Editing Arch (section)

===Ancient Rome===
The ancient [[Roman architecture|Romans]] learned the [[semicircular arch]] from the [[Etruscans]] (both cultures apparently adopted the design in the 4th century BC{{sfn | Woodman | Bloom | 2003 | loc=Ancient Greece and Rome}}), refined it and were the first builders in Europe to tap its full potential for above ground buildings:

<blockquote>The Romans were the first builders in Europe, perhaps the first in the world, to fully appreciate the advantages of the arch, the vault and the dome.<ref name="Robertson">{{cite book|last=Robertson|first=D.S.|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/greekromanarchit0000robe/page/231/mode/1up|chapter=Chapter Fifteen: Roman Construction. Arches, Vaults, and Domes|url=https://archive.org/details/greekromanarchit0000robe/page/n4/mode/1up|title=Greek and Roman Architecture|edition=2nd|isbn=0521061040|oclc=1149316661|location=[[Cambridge|Cambridge, England]]|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1969|page=231|access-date=December 31, 2020|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref></blockquote>

Throughout the [[Roman Empire]], from [[Syria]] to [[Scotland]], engineers erected arch structures. The first use of arches was for civic structures, like drains and city gates. Later the arches were utilized for major civic buildings [[Roman bridge|bridges]] and [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]], with the outstanding 1st century [[Anno Domini|AD]] examples provided by the [[Colosseum]], [[Pont Du Gard]], and the [[aqueduct of Segovia]].{{sfn | Woodman | Bloom | 2003 | loc=Ancient Greece and Rome}} The introduction of the ceremonial [[triumphal arch]] dates back to [[Roman Republic]], although the best examples are from the imperial times ([[Arch of Augustus (Susa)|Arch of Augustus]] at Susa, [[Arch of Titus]]).{{sfn | Woodman | Bloom | 2003 | loc=Ancient Greece and Rome}} 

Romans initially avoided using the arch in the religious buildings and, in Rome, arched temples were quite rare until the recognition of Christianity in 313 AD (with the exceptions provided by the [[Roman Pantheon|Pantheon]] and the [[temple of Minerva Medica (nymphaeum)|"temple of Minerva Medica"]]{{check|date=January 2024}}). Away from the capital, arched temples were more common ({{ill|Hadrianstempel (Ephesos)|de|lt=temple of Hadrian at Ephesus}}, [[Archaeological site of Sbeitla|temple of Jupiter at Sbeitla]], Severan temple at [[Djemila]]).{{sfn | Woodman | Bloom | 2003 | loc=Ancient Greece and Rome}} Arrival of Christianity prompted creation of the new type of temple, a [[Christian basilica]], that made a thorough break with the pagan tradition with arches as one of the main elements of the design, along with the  exposed brick walls ([[Santa Sabina]] in Rome, [[Sant'Apollinare in Classe]]). For a long period, from the late 5th century to the 20th century, [[Arcade (architecture)|arcade]]s were a standard staple for the Western [[Christian architecture]].{{sfn | Woodman | Bloom | 2003 | loc=Ancient Greece and Rome}} 

Vaults began to be used for roofing large interior spaces such as halls and temples, a function that was also assumed by [[List of Roman domes|domed structures]] from the 1st century BC onwards.

The segmental arch was first built by the Romans who realized that an arch in a bridge did not have to be a semicircle,<ref>{{harvnb|Galliazzo|1995|pp=429–437}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|O'Connor|1993|p=171}}</ref> such as in [[Alconétar Bridge]] or [[Ponte San Lorenzo]]. The utilitarian and mass residential ([[Insula (Roman city)|insulae]]) buildings, as found in [[Ostia Antica]] and [[Pompeii]], mostly used low [[segmental arch]]es made of bricks and [[architrave]]s made of wood, while the concrete [[lintel arch]]es can be found in [[Roman villa|villas]] and palaces.{{sfn|DeLaine|1990|p=417}} 
<gallery>
File:Falerii novi.JPG|The Jupiter gate at [[Falerii Novi]] ({{circa}} 300 BC)
File:Acueduct of Segovia.jpg|Arches of the aqueduct at Segovia
File:Laika ac Colosseum (9487556579).jpg|Arches of the Colosseum
File:Arco di Augusto-Susa.jpg|Arch of Augustus, [[Susa, Piedmont]] ({{circa}} 8 BC)
File:Tempio di Minerva Medica 21-09-2019.jpg|Arches at the "temple of Minerva Medica" in Rome
File:The Temple of Hadrian (16127691050).jpg|Temple of Hadrian at Ephesus combines a semicircular arch with the lintels (117 AD)
File:Trois temples 13 - cropped (Temple of Jupiter).png|Temple of Jupiter at [[Sbeitla]] ({{circa}} 150 AD)
File:S Sabina - portico 1000013.JPG|Arches in the [[narthex]] of Santa Sabina, Rome ({{circa}} 425 AD)
File:QDFV Basilica di Sant Apollinare in Classe - Ravenna.jpg|Arches and dome in Sant'Apollinare in Classe (534-536 AD)
File:OstianInsula.JPG|Segmental arches in an Ostian insula
</gallery>