THE ROMAN AGE
The Greco-Anatolian tradition continued almost uninterrupted in Roman times (30 BC.-AD.
395). This is primarily reflected in the originality of the local architecture of Asia
Minor. Nevertheless the new building techniques and engineering methods employed in
Anatolian architecture in this period were entirely Roman in character. The building
material (bricks bound with mortar) enabled the Romans to construct functional structures
of huge dimensions; but the Roman architects were also masters in the use of marble, which
now became the dominant material for building. The Romans were the first in the world to
build solid, permanent roads with paved surfaces and monumental bridges. Especially
significant are the architectural elements and forms they developed under the inspiration
of Near Eastern models, such as arches, barrel and groined vaults and also domes, which
were used to build monuments of incomparable engineering mastery. The huge stadiums and
theatres which rest on vaulted substructures, the amphitheaters, colonnaded streets,
triumphal arches and especially the baths with central heating, in addition to a variety
of multi-storied structures with rich ornamental decoration, are innovations and
achievements of Roman architects and engineers. Anatolia was, during the 1st and 2nd
centuries AD, one of the most important cultural and artistic centers of the Roman Empire.
The cities of Ephesus, Sardis,
Aphrodisias and Hierapolis, as well as Side, Perge,
Aspendus and Termessus, are the most superb and imposing ruins in Anatolia dating from the
Roman period.
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