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Questions and Answers
Which of the following best describes the function of megalithic structures?
Which of the following best describes the function of megalithic structures?
What is the main difference between a menhir and a dolmen?
What is the main difference between a menhir and a dolmen?
Which of the following best describes a cromlech?
Which of the following best describes a cromlech?
What is unique about the Newgrange tomb in Ireland?
What is unique about the Newgrange tomb in Ireland?
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Which archaeological site is known for having dwellings without streets?
Which archaeological site is known for having dwellings without streets?
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What is the significance of Göbekli Tepe in the context of megalithic structures?
What is the significance of Göbekli Tepe in the context of megalithic structures?
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The structures known as nuraghi, torri, and talaiots, found in Sardinia, Corsica, and Menorca/Mallorca, respectively, are thought to be:
The structures known as nuraghi, torri, and talaiots, found in Sardinia, Corsica, and Menorca/Mallorca, respectively, are thought to be:
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Which of these megalithic structures is known for its astronomical orientation?
Which of these megalithic structures is known for its astronomical orientation?
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What was the primary building material used for most structures in ancient Mesopotamia?
What was the primary building material used for most structures in ancient Mesopotamia?
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What distinguished Mesopotamian temples like the White Temple at Uruk from other buildings?
What distinguished Mesopotamian temples like the White Temple at Uruk from other buildings?
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What was the purpose of the ziggurat's tiered structure?
What was the purpose of the ziggurat's tiered structure?
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Which architectural element was commonly used in the construction of Mesopotamian residential buildings?
Which architectural element was commonly used in the construction of Mesopotamian residential buildings?
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What function did bitumen serve in Neo-Sumerian architecture?
What function did bitumen serve in Neo-Sumerian architecture?
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What was the main purpose of the glazed brick decorations on structures such as the Ishtar Gate?
What was the main purpose of the glazed brick decorations on structures such as the Ishtar Gate?
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What engineering innovation was used in the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
What engineering innovation was used in the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
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What is the main difference between a ziggurat and a typical Mesopotamian temple?
What is the main difference between a ziggurat and a typical Mesopotamian temple?
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What was a key characteristic of the early urban development in Mesopotamia?
What was a key characteristic of the early urban development in Mesopotamia?
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What did the use of reed matting or rope provide in the construction of ziggurats?
What did the use of reed matting or rope provide in the construction of ziggurats?
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Study Notes
Prehistoric Architecture
- Megalith: Large prehistoric stone structure, often multiple stones, used to mark events, places, or astronomical observatories. Usually communal tombs for higher classes. Found globally, including Europe, South America, and China.
- Menhir: Isolated upright stone block, sometimes in rows (stone avenues).
- Dolmen: Two upright stones supporting a horizontal slab, often used as tombs for prominent individuals, with piled earth on top.
- Cromlech: Circularly-arranged stones interlocked with stone lintels; potentially a religious/cult center.
- Newgrange: 3200 BCE Irish tomb with a corbel vault, using no mortar (made of black granite, white quartz, limestone). Decorations on its kerbs.
- Jericho: 8000 BCE fortified settlement in Israel.
- Catal Huyuk: 6500-5700 BCE settlement (Turkey) without streets with dwellings.
- Göbekli Tepe: 9500 BCE site in Turkey, with the world’s oldest known megaliths.
- Skara Brae: 3180 BCE Neolithic village in Scotland, stones laid without mortar.
- Nuraghi: Tombs or fortresses on Sardinia, still surviving, with unknown function.
- Talaiots: Structures on Menorca, with unknown function (2000-1000 BCE)
- Stone Shepherd: A 3.4 m menhir near Klobúky u Slaného, Czechia (4th century BCE)
- Dolmen Menga: 2500 BCE 25 m long tomb in Spain
- Stonehenge: 1800 BCE cromlech in Salisbury, UK.
Architecture of Mesopotamia
- Sumarians (4000 BCE): Developed first civilization circa 4000 BCE, built cities around religious shrines.
- Building Materials: Sun-baked bricks (mud shaped and dried); mud walls and roofs; lighter wooden members; reeds.
- Building Types: Temples, palaces, city fortifications. Buildings elevated on platforms/terraces.
- White Temple (3500-3000 BCE): 40-foot high rubble base, primarily whitewashed sun-dried brick.
- Eanna: Temple complex in Uruk. Ornamented with a mosaic of terracotta cones.
- Neo-Sumerian Period (2150-2000 BCE): Ziggurats, stepped platforms for temples. Constructed using sun-dried bricks bonded with bitumen/reed-matting.
- Ziggurat: A tiered tower with 3-7 stepped platforms/terraces, with a temple on top. Connecting heaven and earth, closer to gods.
- Residential Buildings: Large blocks with walls and inner courtyards.
- Houses: Designed around orthogonal plans with open courtyards.
Hittite, Assyrian, Persian, and Phoenician Architecture
- Hittites (1800-1200 BCE): Built cities on hills with double walls (fortification); use of stone, mud bricks, and wood.
- Hattusaş: Ancient Hittite capital with temples and city walls.
- Yazilikaya: Rock sanctuary/relief carving with 12 god procession (1400-1200 BCE)
- Assyrians (1500-612 BCE): Built palaces, with elaborate decorations. Made of mud bricks /bronze materials.
- Khorsabad (720 BC): City with 7 gates, seven-stage ziggurat, and palace with Lamassu (winged bulls) guarding entrances
- Persians (6th century BCE-330 BCE): Used stone, wood, and brick for buildings such as palaces, fortresses and royal tombs. Famous for Apadana (audience halls), and hypostyle halls.
- Persepolis: ceremonial capital, great palaces, stone architecture
- Phoenicians: Skilled traders, craftsmen, and seafarers. Known for city of Carthage; used building materials like stone, wood, and bricks to build large temples etc., with double-column facades.
Ancient Egyptian Architecture
- Building Materials: Natural stone (tombs, temples), mud bricks (homes, profane), reeds, wood.
- Time Divisions: Old Kingdom (2700-2200 BCE), Middle Kingdom (2200-1500 BCE), New Kingdom (1500-1100 BCE)
- Obelisks: Four-sided, monolithic, tall, slender pillars.
- Pylons: Tower-like structures, commonly at temple entrances. Made of pyramidal towers, tapered and mounted by a cornice.
- Egyptian Columns: Decoration using plant motifs, especially aquatic plants (lotus, papyrus). Open or closed flowers.
- Mastabas: Brick structures in the shape of benches, used as tombs.
- Pyramids: Burial tombs for pharaohs - symbolic representation of the sun's rays (spiritual qualities).
- Great Sphinx of Giza: Reclining mythical creature with lion and human head, a guardian.
- Early tombs, catacombs: subterranean, funerary chambers with niches, often with intricate details for afterlife preparation.
Minoan and Mycenaean Architecture
- Minoans (2000-1400 BCE): Island of Crete; unfortified cities & palaces; complex drainage systems; palaces/houses with open courtyards, stairways, and interior decorations.
- Mycenaeans (1600-1100 BCE): Mainland Greece; fortified cities; use of cyclopean masonry (large blocks of stone); Megaron (reception halls), Lion Gate.
Etruscan Architecture
- Etruscans (8th-3rd century BC): Developed in current day Tuscany; mainly city walls, necropolis, temples.
- Building Materials: Wood, stone, burnt bricks, and also concrete in later phases; often worked stones were combined dry with pegs or wooden dowels, instead of mortar.
- Etruscan Temple: Rectangular plan with two main axes (cardo and decumanus); set on high podium with a staircase; front of it is half occupied by cell and half by anteroom.
- Decorative elements: Wooden architrave, clay slabs, painted with colours; reliefs /heads with horned helmets; decorated with terracotta statues.
- Tuscan Order: Base-shaft-capital (without fluting); distinctive structure. Vaults, including false, were frequent elements; often used corbelling to create these vaults.
Ancient Roman Architecture
- Roman (6th Century BCE-395 AD): Buildings used concrete, stone wood fired bricks, and terracotta.
- Building materials: Concrete, stone, wood, fired bricks, and ceramics/metals. Often combined different materials for different parts of a building.
- Concrete (Opus Caementicum): Mixture of cement, gravel, and water, made arches and domes.
- Types of Roman Masonry: Opus incertum, Opus reticulatum, Opus testaceum.
- Orders: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian (the first three from previous traditions; the last from Greek)
- Building types: Palaces, public baths, amphitheaters, basilicas, forums, triumphal arches, and temples.
- Features: Arches, vaults, domes, columns (influenced by Greek and Etruscan styles), and concrete (to support the designs - a crucial engineering element that allowed for new possibilities).
Early Christian Architecture
- Early Christianity (313-391 AD): Building materials remained influenced by Roman traditions (concrete, bricks, marble); often using spolia (reused materials) / reused Roman elements to build new buildings.
- Chapel(s): Conversions of families' domiciles or other structures into chapels, followed by larger Basilica style churches
- Basilica: Adopted a standard layout, often a longitudinal format with a central nave (hall), flanked by side aisles, and topped with a roof. Often had an apse (semicircular part) at the end.
- Baptistries : Specifically designed buildings to perform baptism rituals. Often associated with churches or catacombs.
- Catacombs: Subterranean networks of tunnels/chambers used as burial sites.
Byzantine Architecture
- Byzantine Empire (330-1453 AD): Emphasized domes; use of vaults, including arches and pendentives.
- Building types: Palaces, churches, such as Hagia Sophia.
- Features: Domes, mosaics, and use of stone and brick. Large public buildings, such as the grand Hagia Sofia.
Chinese and Japanese Architecture
- Chinese (early): Mainly of wood; pagoda (tower-shaped structure), pai-lou (entrance structure); structural elements such as eaves.
- Japanese: Also heavily wooden; using bamboo, stone; emphasis on harmony with nature; use of gardens.
- Building Features: Pagoda, pai-lou, temples/shrines, pagodas, and gardens, often featuring distinctive roof styles and structures to achieve aesthetic harmony.
- Building Materials: Wood, stone, ceramic.
- Pagoda: Multi-storied, tower-like structure, with multiple overlapping roofs.
- Garden Art: Important aspect of Chinese and Japanese design; blending of architecture and nature.
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of prehistoric architecture in this quiz. Learn about megaliths, menhirs, dolmens, and significant archaeological sites like Newgrange and Göbekli Tepe. Delve into how these ancient structures reflect the societies that built them, showcasing their social and religious practices.
