Ancient Roman
Arches, vaults and domes in concrete and brick – engineering for an empire.
The Romans took over the Greek vocabulary of forms but introduced the round arch, the vault and concrete. This made large interior spaces possible: baths, basilicas, amphitheatres and the dome of the Pantheon. Columns often became decoration in front of load-bearing walls and arches.
The Romans' strength lay in organisation and technology. They developed a concrete of lime, volcanic ash (pozzolana) and stone that could be poured and would even set under water. With it they could build vaults and domes on a scale unsurpassed until the 19th century. Architecture was a tool of empire: the same forums, baths and theatres in every provincial town made Rome present everywhere.