Ancient Roman Temple

Antiquity is a theme that was sadly overlooked by Lego so far. I am big fan of ancient history and architecture. Hellenistic buildings are the highlight of the era, of course, but ancient Rome also had its remarkable buildings.

 

The typical Roman temple shared many features with the typical Greek temples, although there were some major differences. Roman temples usually stood on a pedestal with a single stairway leading up to the front of the building. The iconic triangular pediment was supported by a colonnade, usually in the Corinthian order, just as in Greek temples, although the colonnade seldom encircled the whole building and in many cases the frontal colonnade continued in demi-columns. Ancient buildings are usually portrayed white in contemporary art; only the white marble remained as the organic paints used two millennia ago decayed over time. Nevertheless, these buildings were indeed lavishly painted, usually in crimson red with colourful reliefs on the pediments.

 

This build is a minifigure scale, historically accurate representation of a typical Roman temple from the late republic/early imperial era. The main sources of inspiration for the model were on hand the Maison Carrée, France and, more importantly, the Sbeitla Forums Temple, Tunisia. I put many hours of research to make the model as period accurate, as possible: to get the colouring and structure of the building and the style, proportions and number of columns right.

 

The set consists of ~2700 pieces and contains 4 minifigures: 2 guards, a senator and a patrician woman. Only up-to-date parts in existing colours were used (including the figures). The main build is modular; the roof can be easily removed to reveal a detailed interior. The doors can be opened too, of course.

The main audience for these sets would be AFOL-s due to the extensive size and elaborate building techniques. Fans of ancient history, historical landmarks, culture and architecture would surely be interested in purchasing a piece of history which can be a sight to behold in any living room!