RR 4

Something that stood out to me in this weeks readings is circles.  Not only circles, but how circles connect to the sun and how they represent life and light.  In the Domus Aurea there is an oculous in the roof, letting in light.  This light lit up the whole room and was a sacred room, dedicated to just the sun.  This can also be seen in the Pantheon in Rome.  There is a large opening at the top of the ceiling for light.  These places were very important to the Romans.  This can also be seen, in a much larger scale, at the Flavian Ampitheater.  It is a huge theater with a circular opening at the top for light.  All of these places, holy and social, are very important to these people.  The circles connect the people with nature, light.  It lets them use their natural resource---environment affects architecture here. 

1.) http://www.crystalinks.com/colosseumtop.jpg
Here is the ampitheatre.  Notice the stacking of circles, makes a sphere.  This is a place where many social events would go on, and it is open to the elements.  Even when the romans would put their "tarp" over it, it still had a large circular opening at the top.
2.) http://wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/rome/domus_aurea/ac991416.jpg
Here is the domus aurea.  This place was very important to the Romans.  This design took advantage of the landscape and of nature. 
3.) http://www.crystalinks.com/romepantheon.jpg
This is the Pantheon.  Possibly the most important building to the Romans seeing as it was a temple for all of their gods.  Notice the large sphere, and the circle at the top for sunlight.  The Romans really took advantage of the landscape here. 

Today, these influences can be seen at such places as the EUC and the School of Music.  These designs have been modernized but are still here to stay.  The importance of circles has slightly changed over time, with more social identities rather than spiritual and social.
Here is a very complex and interesting unit review on circles in architecture I found;
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit9/unit9.html
This goes much more in depth, but shows how important circles were to these earlier civilizations, and their importance in religion.