Maison Carrée in Nîmes & Rome's Colosseum Explained

La Maison Carrée: Roman Temple in Nîmes

La Maison Carrée is a well-preserved ancient Roman temple located in the French city of Nîmes, dedicated to the Imperial Cult and dating from approximately 16 BC. The structure is rectangular with a gabled roof.

Architectural Features

Like a typical Roman temple, it stands on a large podium, with a single, central staircase at the front, originally facing the forum. Along its sides, the columns are engaged (set into the wall) of the cella (the inner chamber housing the cult image in Greco-Roman temples). The building is hexastyle (featuring six columns across the front porch) and pseudoperipteral (meaning the side and rear columns are engaged with the cella walls rather than forming a freestanding colonnade). Its architectural style is the Corinthian order, and it is constructed from marble.

The Colosseum: Rome's Flavian Amphitheater

The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, is an iconic amphitheater in ancient Rome. It hosted fierce gladiatorial combats, battles between men and beasts (venationes), and occasionally, mock naval battles (naumachiae). As is common with many Roman structures, the specific architect remains unknown.

Interior Structure: Arena and Cavea

Internally, the Colosseum comprised two main areas:

• The Arena: A wooden platform covered with sand. Beneath it lay the hypogeum, a complex underground structure with cages for wild animals, quarters for gladiators, and mechanisms like elevators to bring them to the arena floor.
• The Cavea: The seating area for spectators. This tiered structure featured different levels connected by corridors covered with barrel and groin vaults. Access to the seating tiers was via numerous entrances and stairways leading to passages called vomitoria, designed to allow rapid entry and exit for large crowds. Seating was strictly hierarchical: the best spots near the arena were reserved for the emperor and senatorial class, while higher tiers with poorer views accommodated lower social classes. The construction of the cavea represented a significant engineering feat, utilizing concrete poured over wooden frameworks and employing advanced vaulting techniques.

Exterior Facade and Design

Externally, the Colosseum's facade rises four stories. Each of the first three stories features arcades (rows of arches) framed by attached semi-columns. A different classical order is used for each level: Tuscan (similar to Doric) on the ground floor, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the third. This superposition of orders was a characteristic feature of Roman architecture and heavily influenced Renaissance and later Western architecture. Statues likely adorned the arches of the second and third floors. The top story (attic) featured sockets for large masts that supported the velarium, a retractable awning providing shade for spectators.