Thermae of Caracalla
From Archiplanet
 | Thermae of Caracalla |
| Designer | unknown |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Date | 212 to 216 |
| Building Type | baths |
| Climate | mediterranean |
| Context | urban |
| Architectural Style | Ancient Roman |
| Street Address | |
| Notes | Cement mortar used for great arches and vaults. |
| At Great Buildings | http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/Thermae_of_Caracalla.html |
Contents |
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[edit] Discussion
Commentary
"The infamous Caracalla (A.D. 188-217) was the emperor who extended Roman citizenship to all freemen in the empire—largely, it is held, to raise taxes for such projects as his wildly popular bath. In the many years of its greatness, the complex must have been staggering both in size and opulence: it originally accommodated some 1,600 bathers as well as other activities such as sports and theatricals. The underground vaulted facilities for servicing the calidarium (hot baths) and tepidarium (lukewarm baths) were incredibly complex. In semiruins today, the bath remains impressive, especially on summer evenings, when it is used for staging opera."
— from G.E. Kidder Smith. Looking at Architecture. p32.
Details
The central mass of the building measured 390 feet wide by 740 feet long. The largest room, the vaulted tepidarium, measured 82 by 170 feet. The inside height of the tepidarium has been estimated at 125 feet.
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[edit] References
Fritz Baumgart. A History of Architectural Styles. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1970. NA204.B3513. LC 70-110283. section/elevation drawing showing central portion in elevation, f38, p44. Roger-Viollet, Paris.
Werner Blaser and Monica Stucky. Drawings of Great Buildings. Boston: Birkhauser Verlag, 1983. ISBN 3-7643-1522-9. LC 83-15831. NA2706.U6D72 1983. plan and section of Calidarium, p35. — Available at Amazon.com
Roger H. Clark and Michael Pause. Precedents in Architecture. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1985. circle and rectangle diagram, p186.— Updated edition available at Amazon.com
Howard Davis. Slide from photographer's collection. PCD.2260.1012.1537.025. PCD.2260.1012.1537.024. PCD.2260.1012.1537.023
Sir Banister Fletcher. A History of Architecture. London: The Butterworth Group, 1987. ISBN 0-408-01587-X. LC 86-31761. NA200.F63 1987. construction perspective drawing of the vault of the tepidarium, fig l, p183. construction perspective drawing of semi dome, fig k, p183. — The classic text of architectural history. Expanded 1996 edition available at Amazon.com
G.E. Kidder Smith. Looking at Architecture. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, 1990. ISBN 0-8109-3556-2. LC 90-30728. NA200.S57 1990. discussion p32. photo of half-round exedra, p32.
D. S. Robertson. A Handbook of Greek and Roman Architecture. London: Cambridge University Press, 1929. NA260.R6. perspective reconstruction drawing of great hall, plate XVIII.
Richard Guy Wilson. McKim, Mead and White, Architects. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1983. NA737.M4W54. ISBN 0-8478-0491-7. LC 83-4534. floor plan, f277, p215.
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