Architecture+(India+v.+Roman)

toc Eric Kateley

Differences in Ancient Indian and Ancient Roman Architecture

Main Points
 * Difference in Building Material
 * Difference in House Style
 * Difference in use of Arches

=**Building Material**=

The ancient Indians and the ancient Romans lived two very different regions, so using the different resources that they had, they developed two different materials for construction.

Ancient Indian Baked Mud Brick
The ancient Indians baked mud bricks to build their buildings. they mad these bricks by mixing clay, mud, sand, and a material like rice husk or straw. After they mixed those, they had to let them dry for 25 days in the sun so that they could harden. These bricks were very easy to make, so the ancient Indians could make a lot of them.

Ancient Roman Concrete
The ancient Romans used a material called Roman Concrete. Roman Concrete was made by mixing lime mortar,stone rubble,water, and pozzolana. Pozzolana is a volcanic ash that hardens when mixed with water. This made the concrete very strong, durable, and able to last a very long time.

= **House Style** =

The ancient Indians and ancient Romans developed two different ways to construct their houses to fit he needs of the the people that would be living there.

**Ancient Indian Courtyard House **
The ancient Indian courtyard house was a rectangular house around a courtyard. They built this courtyard because they believed that the must leave a portion of their house with no structures for the supreme god Brahma. They would also sometimes put art and sculptures in the courtyard. The open space also helped because since the walls were open on the inside(courtyard side) the people living there could just walk from room to room without having to go through many doors.

**Ancient Roman Insulae**
The ancient Romans built insulae. Insulae was a multiple story building withe the bottom floor being stores and shops, and all of the floors above were apartment style houses. The Insulae were sometimes 6 to 7 stories high and the lower floors were the most valuable because there was less of a climb to get to them. This was a great way to make houses because it could fit a lot of families and businesses in one building.

= **Use of Arches** =

The ancient Indians and ancient Romans both used arches and used them in a variety of ways for what they found them useful for.

**Ancient Indian-Foundations and Drains**
The ancient Indians used arches under ground for foundations and drains. They used them for house foundations so that the weight of their houses was evenly distributed.Since the weight was evenly distributed, the house would not sink or collapse. The drains were built like miniature aqueducts, except that they would carry the dirty water to a river or cesspool.

**Ancient Roman-Aqueducts, Doors, Windows, Buildings **
The ancient Romans used arches a lot more, they used them for aqueducts, doorways, and windows, and for most of their buildings. When they used arches for aqueducts, they were able to build them very high up so they could carry water much farther. And when they used arches in doorways and windows, they would have less of a chance of collapsing because the arches were so strong. They also used arches to build their armories and barracks for their armies. They also used arches to build entertainment buildings like the Colosseum.

House ||
 * || Ancient Roman || Ancient Indian ||
 * Building Material || Roman Concrete || Baked Mud Bicks ||
 * House Style || Roman Insulae || Courtyard
 * Use of Arches || Foundations and Drains || Aqueducts, Doors, Windows, and other buildings ||

=Bibliography=

"The Indus Valley Civilization" Ancient India Reader April 25, 2011