History of Architecture

Timeline
PRE-HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE
Rock Cave
 Earliest form of dwelling
 The need to
Religious Structure
 Menhir- with 1 upright
stone
 Dolmen- 2 or more with
horizontal slab
 Cromlech- 3 or more in a
circular form
Catal Huyuk, Turkey Tumulus
 Largest and best preserved  Ancient Burial mound
Neolithic Settlement in the  Used for burials of several
world. hundred of ordinary persons.
 Inscribed as UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
Stonehenge
 Prehistoric monument in
Weltshire, England.
 Listed as UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1986
 Used as astronomical
observatory or religious
site.
MESOPOTAMIAN ARCHITECTURE

Ziggurat of Ur City of Lagash Ishtar Gate

 Elevated city because of  8th gate in the inner City of

 “The Holy Mountain”
 The most famous Ziggurat
in the world.
 Contains the standard of
Ur.
flood surroundings. Babylon.
 Dedicated to Geddes of
love, war and fertility,
Ishtar.

Persepolis

 Persian City

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE

Persepolis Pyramid Great Pyramids

 Earliest form of Egyptian  Oldest in the 7 wonders of the

 Royal tombs of kings.
tomb world.
 4 sides facing Cardinal
 Used battered walls for  The Three Great Pyramids:
Points
stability. Cheops (largest), Chefren
 Built because they believe
 Burial chamber below (Second Largest), Mykerinos
in life after death
ground (smallest).

Great Temple of Abu-Simbel

 An enormous rock temple

complex located on Egypt’s
border with Sudan.
 Lasting historical monument
for the king and his queen.
 Biggest rock cut temple by
Rameses II
GREEK ARCHITECTURE
Athens Acropolis
 “High City”
 Built to honor the Goddess
Athena and proclaim the
glory of the city to the
world.
Parthenon
 Building in the acropolis
considered as being the
most nearly perfect
building.
 Dedicated to Goddess of
Athena, whom the people
of Athens consider as their
patron.
Greek Temple
 Built as shrine to the
ancient Greek God and
Goddesses
 Chief building type in
Greek Architecture
Tomb of Agamemnon
 The finest of the Greek
Tombs and is also known
as Treasury of Atreus.
 A large tholos or beehive
tomb.
Orders
 Ancient styles of classical
Orders.
 Doric order- Oldest and
simplest of all.
 Ionic order- characterized
by volutes of its capital.
 Corinthian order- most
ornate and has deep bell
shaped capital decorated
with acanthus leaves.
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

Periods of Development Parthenon The Colosseum

 Etruscans- earliest civilization  The finest of all illustrations  An oval amphitheater in

and invented concrete; Inventors
of Tuscan Capital.
 Romans- complex builders and
adopted Greek’s columnar and
trabeated style; developed Arch,
Vaults & Domes of Etruscans
of Roman Construction. city center in Rome, Italy.
 The most famous and  The largest amphitheater
perfect preservation of all ever built.
ancient buildings in Rome.  Used for gladiatorial
contests.

Roman Order

 Tuscan Order- counterpart of

Doric order.
 Composite- combination of Ionic
and Corinthian.
EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE
Architectural Style
 Inspired from Roman
Architecture and used
Roman Basilicas as models.
 Converted into church to
house worship of its disciples
called Basilican Churches.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Architectural Style
 First buildings constructed
were churches.
 Dumped Early Christian style
for domical Byzantine style.
Old St. Peter’s Basilica
 Burial site of Saint Peter, the
name of the cathedral was
set to honor his name.
 30 years to completion.
St. Basil’s Cathedral Hagia Sophia
 Located in Moscow, Russia  “Holy Wisdom/Divine Wisdom”
and is built for military  Finest and remaining example
conquest. of Byzantine Architecture.
 Also known as “Trinity
Cathedral”.
MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE

Castles Motte and Bailey Castle

 Notable building in  Earliest form of Castle.

Medieval Architecture. 
 Built on mounds above
rivers.
 3 types: Motte and Bailey
Castle, Stone Keep
Castle, Concentric Castle

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE
Piazza Dei Miracoli Architectural Character Church Interior

 One of the finest Architectural  Based from Roman  Consists of three

Complexes in the World. Architectural Elements. levels: First floor with
 Contains 4 prominent buildings:  Includes the use of Blind columns, Second floor
Catheral, Campaniles, Arches, Round/Semicircular with the tribune,
Baptisteris, and Monasteries. Arches, Wheel/Rose Clerestory.
Window, Vaults,
Buttresses, etc.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
Architectural Character Chartres Cathedral San Sebastian Church

 Used large windows, thin walls,  Also known as the  First steel church in the
tracery, rose windows, flying Cathedral of our Lady of Philippines.
buttresses, vaulted ceiling, Chartres.  Interior painted to look like
spires, pointed arches, etc.  The building’s exterior is stones
dominated by heavy
flying buttresses.

RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE

Columns and Pilasters

Architectural Character

 Used domes, vaults, arch,

columns, pilasters, parapets,  Roman orders were used.
etc.  They can be either be structural
or purely decorative.
Baroque Architecture Rococo Architecture

 Italian High Renaissance  French Renaissance

 Religious and extravagant  Curving shapes and uses
 Ornate Pillars and grand shell and plant as designs
staircases  Complex, asymmetrical