Ancient Architecture Quiz

Pre-Historical Structures

• Tumuli were burial mounds consisting of upright and lintel stones, creating chambers for consecutive burials for several to a hundred persons.
• Megaliths referred to large stones.
• Dolmen were burial tombs composed of at least three upright stones and one or more capstones.
• Cromlech, an enclosure formed by large stones placed in a circle.

Egyptian Architecture

• Pyramids were tombs built for pharaohs.

Ancient Greek Architecture

• Marble was a key material in Greek architecture.
• Columnar trabeated construction was a defining characteristic of Greek architecture.
• The Propylaea served as the entrance to the Acropolis, designed by Mnesicles.
• The Pteroma was the space between the colonnade and the naos wall in a Greek temple.
• The Stoa was a long colonnaded shelter commonly found in public areas in ancient Greece.
• The Acropolis was the fortified high area or citadel of an ancient Greek city.

Obelisk

• A monumental, four-sided stone shaft typically monolithic and tapering to a pyramidal tip.

Robert Mills Architectures

• First Bank of US, Philadelphia
• Virginia State Capitol
• US Treasury Building, Washington DC
• Smithsonian America Art Museum, Washington DC
• US Capitol Building

Domestic Architecture in America

• Metropolitan National Museum of Art, New York by Richard Morris Hunt
• Rhode Island Mansions by Richard Morris Hunt

Architectural Education

• MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the first architecture school established in the US in 1865.
• University of Illinois, the second architecture school established in the US.

Super-Insulated Houses

• These houses are characterized by limited fenestration, airtight construction, and composite materials, creating a stable interior temperature.
• Natural light is often incorporated using skylights.

The Turn of the Century

Arts and Crafts Movement

• Developed in the 1850s, with John Ruskin's writings playing a significant role.
• The term "Arts and Crafts" was first used in 1887.
• Key characteristics: Preserving the natural qualities of materials, simple forms, and emphasizing the craftspeople's role.
• William Morris was a leading figure, known for his furniture and silver designs for the Guild of Handicraft.
• The Red House, designed by Philip Webb in 1859, served as a prominent example of the Arts and Crafts style.

Aesthetic Movement

• Also known as "Decadence", the movement valued aesthetics over social values.

Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (1857-1941)

• A notable Arts and Crafts architect known for his versatile design work, including wallpapers, fabrics, tiles, ceramics, furniture, and metalworks.
• He combined simplicity with sophistication in a highly original style.

Art Nouveau

• A movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries impacting decorative arts and architecture.
• Characterized by a diverse range of styles, eclecticism, and organic forms.
• Influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and utilizing modern construction techniques and new materials.

Hector Guimard (1867-1942)

• A prominent Art Nouveau architect known for his innovative use of materials and organic forms, exemplified in his designs for the Paris Metro entrances.
• He brought attention to the Art Nouveau style, particularly with his Casa Calvet in Barcelona, integrating materials like hammered iron, brick, stone, and ceramics.

William Van Alen (1883-1954)

• Renowned for his Art Deco design of the Chrysler Building in New York.
• Known for his use of banding techniques and terracotta.

Jugendstil

• The German term for Art Nouveau.