Megalithic Architecture and Altamira Art

Altamira Cave

• Located in Spain, dating between 14,000-16,000 BCE.
• Famous for prehistoric cave art featuring charcoal drawings and polychrome paintings of local fauna and human hands.
• Artists used three-dimensional painting techniques to create the illusion of depth on flat surfaces.

Vocabulary

• Post and lintel: Basic architectural system with vertical posts supporting a horizontal lintel.
• Megalithic architecture: Large stone structures or monuments from prehistory.
• Funerary architecture: Structures built for burial or to honor the dead.

Stonehenge

• Constructed between 3000 and 1600 BCE in England.
• Consists of five post-and-lintel trilithons made of bluestone from southern Wales.
• Likely served religious, ceremonial, or astronomical purposes, related to solar and lunar cycles.

Fundamental Aspects of Megalithic Architecture

• Strong connection to transcendental beliefs.
• Establishes territorial claims for builders.
• Promotes social cohesiveness within communities.

Megalithic Temples in Malta

• Dates around 3150-2600 BCE, among the oldest megalithic sites.
• Features oval chambers and semi-circular recesses with monumentally designed façades.

Çatalhöyük

• Ancient settlement in Turkey, circa 6000 BCE.
• Houses accessed through roofs due to the absence of wheeled vehicles, providing natural defense.
• Trophy pieces, such as bulls, symbolized fertility, abundance, and had ritual significance.

Jericho's Neolithic Wall

• Dates to around 7000 BCE, one of the earliest known defensive structures.
• Massive stone wall approximately 3.6 meters (12 feet) high and 1.8 meters (6 feet) thick, indicating organized community and large-scale construction.

Egyptian Kingdoms Overview

• Old Kingdom: 2700 - 2200 BCE.
• Middle Kingdom: 2100 - 1800 BCE.
• New Kingdom: 1600 - 1100 BCE.

Mastaba

• A flat-roofed, rectangular tomb with inward sloping sides made of mud bricks or limestone.

Great Pyramids of Giza

• Built for pharaohs Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren), and Menkaure (Mykerinos).
• Construction took 20-30 years, involving thousands of laborers.
• Khufu's pyramid has a 52-degree angle.
• Menkaure's placement creates an optical illusion of comparable size to larger pyramids.

Old Kingdom Architecture

• Includes mastabas and step pyramids, leading to refined structures in successive pharaohs’ reigns.

Middle Kingdom Developments

• Features rock-cut tombs like the Tomb of Mentuhotep.
• Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple represents early monumental architecture.

New Kingdom Temples

• Characterized by:
  • Avenue of sphinxes leading to entrances.
  • Peristyle courtyards and hypostyle halls.
  • Inner sanctum as the sacred area housing deity statues.

Differences: Mesopotamia vs. Egypt

• Mesopotamia: Unpredictable rivers requiring advanced irrigation; built with sun-dried bricks; politically fragmented.
• Egypt: Predictable Nile floods supporting stable agriculture; used hard stone for durable structures; cultural continuity and centralized governance.

Temple of Uruk

• Constructed approximately 4000–3100 BCE, featuring complex plans for urban religious practices.

Ziggurat of Ur

• Built around 2100 BCE, dedicated to moon god Nanna; believed to connect the earth with the heavens.

Aspects of Mesopotamian Cities

• Located near rivers, exhibiting advanced urban planning.
• Infrastructure included pierced walls for canals and storage cisterns.
• King or priestly palaces often strategically positioned for defense.

Persepolis

• A political-diplomatic stronghold demonstrating the wealth of its empire through lavish construction.

Hilani

• A porch-like structure with a large courtyard, supported by columns, prevalent in Near Eastern ancient cultures.

Telamon

• Sculptural figures acting as architectural supports, typically represented as muscular male figures.

Megaron

• An early type of house, consisting of:
  • A propylon entrance.
  • Atrium and functional rooms.
  • Naous (a shrine) and main cella.

Sir Arthur Evans

• Noted archaeologist known for excavating the Minoan civilization in Crete, particularly the Palace of Knossos.

Cyclopean Walls

• Large, defensive walls primarily used in Mycenaean architecture.

Citadel of Mycenae

• Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann, showcasing advanced architectural techniques.

Tympanum

• A triangular area above an entrance, enclosed by a pediment in classical architecture.

Architectural Terms

• Dromos: Passage leading to a tomb entrance in Mycenaean architecture.
• Tholos: Circular building often used for tombs or sanctuaries in ancient Greece.
• Corbeled vault: Roofing technique using progressively smaller stone layers to create domes.

Treasury of Atreus (Tholos Tomb)

• Dates to approximately 1250 BCE, featuring a beehive-shaped structure and corbelled dome indicative of Mycenaean architecture.

Temple of Artemis

• An iconic example of Ionic architecture with massive columns and elaborately carved friezes.

Doric Order Characteristics

• Features sturdy, fluted columns with no base; simple capitals and structured entablatures with triglyphs and metopes.