Classical Antiquity

The architecture of Antiquity forms the foundation of much of Western building tradition. It is characterized by a few simple forms – columns, triangular pediments, and a striving for proportion, balance, and harmony. A central ideal was that all parts of a building should stand in well-defined proportional relationships to one another.

Throughout history, architects have repeatedly returned to the classical forms of Antiquity as a source of inspiration. Even today, we see elements from Antiquity in modern buildings – columns, pediments, and proportions that point directly back to Greek and Roman models.

Greece: The Temple as the Ideal

In ancient Greece, the temple was the central building type. It was erected as a house for the cult statue of the god, while rituals took place at an outdoor altar. The inner chamber was not a gathering hall but could serve as a treasury.

The temple typically consisted of an inner room surrounded by a ring of columns supporting the roof. Columns often had a slight entasis (a gentle outward curve) as an optical correction so they would not appear concave or weak. The pediment, shaped like a triangle, was often decorated with sculptural figures from mythology. The three classical orders – Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian – were developed in Greece and later adopted and reworked by the Romans.

One of the most significant monuments of the period is the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, built between 447 and 432 BC. The Parthenon is part of the larger Acropolis complex and a clear example of the proportional precision and optical refinements that characterize Greek architecture.

Mathematics and the Human Body as a Standard

The Greeks relied on mathematical rules and modular measurements when designing their buildings. Proportions were never random; parts and wholes had to be related in specific ways. The ideals were symmetry, regularity, balance, and harmony – though in practice, strict symmetry was not always followed. Instead, the few forms were refined to perfection.

Vitruvius, a Roman writer, described the idea that buildings could be measured in relation to the human body. For example, he compared bodily proportions – such as the relation between upper and lower body – with the relation between a wall and roof.

The Greeks worked systematically with proportions; the analogy to the body later became the theoretical framework that described the proportional thinking that shaped Antiquity’s architecture. The result is buildings with clarity and proportional order, where each element has its place in the whole – a principle that was carried forward and reinterpreted in later styles like the Renaissance, Classicism, and Neoclassicism.

Theaters: Function and Aesthetics

Beyond temples, the Greeks also built theaters, which are today considered among Antiquity’s most advanced constructions. They were often placed on a hillside, with a semicircular seating area. The sloping geometry enhanced acoustics and provided clear sightlines, allowing audiences to hear actors’ lines even at great distances.

The theaters show how the Greeks united form and function. Architecture accommodated both visibility and sound while also creating an aesthetic whole that harmonized with the landscape.

Rome: New Purposes, New Techniques

Roman architecture built on Greek ideals but was shaped by new needs and technical advances. The Romans adopted the column motif and the classical orders. They used both load-bearing colonnades and applied columns, which often had decorative roles on facades, though in many complex structures the colonnades were still structurally functional.

A well-known example is the Colosseum in Rome, built between AD 72 and 80. This vast amphitheater could seat around 50,000 spectators and hosted events such as gladiatorial combat. The Colosseum clearly illustrates the Roman ambition to build on a monumental scale – both technically and politically.

While the Greeks focused on temples and theaters, the Romans developed a much wider range of building types: palaces, amphitheaters, baths, triumphal arches, aqueducts, and eventually churches. Broadly speaking, architecture became a key instrument in demonstrating the empire’s power and reach.

Concrete: A Roman Revolution

A decisive difference between Greek and Roman construction was the Roman use of a new material: opus caementicium – an early form of concrete made from lime mortar and volcanic ash. This mixture could be molded and cast, allowing the construction of large walls, vaults, and domes that were impossible with traditional stone techniques.

Concrete gave the Romans new structural opportunities, making it easier to create large and complex interiors. They could now build wide-spanning spaces without central supporting columns. This transformed the shape and function of buildings and enabled construction on a scale that surpassed the Greeks.

The new techniques also meant that exteriors could be shaped more freely, since the load-bearing work was carried by the cast structure. This created new architectural freedom and led to monuments that still impress as technical achievements.

Triumphal Arches: Monuments of Imperial Power

Romans also erected triumphal arches to commemorate victories or major events. When an emperor returned home after a triumph, his procession would pass under the city’s monumental arches as part of the official celebration. These arches were richly decorated and placed in central urban locations.

Their function was largely symbolic – to make imperial power visible and glorify the emperor’s achievements. Architecture thus became a tool of political and cultural display, central to the Roman Empire’s self-image.

The Pantheon: Light, Space, and Geometry

Another highlight of Roman architecture is the Pantheon in Rome, especially famous for its massive concrete dome with a diameter of about 43 meters. At its center is the oculus, an open hole at the top, through which daylight streams and illuminates the space.

The dome rests on a construction that distributes the weight evenly – demonstrating how the Romans combined technical mastery with pure geometric form to create a powerful spatial experience. Light plays an active role, underscoring the building’s character. The Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.

Classical Antiquity in Danish Architecture

Denmark has no buildings from Antiquity itself, but both Greek and Roman architecture have had a major impact on Danish architectural history. Especially during Classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the language of Antiquity was revived.

Architects of the period drew inspiration from Antiquity’s clarity and proportions, using columns, pediments, and symmetrical facades. Examples include Copenhagen’s Courthouse and the Church of Our Lady. Thorvaldsen’s Museum also shows clear classical inspiration, testifying to a lasting fascination with Antiquity’s ideals – not only in form, but in the ideas underpinning them.

A Living Legacy

The architecture of Antiquity has survived not only as ruins or historical memory but continues to shape modern design – in proportions, in forms, and in the underlying ideals of balance, function, and durability. The Greeks created an architectural language based on mathematics and modular proportion. The Romans developed it further with technical innovations that transformed what buildings could look like and how they could function.

The result is a lasting architectural heritage that continues to influence how we build and understand architecture today. Classical Antiquity is not just the past – it remains an active part of our design language.