When we think of Roman architecture, many things come to mind, such as arches, columns, statues and surfaces richly covered in marble. We must stop to think that this empire, which gained power and influence in the first century BC, must have been influenced by the thousands of years of cultures that preceded it in order to create its masterpieces of 'ingenuity. This phenomenon can be seen in our borrowing from ideas from ancient Greece and Rome in the construction of our Capitol buildings in the United States. The Romans surely took into account the design principles of other cultures when designing their buildings, since the daily conquest of new lands opened the eyes of Roman soldiers to the innovations that came from the great immensity of their empire. This philosophy of intuitive inspirations and design is particularly notable in the ruins of the Great Canopus and Serapeum of Emperor Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy. Drawing inspiration from the Orient and contemporary Rome, Hadrian was able to combine his own knowledge and interest in innovative design to create the most fabulous example of residential architecture that ever existed. Hadrian was an avid traveler who spent a lot of time. his stay in the Orient and in numerous Roman colonies due to the military conquests he undertook before becoming sovereign of the Roman Empire. On becoming Trajan's successor, as Emperor of the Roman Empire, he set his sights on his passion for architecture, constructing many notable buildings such as the Pantheon in Rome and its wall in Britain. Although he was a popular ruler, he was still dissatisfied with life and his security in Rome and decided to build himself a residential complex 15 miles from Rome in Tibur, now Tivoli, Italy. In construction...... middle of paper ...... note in the Greek-style colonnade around the lake, which features alternating horizontal and arched lenses. This was not previously observed in other Roman buildings, since horizontal or arched openings were used in series, but generally not mixed. Overall, the villa and the Grand Canopus feature contemporary Roman touches (c. AD 120) such as the opus reticulatem as wall covering, and the use of arched openings and barrel vaults. The use of ruble walls essentially made a huge difference between Hadrian's Villa and its Greek and Egyptian counterparts from which it borrowed. Essentially, due to its construction, the villa was heavily looted for its marble veneers resembling blocks of stone seen on Greek temples, but has held up structurally due to the fact that over time the Villa of Hadrian just can't tip over like a stacked stone structure..