintPaul on the inside.jpg Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls Rome Italy, Central 385 AD Truss [6] 24.27 [6]
Affresco dell'aspetto antico della basilica costantiniana di san pietro nel IV secolo.jpg Old St. Peter's Basilica Rome Italy, Central 330 AD Truss [6] 23.68 [6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Hodge 1960, p. 41
  2. ^ Ulrich 2007, pp. 148f.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Conjectured by Hodge 1960, pp. 38–44
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap Hodge 1960, p. 39 (table)
  5. ^ Hodge 1960, p. 43
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Ulrich 2007, p. 149

Sources[]

  • Hodge, A. Trevor (1960), The Woodwork of Greek Roofs, Cambridge University Press, pp. 38–44
  • Ulrich, Roger B. (2007), Roman Woodworking, Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-10341-7

Further reading[]

  • Klein, Nancy L. (1998), "Evidence for West Greek Influence on Mainland Greek Roof Construction and the Creation of the Truss in the Archaic Period", Hesperia, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 335–374, doi:10.2307/148449, JSTOR 148449

External links[]

  • Traianus – Technical investigation of Roman public works
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