1. ARGO, LA COPERTURA AD INTERCAPEDINE DELLA GRANDE AULA: OSSERVAZIONI SUL SISTEMA COSTRUTTIVO DELLA VOLTA.
- Author
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Vitti, Paolo
- Subjects
- *
GREEK antiquities , *ARGOS (Greek mythology) , *ROMAN architecture , *GREEK architecture , *ARCHITECTURE , *ANTIQUITIES - Abstract
No building of the Roman age can be compared to the large hall in the monumental complex known as "A Thermae", which lies between the theater and the agora of Argos. An analysis of the building system of the vault shows the architect and the workers' mastery of Roman building systems, as well as techniques of Oriental origin never attested in Rome. More specifically, the use of walls of regular courses of brick is Roman, as is that of opus caementicium, employed here to create slanted ceilings supporting the pitched roof. The building system of the vault, instead, employing side-by-side arches of trapeze-shaped bricks, is of Oriental origin. The presence of a cavity between the brick vault and the covering slabs, however, is the real architectural singularity of the building, where stability is achieved through masterful sizing and arranging of the various parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008