Throughout our history architecture has evolved. The foundation of architecture began with the ancient civilizations and has gone through the process of being passes from one society to then next and being adapted throughout the course of history into what we see and inhabit at the present day. The ancient societies such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome provided most of the foundations with archetypes, prototypes, and hybrids that influenced the societies and enable them to learn and move forward, creating their own styles which reflected their culture.
Egypt is widely known for its life source, the Nile which runs through the center. Because the Nile is what keeps Egypt fertile and alive they tended to incorporate it into to their architecture, an example would be the papyrus column. Egyptians also based their architecture off of their beliefs. They believe in the afterlife and permanence which was reflected by the scale of their architecture. The tombs such as the pyramids of Giza and temple of Hatshepsut are a very clear example of how gender influenced the design. The pyramids stand out against its surroundings, where as the temple of Hatshepsut is more horizontal and is concealed near the base of a cliff. Although the designs of these monuments were very different they were still constructed by stacking stones and this technique was the foundation for what was to come.
Greece used Egypt as a base for their design. In treating Egypt as a prototype they were able to learn and expand upon it to create the "ideal" architectural structures. They incorporated columns as well as stacking into their architecture because it was a method of firmness. However they designed a lot of their architecture around Greek mythology and their many Gods. Male and female gender roles were still seen in the architecture but were less prominent. For example, the Parthenon dedicated to Athena is very dominant compared to its surroundings. So as for Greece, it borrows and developed the ideas from Egypt in order to create the ideal and in turn ended up with something real.
Rome looked back to Egypt and Greece in order to use their architectural elements as a basis to move forward. Rome is taking what they have seen and modernizing it. They took all of the previous styles and combined them in order to create an instant history. Columns evolved into more of a decoration rather than a structural component. They also developed the arch which took the place of the post and lintel and was much more structurally sound. With this they were able to construct something as magnificent as the Coliseum, which consists of many arches as well as many different styles. By being able to incorporate architectural elements from the past and grow from them Rome’s architecture was the start of something new and was a good foundation in order to move forward.
As I see it the ancient societies started architecture and from them it evolved into what we see all around us today and it is constantly evolving as we learn and experience new times. When we look around us we still see many of the architectural elements that have excelled and lasted for centuries in a way preserving the history of ancient cultures through architecture.
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Nicely worded. I enjoyed how your assessment took on this theme of borrowing and reproducing through multiple societies all linking us to the present day. Good job!
ReplyDeleteRead through to catch small grammatical errors, but otherwise this is a great recap of the unit. The essay flows and is organized well as it goes through each of the architectural periods.
ReplyDeleteI liked how your essay told a story about how everything leads onto architecture in the future. The examples that you discussed throughout show your understanding of the unit. Great job :)
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