Cryptoporticus

Last updated
Cryptoporticus of Emperor Nero at Domus Transitoria, Palatine Hill RomaPalatinoCriptoporticoNeroniano.jpg
Cryptoporticus of Emperor Nero at Domus Transitoria, Palatine Hill

In Ancient Roman architecture a cryptoporticus (from Latin crypta and porticus ) is a covered corridor or passageway. [1] The usual English is "cryptoportico". The cryptoportico is a semi-subterranean gallery whose vaulting supports portico structures aboveground and which is lit from openings at the tops of its arches.

Contents

On sloping sites the open side of a cryptoporticus is often partially at ground level and supports a structure such as a forum or Roman villa, in which case it served as basis villae. It is often vaulted and lit by openings in the vault. In the letters of Pliny the Younger, [2] the term is used as a synonym of crypt. The shade and semi-excavated site of a cryptoportico provided cool and moderated temperatures useful for storage of perishables, while it offered a level and slightly raised podium for the superstructure.

Examples

The cryptoporticus of Arles Arles, criptoportico romano sotto l'hotel de ville, 07.jpg
The cryptoporticus of Arles
Cryptoportico in the Roman forum at Reims, built in the third century AD Cryptoportique1.jpg
Cryptoportico in the Roman forum at Reims, built in the third century AD
Cryptoporticus (Aosta) Aosta Criptoportico.jpg
Cryptoporticus (Aosta)

Coimbra

The cryptoporticus of Coimbra, the old Roman city of Aeminium, was built to create an artificial platform over which the city's forum could be built. Later, the Bishop's Palace (still standing today as Machado de Castro National Museum) was built using the platform created by the structure thus preserving it in perfect condition.

Arles

The cryptoporticus of Arles, dating from the 1st century BC was built as foundation for the forum, which has since been replaced by the Chapel of the Jesuit College and the city hall. Three double, parallel tunnels arranged in the form of a U are supported by fifty piers. Masons' marks on the stonework indicate that it was built by Greeks, probably from Marseille. Similar structures in Narbonne, Reims, and Bavay were used as granaries. The cryptoporticus at Arles is, however, too damp for prolonged storage and may have served as a barracks for public slaves. The cryptoporticus of Arles is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with other Roman buildings of the city, as part of the Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments group.

Reims

The cryptoporticus of Reims, formerly enclosing three sides of the forum, is of Gallo-Roman origin and was probably built during the 3rd century. Today, only its Eastern part remains, but this is unusually well preserved for a Gallo-Roman structure.

Other places

Other well-known examples include the cryptoporticus of Hadrian's Villa and that of the House of the Cryptoporticus in Pompeii. A well-preserved cryptoporticus is also located at the Papal Summer Residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. In Rome, a cryptoporticus is located in the Catacomb of Priscilla, a remnant from a large Roman villa.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman villa</span> Historical residential structure

A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Roman architecture</span>

Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered one body of classical architecture. Roman architecture flourished in the Roman Republic and to an even greater extent under the Empire, when the great majority of surviving buildings were constructed. It used new materials, particularly Roman concrete, and newer technologies such as the arch and the dome to make buildings that were typically strong and well engineered. Large numbers remain in some form across the former empire, sometimes complete and still in use today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tivoli, Lazio</span> Comune in Lazio, Italy

Tivoli is a town and comune in Lazio, central Italy, 30 kilometres north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domus Aurea</span> Roman palace

The Domus Aurea was a vast landscaped complex built by the Emperor Nero largely on the Oppian Hill in the heart of ancient Rome after the great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispellum</span>

Hispellum was an ancient town of Umbria, Italy, 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Fulginiae on the road to Perusia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Caesar</span> Building in Roman Forum, Italy

The Temple of Caesar or Temple of Divus Iulius, also known as Temple of the Deified Julius Caesar, delubrum, heroon or Temple of the Comet Star, is an ancient structure in the Roman Forum of Rome, Italy, located near the Regia and the Temple of Vesta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica Aemilia</span>

The Basilica Aemilia was a civil basilica in the Roman Forum, in Rome, Italy. Today only the plan and some rebuilt elements can be seen. The Basilica was 100 meters (328 ft) long and about 30 meters (98 ft) wide. Along the sides were two orders of 16 arches, and it was accessed through one of three entrances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadrian's Villa</span> Archaeological complex in Tivoli, Italy

Hadrian's Villa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising the ruins and archaeological remains of a large villa complex built around AD 120 by Roman emperor Hadrian near Tivoli outside Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vulci</span> Etruscan city near Rome

Vulci or Volci was a rich Etruscan city in what is now northern Lazio, central Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porticus Octaviae</span> Ancient Roman structure

The Porticus Octaviae is an ancient structure in Rome. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed the Temples of Juno Regina (north) and Jupiter Stator (south), as well as a library. The structure was used as a fish market from the medieval period up to the end of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardens of Sallust</span> Ancient Roman estate

The Gardens of Sallust was an ancient Roman estate including a landscaped pleasure garden developed by the historian Sallust in the 1st century BC. It occupied a large area in the northeastern sector of Rome, in what would become Region VI, between the Pincian and Quirinal hills, near the Via Salaria and later Porta Salaria. The modern rione is now known as Sallustiano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Marinella</span> Comune in Lazio, Italy

Santa Marinella is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Italian region of Lazio, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horreum</span>

A horreum was a type of public warehouse used during the ancient Roman period. Although the Latin term is often used to refer to granaries. By the end of the imperial period, the city of Rome had nearly 300 horrea to supply its demands. The biggest were enormous, even by modern standards; the Horrea Galbae contained 140 rooms on the ground floor alone, covering an area of some 225,000 square feet. They provided storage for not only the annona publica but also a great variety resources like olive oil and foodstuffs. The amount of storage space available in the public horrea can be judged by the fact that when the emperor Septimius Severus died in 211 AD, he is said to have left the city's horrea stocked with enough food to supply Rome's million-strong population for seven years. Smaller horrea were a standard feature of Roman towns, cities and forts throughout the empire; well-preserved examples of military horrea have been excavated on Hadrian's Wall in England, notably at the forts of Housesteads, Corbridge and South Shields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forum of Nerva</span> Ancient Roman imperial forum, a landmark of Rome, Italy

Forum of Nerva is an ancient structure in Rome, Italy, chronologically the next to the last of the Imperial fora built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site

Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments is an area containing a collection of monuments in the city centre of Arles, France, that has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domus Transitoria</span> Ancient palace in Rome

The Domus Transitoria was Roman emperor Nero's first palace damaged or destroyed by the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, and then extended by his Domus Aurea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valeria, Spain (Roman city)</span> Cultural property in Las Valeras, Spain

Valeria was an important Roman city and one of the three major cities in the modern province of Cuenca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porticus of Livia</span>

The Portico of Livia was a portico in Regio III Isis et Serapis of ancient Rome. It was built by Augustus in honour of his wife Livia Drusilla and is located on the Esquiline Hill. Although little of its structure survives now, it was one of the most prominent porticos in the ancient city. The so-called Ara Concordia was located either in or near to the portico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villa of Domitian</span>

The Villa of Domitian, known as Albanum Domitiani or Albanum Caesari in Latin, was a vast and sumptuous Roman villa or palace built by emperor Domitian. It was situated 20 km (12 mi) from Rome, high in the Alban Hills where summer temperatures are more comfortable. It faced west overlooking the sea and Ostia. To travellers on the via Appia it would have made an impressive sight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domus Tiberiana</span> Imperial Roman palace

The Domus Tiberiana was an Imperial Roman palace in ancient Rome, located on the northwest corner of the Palatine Hill. It probably takes its name from a house built by the Emperor Tiberius, who is known to have lived on the Palatine, though no sources mention his having built a residence. It was enlarged by the successors to Tiberius, and would have been the principal Roman residence of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero during the early part of his reign. Relatively little is known of the structure archaeologically, since the Farnese Gardens have occupied the site of the main level since the 16th century, making excavation difficult.

References

  1. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Crypto-porticus"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 566.
  2. Pliny, Epistles ii.17.16ff; v.6.27-28; vii.21.2;ix.36.3.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Cryptoporticus at Wikimedia Commons