but there were two other types. These two other types were the Groined Vault and the Ribbed Vault ("Architecture").A later type of vault that developed was the dome. A dome is a curved roof situated on a circular base. Perhaps the most famous building in Rome with a dome is the Pantheon. Columns were sometimes used in domes, but only as a decoration ("Architecture").The Roman wealthy lived in fairly large houses. A courtyard called an atrium served as a reception room. An opening in the atrium roof allowed light in. Water collected in a pool in the floor of the atrium. The dining room and bedrooms surrounded the atrium. The atriums were decorated by Mosaic walls and floors. A second courtyard called a peristyle included a garden, fountains, statues, and often a pool. Some houses had an enclosure at the rear of the house with fruit trees and vegetables.Roman walls stretched great lengths and fortified the extreme boundaries of the great Roman Empire. By the year AD 100 the Romans had built a wall that extended into present-day Germany and Romania. Another wall built by the Romans was Hadrian's Wall. It was built starting in AD 120 and stretched 13 miles. Parts of this wall still stand. Roman walls were build by Roman soldiers primarily when was did not grip the Empire. Hadrian's Wall was 10 feet wide and 20 meters tall. It was made of stone and turf. Hadrian's Wall was rebuilt three times and defended until AD 400.Rome was home to incredible buildings. One of these buildings was the Circus Maximus ("Architecture"). It was built during the Augustan Age. It was of tremendous size, two thousand feet long by three hundred feet wide. It could seat 200,000 people. The stands were divided up into three sections. The people were protected from animals by a broad channel of water. A wall ran its length, dividing it in half and providing a track for chariot racing, which took place here. The building was faced in marble....
