Architecture & Design

What have we learned from the Romans?

Spanning over a thousand years, ancient Rome was a civilization of constant evolution. This great empire flourished through innovation and incorporation of the diverse cultures they conquered, such as the adoption of Latin and gladiatorial combat. Learn about the rise and fall of this ancient civilization and how its influence still endures today. (source National Geographic, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoEpNjgKzg)

Watch this video to get a feel for the history of Rome.

Let's Look Around

Below you'll see a screenshot of the Roman Colosseum and a screenshot of Ohio Stadium from Google Earth. What are their similarities? Think about not just their structure/form, but also their purpose.

Colosseum

Click on this image below to visit the Roman Colosseum in Google Earth. Drag Pegman to some dots (Photospheres) inside the Colosseum and out.

Where would the important people sit? What's the view from those seats?
What would you see if you were in the fighting space?
What were the mazes of walls used for on the ground level?
Go outside the Colosseum and look up. What design elements do you notice? What materials were used?

Ohio Stadium

Click on this image below to visit Ohio Stadium in Google Earth. Drag Pegman to some dots (Photospheres) inside and out.

Where are the "club seats"? What's the view from those seats?
What would you see if you were in the playing field?
Go outside the stadium and look up.
Can you identify features in Ohio Stadium that remind you of Roman architecture?

Make a Prediction

In looking at the Roman Colosseum, how big do you think it is in comparison to The Ohio State Horseshoe (football stadium)? Do you think they the same size? Is one bigger? How much bigger – a lot, or just a little bit? Use what you know...

Ohio Stadium holds 100,000 people
A football field is 100 yards long (91.44 meters)
The Roman Colosseum was used for gladiator battles - sometimes fighting large animals such as elephants!
The Roman Colosseum was flooded to reenact sea battles.

Check Yourself

Use the ruler tool in Google Earth to measure the perimeter of the Roman Colosseum, then find the perimeter of Ohio Stadium.
Use the ruler to measure the area of both in square meters.
Compare the measurements of the playing fields.

Were you right?

Report abuse