This is a list of Roman domes. The Romans were the first builders in the history of architecture to realize the potential of domes for the creation of large and well-defined interior spaces. [1] Domes were introduced in a number of Roman building types such as temples, thermae, palaces, mausolea and later also churches.

Domes were a characteristic element of the architecture of Ancient Rome and of its medieval continuation, the Byzantine Empire. They had widespread influence on contemporary and later styles, from Russian and Ottoman architecture to the Italian Renaissance and modern revivals.

By the early 1400s, Roman engineers began building two domes in one to create the illusion of even greater height. The U.S. Capitol dome, built in 1793, gets its height from this engineering sleight of hand. The large outer dome is a thin shell, held up by a ring of curved iron ribs.

Without a doubt, Rome housed the largest collection of ancient domes in a single urban center. Then, between the middle of the fifth century and the middle of the fifteenth century, not a single dome is known to have been built in Rome.

The Romans introduced the large-scale masonry hemisphere. The dome exerts thrusts all around its perimeter, and the earliest monumental examples, such as the Roman Pantheon, required heavy supporting walls. Byzantine architects invented a technique for raising domes on piers, permitting lighting and communication

Ancient Rome is characterized by their world famous domes that allowed them to build vaulted ceilings and rooms which provided large spaces for Ancient Roman buildings throughout the empire. Ancient Roman domes were generally seen at their temples, bathhouses (thermae), basilicas, and churches.

Dated around the early second century AD, it is one of the best preserved building of antiquity in the world, and testifies the superiority of Roman building techniques. Its dome, with its distinctive central hole, the “oculus”, is the biggest ever built in masonry.

Rome is a city of full of domes, each with their own stories to tell. Read on to learn more about some of the city’s most iconic domes (and why they are worth checking out)! Starting off with one of the most famous and photographed domes in Rome and Vatican City, there is the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The iconic dome architecture in Rome, especially the Pantheon, reveals the advanced techniques of ancient Romans that continue to shape classical architecture. Explore how these Roman domes reflect the ingenuity of imperial Rome and their impact on architectural history.

The Domes of Rome (the domes of S. Carlo al Corso and of S. Pietro at sunset) The skyline of Rome is characterized by a large number of domes. The Ancient Romans made use of vaults especially for covering the halls of their baths.