Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek Agriculture
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Date: 19 April 2009
Three Ancient Architectures
The architectural designs and elements of ancient Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia have many notable similarities. This could be because of the similarities in the ancient empires’ cultures (giving more importance to religion), environment and resources (the extensive use of reeds and mud bricks) or simply a result of their influences on each others’ aesthetic content in their designs. Either way, the ancient civilizations’ architectural designs have surely inspired and begun the architectural advancement of today’s times.
Greek Architecture When referring to Greek architecture, as a rule, it pertains to their public buildings for in contrast to their Aegean predecessors, the Greeks of the historical periods devoted less attention to their private dwellings, whether houses and palaces for the living or tombs for the dead (Dinsmoor 38). For private shelter for the people, the traces are sufficient to indicate that the Dorians must have begun with the circular nomadic hut (65). The simplicity of these living quarters of the Dorians, an ancient tribe in Greece, which gave way to the Doric style, could not be held true for their public places. As of these public buildings, those of religious character occupy most prominent places, first of all their temples and altars to which were subsequently added the treasuries, propylaea, votive monuments, stoas, theater and other adjuncts of the sacred temenos (Dinsmoor 38). Most of the buildings were temples and altars for the many gods of ancient Greeks. Unlike the private dwellings, these public places, some roofed while others are unroofed, were more elaborate and they consisted of several wings. Perhaps the concept of an enclosed and roofed space forming the actual temple or home of the God originated in the more highly organized east (Dinsmoor 40). One of these temples is the Temple of Athena at Syracuse in Sicily. This temple only shows a
Course:
Professor:
Date: 19 April 2009
Three Ancient Architectures
The architectural designs and elements of ancient Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia have many notable similarities. This could be because of the similarities in the ancient empires’ cultures (giving more importance to religion), environment and resources (the extensive use of reeds and mud bricks) or simply a result of their influences on each others’ aesthetic content in their designs. Either way, the ancient civilizations’ architectural designs have surely inspired and begun the architectural advancement of today’s times.
Greek Architecture When referring to Greek architecture, as a rule, it pertains to their public buildings for in contrast to their Aegean predecessors, the Greeks of the historical periods devoted less attention to their private dwellings, whether houses and palaces for the living or tombs for the dead (Dinsmoor 38). For private shelter for the people, the traces are sufficient to indicate that the Dorians must have begun with the circular nomadic hut (65). The simplicity of these living quarters of the Dorians, an ancient tribe in Greece, which gave way to the Doric style, could not be held true for their public places. As of these public buildings, those of religious character occupy most prominent places, first of all their temples and altars to which were subsequently added the treasuries, propylaea, votive monuments, stoas, theater and other adjuncts of the sacred temenos (Dinsmoor 38). Most of the buildings were temples and altars for the many gods of ancient Greeks. Unlike the private dwellings, these public places, some roofed while others are unroofed, were more elaborate and they consisted of several wings. Perhaps the concept of an enclosed and roofed space forming the actual temple or home of the God originated in the more highly organized east (Dinsmoor 40). One of these temples is the Temple of Athena at Syracuse in Sicily. This temple only shows a
Cited: Dinsmoor, William Bell. The Architecture of Ancient Greek: An Account of Its Historic Development. New York: Biblo and Tannen, 1973. Hamlin, Talbot. Architecture through the Ages. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1940. Hitchcock, H. R. et al. World Architecture: An Illustrated History. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963. Kimball, Fiske and George Harold Edgell. A History of Architecture. New York:Harper & Brothers, 1918 Okada, Yasuyoshi. “Pseudoperipteral Temples in Late-Antiquity Mesopotamia”. Al- Rafidan,18 (1997), 281-285. Robertson, D. S. A Handbook of Greek and Roman Architecture. Ambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1959