Apollodorus the Architect
Apollodorus the Architect was a prominent Greek architect and engineer active primarily in Rome during the early 2nd century AD under Emperor Trajan. Renowned for his innovative designs, Apollodorus is best known for creating significant structures such as the forum, basilica, library, column, and baths of Trajan. He pioneered the use of the cross-vault system, enabling expansive and well-lit spaces within buildings, which marked a notable advancement in Roman architectural techniques. Additionally, Apollodorus played a crucial role in military engineering, designing a substantial bridge across the Danube to support Trajan's campaign in Dacia; this engineering feat is illustrated on Trajan's column. Despite his contributions, his relationship with subsequent emperor Hadrian soured due to critical remarks on Hadrian’s architectural ideas, leading to Apollodorus's exile and eventual execution. His work set a high standard for architectural excellence during the Roman Empire, influencing generations of architects throughout history. Apollodorus's legacy remains significant in the fields of both civil and military engineering.
Apollodorus the Architect
Related civilization: Imperial Rome
Major role/position: Architect, engineer
Life
Apollodorus (uh-pahl-uh-DOHR-uhs) the Architect spent the majority of his career in Rome, where he designed and constructed many imperial buildings under the patronage of the emperor Trajan. Most notable of the structures attributed to Apollodorus are the forum, basilica, library, column, and baths of Trajan. In conjunction with the forum complex, Apollodorus created a vast multistory marketplace wherein he employed, for one of the first times, the cross-vault system of intersecting barrel vaults, which opens up wall space for windows and light. A skilled engineer, Apollodorus assisted Trajan in his campaign to conquer Dacia by designing a half-mile-long (three-quarter-kilometer) timber and masonry bridge for the Roman legions to cross the Danube (the actual bridge design can be seen on the column of Trajan). Apollodorus wrote treatises on both military and civil engineering. The emperor Hadrian, an architect in his own right, quarreled with Apollodorus on several occasions. For Apollodorus’s derogatory comments regarding the emperor’s architectural designs, Apollodorus was first exiled and later executed.
Influence
Apollodorus set a standard of excellence for the design and engineering of elegant and spacious buildings that became iconic during the Roman Empire and has continued to influence architects and architecture through the centuries.
Bibliography
Boardman, John, et al. The Oxford History of the Classical World. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986.
MacDonald, William L. The Architecture of the Roman Empire. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1982.
Thorpe, Martin. Roman Architecture. London: Bristol Classical Press, 1995.