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Ancient and Egyptian Architecture. Architectural History ACT 322 Doris Kemp. Topics. Mesopotamia Sumer Babylon Ancient Israel Crete Mycenae. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia . Mesopotamia Coexists with same time period as the Egyptians Centered around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
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Ancient and Egyptian Architecture Architectural History ACT 322 Doris Kemp
Topics • Mesopotamia • Sumer • Babylon • Ancient Israel • Crete • Mycenae
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia • Mesopotamia • Coexists with same time period as the Egyptians • Centered around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers • Modern day Iraq • Signs of civilization begin to appear around 4500 B.C. • Peak of civilization is around 3300 B.C.
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia - Sumer • Sumer • Great kingdom located in Mesopotamia • Building materials were scarce • Timber was completely absent and stone was very scarce • Mud was used to create bricks • Highly soluble in water • Most structures have been destroyed due to rain and time
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia - Sumer • Sumer • Architectural characteristics include: • Heavy walls made of mud bricks • Great massings of earth • Tombs were very rare • Temples of interest: • Temple VIII at Eridu • White Temple at Uruk
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia - Sumer • Sumer • Temple VIII at Eridu • Ancient site near Ur • Thick walls of mud bricks • Set atop a primitive mud-brick platform • Featured stairs leading up to an entrance on the long side of the temple Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia - Sumer • Sumer • White Temple at Uruk • 3500 – 3000 B.C. • Placed upon a huge mass of earth called a ziggurat Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia - Babylon • Babylon • Neo-Babylonian Revival • Culture was revived in 612 B.C. • Many new temples and palaces were built • Thick walls surrounded the city with a distance of some 11 miles • Key locations: • Ishtar Gate • Tower of Babel • Palace of Nebuchadnezzar
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia – Babylon • Babylon • Ishtar Gate • Most impressive remnant of the great city • Dominated the wide processional avenue and led to the inner city • Partly reconstructed in the State Museum, Berlin , Germany Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia – Babylon • Tower of Babel • Most famous of all the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia • Has been restored many times throughout the centuries • No one really knows how it actually looked Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia - Babylon • Babylon • Palace of Nebuchadnezzar • The most grandiose palace in Babylon • Featured the Hanging Gardens • One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World • Approximately 900 by 600 ft. in size • Has been praised by many historians for its many splendid features
Ancient Near East:Mesopotamia - Babylon Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Ancient Israel • Ancient Israel • King Solomon’s Temple • Built around the 10th century B.C. • Located atop Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem • Rectangular structure surrounded by open courtyards • Rebuilt two times due to invaders • The third temple is associated with the Christian New Testament • Destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans
Ancient Near East:Ancient Israel Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Ancient Israel • Ancient Israel • Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is believed to be the last remnants of Solomon’s third temple Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Crete • Crete • Key locations: • City of Troy • Was thought to be a mythical location until the 1870’s A.D. • Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann • Palace at Knossos • c. 1700 – 1400 B.C. • Possibly built for King Midas • Only the ground floor has survived the centuries
Ancient Near East:Crete Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Crete Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Mycenae • Mycenae • Modern day Greece • A great society of warriors • More interested architecturally in citadels rather than pleasure palaces • Recognized the importance of geometry and proportions in architecture
Ancient Near East:Mycenae • Mycenae • Two important structures: • Citadel at Tyrins • Best preserved citadel of Mycenae • Up to 36 ft. thick walls • Lined with galleries that featured massive corbelled ceilings • Treasury of Atreus • Large dome shaped tomb dating back to 1300 B.C. Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Mycenae Photo: Sullivan
Ancient Near East:Mycenae Photo: Sullivan
References • Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/ • http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html • Trachtenburg/Hyman; Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity • Wodehouse/Moffett; A History of Western Architecture
Ancient and Egyptian Architecture Architectural History ACT 322 Doris Kemp