List of ancient spiral stairs
The list of ancient spiral stairs contains a selection of Greco-Roman spiral stairs constructed during classical antiquity. The spiral stair is a type of stairway which, due to its complex helical structure, has been introduced relatively late into architecture. Although the oldest example dates back to the 5th century BC,[1] it was only in the wake of the influential design of the Trajan's Column that this space-saving new type permanently caught hold in Roman architecture.[2]
Apart from the triumphal columns in the imperial cities of Rome and Constantinople, other types of buildings such as temples, thermae, basilicas and tombs were also fitted with spiral stairways.[2] Their notable absence in the towers of the Aurelian Wall indicates that they, unlike in medieval castles, did not yet figure prominently in Roman military engineering.[2] By late antiquity, separate stair towers were constructed adjacent to the main buildings, like in the Basilica of San Vitale.
The construction of spiral stairs passed on both to Christian and Islamic architecture.
Spiral stairs
| Monument | Location | Country | Date of construction | Height | Number of stairways | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple A [1] | Selinunte | Italy | c. 480 BC | 2 | ||
| Temple of Bel [3] | Palmyra | Syria | 1st century | |||
| Trajan's Column [4] | Rome | Italy | 113 | 29.68 m | 1 | 14 steps per turn |
| Column of Marcus Aurelius [5] | Rome | Italy | Late 2nd century | 29.62 m | 1 | 14 steps per turn |
| Baths of Caracalla [6] | Rome | Italy | 212–216 | 2 | ||
| Baths of Diocletian [6] | Rome | Italy | 298–305 | 4 | ||
| Round Temple at Ostia [6] | Rome | Italy | 3rd century | 1 | ||
| Santa Costanza [6] | Rome | Italy | c. 350 | 1 | ||
| Tomb of Galerius [6] | Thessaloniki | Greece | Early 4th century | 2 | ||
| Imperial Baths [6] | Trier | Germany | Early 4th century | 8 | ||
| Column of Theodosius [7] | Constantinople | Turkey | Late 4th century | 1 | ||
| St. Gereon's Basilica [8] | Cologne | Germany | Late 4th century | 16.50 m [A 1] | 1 | |
| Column of Arcadius [7] | Constantinople | Turkey | 401–421 | 1 | ||
| Basilica of San Vitale [9] | Ravenna | Italy | 527–548 | 2 | A pair of stair towers | |
| Gate of the Great Palace [10] | Constantinople | Turkey | 532 [A 2] | ? | ? | Procopius (Pers. 1.24.43) refers to sorty down a spiral stairway |
| Sangarius Bridge [11] | Adapazarı | Turkey | 559–562 | 10.37 m [A 3] | 1 | Located in pier of triumphal arch at entrance of bridge |
Footnotes
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Beckmann 2002, p. 354; Ruggeri 2006, p. 77
- 1 2 3 Beckmann 2002, pp. 353–356
- ↑ Beckmann 2002, p. 355
- ↑ Jones 1993, pp. 28, 31
- ↑ Jones 1993, pp. 28, 38
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Beckmann 2002, p. 354
- 1 2 Beckmann 2002, p. 352
- ↑ Schäfke 1984, p. 102
- ↑ Rasch 1985, p. 123, fn. 27
- ↑ Beckmann 2002, p. 349
- ↑ Whitby 1985, p. 129
Bibliography
- Beckmann, Martin (2002), "The 'Columnae Coc(h)lides' of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius", Phoenix, 56 (3/4): 348–357, JSTOR 1192605, doi:10.2307/1192605
- Jones, Mark Wilson (1993), "One Hundred Feet and a Spiral Stair: The Problem of Designing Trajan's Column", Journal of Roman Archaeology, 6: 23–38
- Rasch, Jürgen (1985), "Die Kuppel in der römischen Architektur. Entwicklung, Formgebung, Konstruktion", Architectura, 15, pp. 117–139
- Ruggeri, Stefania (2006), Selinunt, Messina: Edizioni Affinità Elettive, ISBN 88-8405-079-0
- Schäfke, Werner (1984), Kölns romanische Kirchen. Architektur, Ausstattung, Geschichte, Köln, ISBN 3-7701-1360-8
- Whitby, Michael (1985), "Justinian's Bridge over the Sangarius and the Date of Procopius' de Aedificiis", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, 105: 129–148, JSTOR 631526, doi:10.2307/631526
Further reading
- Lancaster, Lynne (1999), "Building Trajan's Column", American Journal of Archaeology, 103 (3): 419–439, JSTOR 506969, doi:10.2307/506969
External links
Media related to Roman stairs at Wikimedia Commons
- Traianus – Technical investigation of Roman public works