How did Egyptian architecture influence early Greek and Roman architecture?

Answer 1

One of the most important influences of Egyptian architecture on greek and roman architecture was the establishment of basic elements of the column. The Egyptians established the basic design of a column, which consists of three parts: a pedestal (at the bottom), the column itself, and the capital (at the top). The Greeks stole the basic Egyptian design and took off with it. They developed three classical orders of architecture, distinguished by the style of the capitals and the shape and size of the columns. These three orders (Doric, Ionic and Corinthian), along with two more (Composite and Tuscan) added by the Romans, persist into this day.

Text quoted from History of architecture 1 handouts

I would add that the Greeks developed the fluted column (not completely round but 'scalloped'), which the Egyptians did not use. The Greek columns got smaller towards the top, so the column actually looks taller than it is. Also, note that the Greeks needed to place the columns close together, otherwise the flat stone held up by two neighboring columns would crack in the middle. The Romans invented the arch, unknown to the early Greeks and Egyptians, allowing more space between columns. The principle of the arch was the same as the domed roof, allowing a huge, empty space underneath. (Cf. the Parthenon in Rome). --- It is probable that Egyptian mathematics, highly developed for land-surveying in relation to Nile-irrigated agriculture, was a necessary precursor to the calculations necessary for building the Greek and Roman temples and other monuments.

Answer 2

It is difficult to ascertain the actual extent of Etruscan influence on Rome. The fashionable theory that the Etruscans conquered or dominated Rome, or that the urban development of Rome in the 5th century BC was due to the Etruscans has been challenged. The evidence base of this theory is flimsy and it is based on unproven assumptions. Recent archaeological evidence suggests a different picture. Moreover, the Etruscan civilisation disappeared quite early and very little Etruscan writing, which has not been fully deciphered, has survived. There are very little archaeological finds in the city of Rome because the Etruscans had an influence in the archaic (early) days of Rome and ancient Rome was continually redeveloped over the many centuries of its history. The Etruscans were one of the various peoples who had some influence on Roman religion. Early Roman architecture might have been influenced by the Etruscans as well as the Greeks. However, if this was the case, the Etruscan order (style) was soon abandoned. The Roman preferred the Greek orders because the Etruscan one was unadorned and rustic.

According to the Roman tradition, the 5th king of Rome introduced the following Etruscan customs:

• The celebration of triumphs in Etruscan style

• The golden chariot of the king

• The fasces, a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe sticking out in the middle. This was used by the lictors, the guards of the consuls and the praetor. They were also a symbol of the power and authority of the consuls and the praetor.

• The clothes worn by people in positions of authority. The trabea, the robe worn by the king and then the consuls and priests during public ceremonies. The toga praetexta, the robe worn by higher officers of state and the curule chair they sat on as a symbol of their authority. The paludamnetum, a cloak worn by generals and their higher officers when commanding an army (but not during peace).

• The falera, round ornamental metal disks for helmets, armour and harness of horses.

The Romans were deeply influenced by the Greek, both in he archaic (early stage and in her classical period.

The arrival of the Greeks who established colonies (settlements) in Italy had a profound effect on the peoples they came into contact with. Etruscan civilisation arose from trade with an influence from these Greeks in a process which has been called the orientalising process, which involved, among other things, the borrowing of Greek artistic and architectural models, and the adoption and adaptation of the western Greek alphabet. As already mentioned, these Greeks also influenced the early Latins.

Archaeological finds have shown that Latin cities in the archaic age were influenced by both Etruscans and the Greeks from Cumae, a Greek city near Naples. This is not surprising as both were neighbours.

Later the Roman elites looked up to the Greeks of Mainland Greece Their education was both in Latin and Greek and they were fluent in Greek. The highest stage in their education was a stay in Greece to study Greek philosophy. The earliest educators in Rome were Greeks. In Rome there were Greek libraries as well as Latin ones. The Romans adopted some Greek gods and linked their gods to the Greek ones. They also absorbed much of Greek mythology. Roman architecture and sculpture were based on Greek models, hence the term Greco-Roman art, and Greek artists were highly praised in Rome.