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=   Roman Architecture      Austin Bush        Rome was known for its great knowledge of construction and architecture. Rome originally used the post and lintel system for creating buildings and structures. This system consisted of typically two columns/poles that where constructed upright and then a beam or “lintel” was laid across the top of the two columns/poles. The post and lintel style of construction however had disadvantages. Some of which were that the poles could not hold a lot of weight without breaking. This made the beams have to be light and not bendable. The Romans, overtime, started using arches which allowed for larger structures to be built and the buildings could hold more weight. An example of this building style is Stonehenge. Large stones are set atop of stones standing upright. Another great architectural innovation was the use of Columns. Ancient Romans developed three types of columns, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian style. Doric was the first of the three columns. The style of this was that it was very plain and unattractive. However it fulfilled its job to hold up huge buildings and weights. The Ionic styled column was an upgrade to the Doric. It did the same job just as easily as Doric style but Ionic columns were more decorated at the top and base of the Column. This helped to add to the beautiful appearance of the buildings and structures. Lastly the Corinthian column was an even bigger upgrade to the others. Corinthian columns were the most detailed of all columns. They consisted of decorations of leaves at the top and bottom of the column. Internet Resources:    ** architecture ** ." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 04 Dec. 2008      Heaton, Chris. “Roman Architecture.” 2003. UNRV History. 2 December 2008. < http://www.unrv.com/culture/architecture.php >     Moore, Catherine. “Let’s Roam Italy.” Think Quest. 2 December 2008. < http://library.thinkquest.org/2838/forum.htm >     Book Sources      Stevenson, Neil. Architecture. New York, New York: DK Publishing Inc., 1997     =