The Architecture of Roman Temples. The Republic to the Middle Empire

This book examines the development of Roman temple architecture from its earliest
history in the sixth century B.c. to the reigns of Hadrian and the Antonines
in the second century A.D. Although archaeologists, architects, and historians have
studied these temples since the Renaissance, this book is unique for its specific
analysis of Roman temples as a building type. John Stamper analyzes their formal
qualities, the public spaces in which they were located, and, most importantly, the
authority of precedent in their designs. The basis ofthat authority was the Temple
of Jupiter Capitolinus, the city's first and most important temple. Stamper challenges
the accepted reconstruction of this temple, proposing a new reconstruction
and an assessment of its role in the transformation of Rome. He also traces Rome's
temple architecture as it evolved over time and how it accommodated changing
political and religious contexts, as well as the effects of new stylistic influences.
John W. Stamper is Associate Professor and Associate Dean in the School of
Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. Both an architect and architectural
historian, he is the author of Chicago's North Michigan Avenue: Planning and Development,
1900-1930