Apollodorus of Damascus
Apollodorus of Damascus | |
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![]() Apollodorus of Damascus, bust from 130/140 AD in the Glyptothek | |
Born | |
Occupation | Architect |
Buildings | Basilica Ulpia, Trajan's Forum, Temple of Trajan, The Pantheon |
Apollodorus of Damascus (Ancient Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ὁ Δαμασκηνός)[1] was an architect and engineer from Roman Syria, who flourished during the 2nd century AD.[2][3][4] As an engineer he authored several technical treatises, and his massive architectural output gained him immense popularity during his time.[5] He is one of the few architects whose name survives from antiquity, and is credited with introducing several Eastern innovations to the Roman Imperial style, such as making the dome a standard. He is also known as Apollodorus Mechanicus.
Early life
[edit]Apollodorus was born in Damascus, Roman Syria. Sources refer to him as Nabatean,[6][7][8] and also refer to him as Greek.[9][10][11] Little is known of his early life, but he started his career as a military engineer[12] before meeting future emperor Trajan in Damascus, then being summoned to Rome by him when he was a consul in 91 AD, after his twentieth birthday,[13] and later accompanying him during the Second Dacian War in 105 AD.[14]
Work
[edit]Apollodorus was Trajan's favoured architect and engineer.
In Rome he designed and oversaw the construction of:
- Trajan's Forum and Markets
- Temple of Trajan
- Trajan's Column (the first monument of its kind)
Outside the capital, Apollodorus designed the:
- Trajan's Bridge across the Danube
- Alconétar Bridge over the Tagus in Spain
- triumphal arch of Trajan at Benevento
- Arch of Trajan at Ancona.[15]
- Trajan's Trophy near Adamclisi, Romania
He is the author of Siege Engines (Πολιορκητικά), dedicated to an unnamed emperor, likely Trajan.[15]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/072_Conrad_Cichorius%2C_Die_Reliefs_der_Traianss%C3%A4ule%2C_Tafel_LXXII_%28Ausschnitt_01%29.jpg/250px-072_Conrad_Cichorius%2C_Die_Reliefs_der_Traianss%C3%A4ule%2C_Tafel_LXXII_%28Ausschnitt_01%29.jpg)
Style
[edit]Fiorella Festa Farina, Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Damascus, described the technical prowess of Apollodorus as stemming from his cultural roots and the architectural tradition of Syria; and that he owed his particular mastery to Nabataean culture filtered through Greek modes of thought.[17][18] He was known for his practical and robust designs. It was likely due to his influence that domes became a standard element in Roman architecture.[19]
Death
[edit]Cassius Dio reports that Apollodorus offended Hadrian by dismissing and ridiculing the emperor's forays into architecture, which led to his banishment and death (although doubts have been raised concerning the veracity of Dio's claim).[20]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "ΛακουσΚούρτιος • Προκόπιου Καισαρέως Περὶ Κτισμάτων". penelope.uchicago.edu.
- ^ George Sarton (1936), "The Unity and Diversity of the Mediterranean World", Osiris. 2: 406-463 [430]
- ^ Giuliana Calcani, Maamoun Abdulkarim (2003), Apollodorus of Damascus and Trajan's Column: From Tradition to Project, L'Erma di Bretschneider, p. 11, ISBN 88-8265-233-5,
...focusing on the brilliant architect Apollodorus of Damascus. This famous Syrian personage represents...
- ^ Hong-Sen Yan, Marco Ceccarelli (2009), International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms: Proceedings of HMM 2008, Springer, p. 86, ISBN 978-1-4020-9484-2,
He had Syrian origins coming from Damascus
- ^ "Apollodorus of Damascus". Oxford Reference.
- ^ Masi, F.; Stefanou, I.; Vannucci, P. (2018-10-01). "On the origin of the cracks in the dome of the Pantheon in Rome" (PDF). Engineering Failure Analysis. 92: 587–596. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2018.06.013. ISSN 1350-6307. S2CID 55614581.
- ^ Forty, Simon; Forty, Jonathan (2022-01-14). Limits of Empire: Rome's Borders. Casemate. ISBN 978-1-63624-077-0.
- ^ Landart, Paula (2023-03-06). Finding Ancient Rome: Walks in the city. Paula Landart.
- ^ Palmer, Allison Lee (2016-05-26). Historical Dictionary of Architecture. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-6309-3.
- ^ Dunstan, William E. (2010-11-16). Ancient Rome. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7425-6834-1.
- ^ Roman Architecture. Oxford University Press. 9 May 2024. ISBN 978-0-19-269999-2.
- ^ Greek and Roman Military Writers, Routledge, 2004
- ^ Abdulkarim 2003, p. 35. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFAbdulkarim2003 (help)
- ^ Engineers: From the Great Pyramids to Spacecraft, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2017
- ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Giuliana Calcani, Maamoun Abdulkarim (2003), Apollodorus of Damascus and Trajan's Column: From Tradition to Project, L'Erma di Bretschneider, p. 55, ISBN 88-8265-233-5
- ^ Apollodorus of Damascus And Trajan's Column, Maamoun Abdulkarim, L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2003, p. 9
- ^ Abdulkarim, Maamoun (2003). Apollodorus of Damascus and Trajan's Column: From Tradition to Project. L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER. ISBN 978-88-8265-233-3.
- ^ Adam, Jean-Pierre (1994). Roman Building: Materials and Techniques. Routledge. p. 189.
- ^ R. T. Ridley (1989), "The Fate of an Architect, Apollodoros of Damascus", Athenaeum. 67: 551-65.
References
[edit]- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Apollodorus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 186. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Abdulkarim, Maamoun (2003). Apollodorus of Damascus and Trajan's Column. L'Erma di Bretschneider. ISBN 978-8-8826-5233-3.
- James Grout: 'Apollodorus of Damascus,' part of the Encyclopædia Romana
- Cassius Dio 'Roman History' 69.3,4
External links
[edit]Media related to Apollodorus of Damascus at Wikimedia Commons
- * Apolodoro de Damasco (1867). "Πολιορκητικα". In Carle Wescher; Anselme Petetin (eds.). Poliorkētika kai poliorkiai diaphorōn poleōn. Poliorcétique des Grecs. Traités thēoriques.Récits historiques. Oxford: Oxford University Press.