cromagnon man- around during the ice age (man of the great brain)

Ice age- 3000- 10000 B.C.

Men lived in caves

-painted, sculpted , created jewelry

- found flutes and drums, storytelling

- no need for architecture at this time

-Paintings are usually found deep caverns

-possible initian rights etc

-Paleolithic- stone age.most tools made of stone

the middle stone age

when the ice began to melt

8000-10000

Still using stone tools 

-Big change occurs: groups became nomadic

-developed herbal medicine

-Easier life than paleolithic and neolithic

Dwelings consisted of small caves, rocks, or

TENTS: post holes have been found from aerial photography.

-tents made from animal hides

-also had thatched reed huts

First architecture

Russia had mammoth bone huts

Less survives from the mesolithic than the paleolithic.

many stone objects discovered such as tools and carved relief pillars, jewelery

[image]

Catal Huyuk

8000-6000 B.C.

Early Neolithic

Located in Turkey

The worlds first city

Covered 32 acres and 10,000 people

The largest settlement in the world

Average life expectancy was 30 years old

Excavated in 1961 by British institute of archaeology 

Found a 62ft mound and uncovered the city with 270 square foot houses

- rectangular

-Everything is connected and leaning on eachother

-courtyards were for human waste

-Dwellings connected provided safety

No doors, homes were entered through the roof

-Had clearstory windows at top. If something collapsed it only affected the top

Roofs were flat

buildings made of mud bricks like adobe, 

covered with plaster(water, sand, and gypsum) and painted interior

had built in furniture: hard clay benches, 

possibly one story houses

1/4 of the city has been excavated

and most isn't there anymore due to a sand storm.

1 out of every 4 homes is a shrine to the bull

-horns, heads, paintings

-Archeaologists believe homes were for nuclear family. Each home had a living area, area to worship the bull, storage area

The dead were buried under the floor for 2-3 generations

Then they would burn their house and then rebuild it

Primitive Farming: very difficult , harsh weather, developing other craft skills

-Become settled people

Early neolithic structures made of- wood, straw, mud brick, animal hides, wattle and daug (woven stick mat covered in mud)

Villages and Hamlets created- roads went between the villages for the salt trade to help preserve food. 

Jericho

7000-6000 BC

in Palestine

oldest continuously occupied site in the entire world

-The people built the 1st wall for protection

dug a ditch and then built the wall

5ft-12ft thick

30ft watchtower made of stone

-seen as very wealthy

round huts- 2 room houses

plastered mud brick walls

Plaster protects the wall

Body of deceased buried under floor while head is left in the house

Coveredin plaster with glass eyes

Jarmo

6500- 6000 BC
Iraq

20-30 houses

each house has 7 rooms and walled courtyard

walls made of pise- clay or earth packed between wooden forms

very small village

roofs made of reed supported by wooden polls

very little change over the years

Kirokitia

6000-5500

Cyprus

small town with about 100 houses

they had egg shaped houses

round buildings

varied in size between 4-10yards

dead buried under the floor

Had enclosed courtyards

Built out of a variety of materials

Tholos- a round structure

Megalithic Period- architecture occurs during the neolithic era

-refers to big stones

barrow- stones covered with a mound of earth

some of them marked tombs

dolmen- stones which mark tombs

may be laying down

menhirs- big stones which do not mark tombs, standing often in rows

people did not read or write 

Henge or cromlech- Huge stone monuments

circular or oval

Composed of many large megaliths that may be trabiated (post and lintel)

Er Mane

Carnac, Brittany France

4200 BC

Over 3000 menhirs that stretch over a mile

pre celtic

created by 4000 and stopped around 2000 bc

regarded as magical or mysterious over time

in medieval time people believed merlin placed the stones here and that he turned an army legion into stone.

No real reason why they are there

They have found a few passage holes as well as some domens. (passage to the next world possibly)

Skara Brae

Orkney Scotland

a few houses discovered in 1860

a few fell into the sea.

originally they were probably not as close to the sea

Small groupd of neolithic homes- about 20

linked by low allyways that are roofed

Uniform with a large square room and central fireplace as well as built in bed

Shelves made of stone

Newgrange passage grave

County Meath Ireland

3200-3100 BC

its a barrow (covered in earth with grass)

a passage 19meters long lead to a chamber

took 300 men 20 years to build

**Illuminated by the sun 

During the winter solstice the sun goes straight through the passage and then lights up the chamber

-sunworship

would last 17 minutes

very sacred

could have to do with a calendar

Newgrange

passage grave

spiral motifs could have something to do with passage into the next world

reminds the viewer of creation and energy

lines of genesis or leading through death

Avebury 

England

3000 BC

The largest Cromlech

henge monument, circular

7x the size of stone henge

also had a ditch 

enclosed by several rings of stones (megaliths up to 70 tons)

stones moved by a group of men

Constructed in stages over many centuries

90% was destroyed during the 18th century due to a puritan minister who decided it was of the devil.

The church people tore bits of it down 

10% of the stones survived

Stonehenge

England

3000BC

near avesbury

the best surviving

has a key stone where sun goes straight through during the summer and mid winder solstice. 

sunworship

calendar

They are also aligned with the moon

Rocks: some are found in wales

theory: stones floated into the area during the melting of the ice age

-went and got them and pulled them with barges

started in neolithic and completed in the bronze age

was continually expanded for 900 years

has a shallow ditch and earth embankment

post holes are in alignment with the moon

many cultures believe ancestors go to the moon when they die.

concentric rings in a pattern

with trilathons (areas that are trabiated)

The blue stones from wales came 140 miles

originally there was a continuous lintel

could be an astronomical calendar

perhaps to aid in farming or rituals

post and lintels at the top have mortice and tenon joints

not till 3000 egypt unites as a single country

came together due to harsh living conditions

Nile river- important for farming. Illuvial soil (enriched)etc

Had a unified workforce/army

used to build public works

Pharoah (palace big house...also used to refer to the king)

The king was the incarnation of the god of the sun. The most powerful

Believed the sun floated on the nile of the underworld on a barge (sun in a pyramidal shape)

They used very little wood

The upper class could read and write

1799 Napoleon came to egypt and took linguists who realized the importance of the rosetta stone (found by the side of a road)

has the same proclamation in 3 languages

Inscribed in greek, demotic, and heiroglyphic.

Mastabas

Temples for the dead

life expectancy was age 30

youthful society, conservative

architecture is conservative and there is a very gradual change throughout the years

The architecture that survives is mainly for the dead

starts out with upper class and eventually trickles down to every level of society.

In the beginning it is only for the pharoah and his advisors, family etc

Believe human being consists of 5 aspects:

1. The Ra: The part that holds the conscience

it grows with you. When a person died the ra would be weight against the feather of truth. If you were good then you'd be granted eternal life. If you were bad your ra was eaten by the jackal

2. the Ka:Holds your memories. grows with you. didnt' see the purpose in the brain. When you die the ka remains on earth and it needs a home. Wandering for eternity is the worst.

3. Your Name: Very Sacred. Erasing a name would be the worst thing

4. Shadow: your shadow follows you and you know you are alive

5: The body

architecture that survives can be found in a necropolis. 

Early ones mostly have mastabas.( bench)

has a flat roof and false door. 

The Ka can leave and so can gods and goddesses but robbers can't.

People could enter through the roof.

Flat roof- easy to walk on and no worry of rain

mastabas made of clay bricks

covered in plaster so they could paint.

later they used a stone veneer.

Any type of personal possesions were stored down at the bottom. 

Burial chamber is also at the bottome, ka lives there as well.

Has sloping sides. 

due to salty soil bodies didnt quickly decay. 

if you drain the body and salt it, wrap it in linen, it would become preserved.

later they add a serdab (trap door for the ka to get through).Very Sacred.

added a chapel

first people to have portraiture on a large scale. 

The ka can dwell in a portrait. 

stepped pyramid of King Djoser

3rd dynasty

Very Powerful pharoah with a powerful vizier

Imhotep

Imhotep was thought to be the architect of the stepped pyramid. making him the first ever recorded architect in history.

Made out of a mastaba

made to honor the pharoah who is the god of the sun incarnate. 

stepping up of consecutively smaller mastabas.

Same concept. 

at this time eternal life was for the royals.

had a wall around it. 37 acres of funurary complex for djoser.

Built of cut stone. 240 feet tall

the actually burial is way under the ground. 

Tomb chamber sealed with granite plug that was 3 tons

had very few male slaves early on

was built by the army

13 false doors

only one actual entrance

building method of stacking and piling

used post and lintel doorways/openings

The gate aroudn the complex has asthetic a

cobras are also repeated

they also used engaged collumns

top of column is called capital

bell shape:flowes, papyrus captials

Drum columns were built in drums

Stepped pyramid at medum

The pyramidss at giza

oldest is the largest

Khufu.

480 ft high

now 450 ft

people would go up and take a piece for tourists

Benben- ancient egyptian word for pyramid.

one of the 7 wonders of the world

kind khafre (shefrin by the greeks) is the second

Menkaure the smallest one

 built for mykerinos

each pyramid faces north , south , east and west. found by following the stars

The largest pyramid covers 13 acres

each stone weighs up to 10 tons

before invention of the wheel

took 30 years to build each one

up to 40, 000 workers

built by the army

enough stone that napolean scholars said the blocks could build a wall around france

stones brought over on wooden slats to the nile and transported by barges. 

they had temporary ramps

pulled stones up by ropes

combines the triangle with the square

they believe in numerical symbolism

elements of the world created from numbers

they are the essence of everything

1- source of all numbers

3- number of the whole beginning middle and end

core blocks are mostly visible but the outer casing blocks were carfully fitted and highly polished. almost all of them are gone. 

Ashlar- smooth stone

 each one part of a funurary complex

They had a covered causeway leading to the pyramids. 

priests left food for the dead. 

one of the three has a sphinx

The great Sphinx 

of King Khafre

inside the pyramids are nearly solid. They have inner pyramids to relieve the pressure.

stacked and piled occasionally with post and lintel

mostly limestone with a little granite. 

outside khufus pyramid are two full sized wooden barges. 

Pyramids were filled with burial goods.

barges carried the ka up and down the nile. 

pyramids were plundered long ago in roman time. 

The great sphinx

King Khafre

The pyramide of khafre had post and lintel repeated.

khafre was second largest pyramid.It looks like king khafre

There is a message at the bottom

put up later by tutmos who wanted to legitimize his pharoahship.

"whoever cleaned away the sands and preserved teh sphinx should be the next pharoah"

Periodically they have to keep cleaning away the sand. 

Sphinx is the symbol of the king. always has teh head of the kind and the body of a lion. 

By far the largest sphinx

His paws are each 50 ft long

length 150 ft long

65 ft high

head is 30 ft high and 14 feet wide

was brightly painted, not sure when. 

it is in terrible condition. buried in sand. 

his sphinx is at the center of his pyramid.

showing his power

scholars think that no ka would go that far from its security. 

small opening at the back. 

Rock Cut tombs

middle kingdom

they carve into the rock and then carve out the space within a natural cliff

During the 4th dynasty when the 3pyramids were created egypt was very strong

as dynastys go on they lose their wealth and power. Communication is bad so people turn to a nomark (governor of the area)

Weakens the unity of the country

-the Interim Period

During this period pyramids and necropolis's were raided

Middle kingdom comes about:

more emphasis on art etc

the wealthy didn't want their tombs plundered

The decide to go far away from the cities and have workers hollow out tombs and then cover them up. Very difficult to find.

used for wealthy and powerful

doorways consist of piers and columns

Tombs filled with wooden models instead of leaving actual food or barges. Discouraged robbers

They were the first people to make beer out of barley. 

the models tells alot about the society.

Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

18th dynasty

New kingdom

processional temples- could be used with animals, no glass, very light and airy, geometric, post and lintel.

Another interim period.Foreigh rulers, hyxos from a mountainous land invaded and ruled egypt for a while.

They brought in the concept of bronze and the idea of the chariot. 

ushered in bronze age

After egypt overthrew them they entered a very strong period

1300-1400 BC

The mortuary temple of Queen hatshepsut

she was one of the most cruel of pharoahs

very fearful that she wouldn't be accepted as pharoah int he afterlife

previous pharoah tutmus I, she was married to her half brother tutmus II

she came to the throne as regent. 

Supposed to give the power to her stepson nephew and instead she usurps the power

in front of her temple were botanical gardens and the whole thing was irrigated.

next to her temple was a previous pharoahs temple.

she dismantled it and used it to create her own.

made of limestone, has ramps for processionals

done with post and lintel

piers are used. clarity and simplicity

many sculptures are broken and it is badly damaged

Many sculptures of the queen in the temple and she is always dressed like a man. 

often placed obelisks outside temples

 temple brightly painted and carved with heiroglyphics

obelisks

usuallly a stone monolith with a gold cap stone

It represented the rays of the sun. 

sarcophogus - sculpted coffin with a mummy coffin inside

amarna period of egypt

[image]

amenhotep IV

came to the throne during this powerful 18th dynasty

told egyptian people to only worship the god of the sun. WAs very controversial

he changed his name to akhenaten ( referring to god of the sun)

art becomes more relaxed and less formal. emphasis on family life. 

His wife nefertiti sculpture was purposely damaged.

moved tha capital from thebes (most sacred part of egypt). Made sense to move away from a place that was associated with traditional religious beliefs.

uprisings all through his reign. Might'vebeen killed

decided to build a new capital called amarna along the nile.

some fo it survives but only in remnants

pharoah had an egg shaped head (disease made him special)

King tutankhamen

previous pharoah had many daughters and the husband of one became the pharoah. 

She was married to Tutankhamen

he was possibly the son of his wifes grandfather.

built many mortuary tombs with lots of decoy tombs

discovered in 1822 by howard carter

son of the gamekeeper of lord carnorvan

It was trendy among the lords to finance an expedition to egypt.

Took the son of his gamekeeper with him because hew as good at drawing

Took him several years to find the tomb.

it was the only tomb not yet found

rock cut tombs, covered with sand and towns

pylon temple

 Temple of luxor at thebes

along the avenue of sphinxes

the further into th etemple the more holy it was

pylon-slanting walls

also has an obelisk harkens back to monolithic architecture

sacred to the god and symbolic to the god of the sun

temples to the god of the sun resembled modern trains. They would continue to build upon the temple

moves from opening and light to darkness

post and lintel with stacking and piling.

The capitals had plant motifs

dependent on the tensile strength of the stone

they used a lot of sandstone and limestone. 

columns had to be closet together. 

egyptian liked to show power through size and repetitions.

large sculptures could be found among the temples

Hypostyle hall

having a roof ceiling supported by many columns

far more columns in the hall then is necessary

only for priests

typically painted or sculpted or both

means many columns, used them to tell stories. makes it dark andmysterious

some have clerestory windows

Temple of Ramses II

In Nubia

had a temple to himself and wife nefartari

they are rock cut

has reserved  columns (carving a column out of a rock, around)

They had to be raised when  a dam was built. It was an international effort to raisethe temple.

twice a year the statues glow withthe sun

stelae at axum

ethiopia

78 feet high granite monolith

weighs 160 tons with two false doors at the base

similar to an obelisk

not sure of its purpose

equivalent of a 10 story building

dates between 4th and 3rd century bc

alexander the great ruled mesopotamia

main commanderwas ptolemy. at alexs death in323 ptolemy made himself the pharoah of egypt

established his capital in alexandria

would be the cultural and intellectual captial int he world

capital from 323 - 30bc =ptolemaic egypt

cleopatra then became ruler

pharos of alexandria

ptolemy ordered teh building of it and was completed after his death

dedicated to the savior gods

so many people died at the island so they built a lighthouse

size of a 40 story building

384ft high

they had a giant mirror that reflected the sunlight by day and they burned a fire at night. can be seen 35 miles off shore

at the summit was a sculpture of poseidon...blending of cultures

lighthouse was destroyed in two earthquakes in the 14th century AD

made of marble stones

the crusaders used them to build a fort

except for the great pyramids its the longest lasting of the 7 wonders

mesopotamia is one of the oldest civilizations in the world

mesopotamia and egypt traded goods and ideas

cradle of civilization

located in iraq

mesopotamia= land between two rivers, the tigris and euphrates

Sumer-no natural barriers had problem with flood, heat and drought. very strong seasons

major religion focused on controlling the weather and astrology

Cone Mosaics

mesopotamia

pressed into soft mud brick

painted red and black.

helped to reinforce thick walls and sundried brick when they had storms and flooding

it was also aesthetically pleasing

important buildings had cone mosaic

arranged into patterns

ziggurat at UR

mesopotamia

2100 bc

ziggurat means raised up

nearly solid made of mud brick

interior 100% solid sometimes with shallow spaces

we dont know what they are used for

at UR they had 100 stairs on each side

symbolic

number of tiers can go from 2 - 7

Ur has 3 tiers

only one written description on the purpose by a greek tourist

priests had animal sacrafices at the top

def- sacred, during flooding it was safe

at ur the ziggurat has a buoyancy to it

by 6th century bc it had almost crumbled to the ground. A king had it rebuilt

exterier was kiln fired brick inside was mudbrick

painted with a white wash- lime and water

sometimes traces of tempera paint

they mightve been built as an artificial mountain to a god and consort godess

each city state had a patron god or goddess. believed they dwelled on mountains

not exactly a temple

citadel of sargon

khorsabad 8th c

walled city or fortress built for protection

very popular before invention of the canon

a palace precinct

where the king would ive and work. had its own ziggurat. It was a capital, enclosed

located in north mesopotamia

begunby sargon II.

palaces, temples and administrative headquarters inside

a mile in circumference

buildings were crowded and not aligned straight

labyrinth like

consistently added on

lamassu- large scultpures that guard major entryways to citadels or palace. 

have the head of a man, huge, body of an ox

many have 5 legs

Palace of precinct of king nebuchadnezzar with ishtar gate

babylon 6th v BC (500)

came to power twice. The second time it was called neo-babylonia

most impressive structure.

had rythmically spaced towers

fortified architecture

had glazed bricks

highway along the wall

top of the wall was so long that they had a road wide enough for two chariots

was a double wall

beneath it was a canal

8 city gates

each dedicated to the principle gods of goddesses

most important gatewas the ishtar gate dedicated to goddess of fertility. 

animals adorn the gate (composite) tend to be lined up like a procession

adds to elegance

it has a true arch- first time we see the true arch in the 6th c 

can also be seen in italy with the etruscans

no one knows who was exactly first but babylon couldve been first

archis the strongest building system until the 19th century

stronger than walls...based on relieveing pressure

crenolation- defense system, architectural sheild. put at the top and archers can hide behind crenolation.worked until the invention of the canon

babylon known for its elegance

ziggurate in the babylon is to the god bal, believed to be the possible tower of babel. 

hanging gardens of babylon

gardens on tiered platforms with anirrigation system

harappa

indus valley

mainly farmers and hearders living in fortified citadels

third oldest civilization in the world

(indus valley)

architecture is in ruins but believed to be many large multi story home with wells and drains and running water.

over 100 towns and villages and 5 cities

the indus valley was huge

larger than ancient egypt, china and mesopotamia

average home was made of mud brick

used kiln brick for the drains

homes arranged around inner courtyard. no windows only to the courtyard

most were two stories

the ground floor wallswere thicker

balconies made of wood

each had its own well

had bathroom with a toilet

indication that some homes had 3 stories

used earthen ware pipes

each town was a citadel of mud brick or kiln brick

would include watchtowers

great bath

mohenjo daro

great tank or bath

possibly sacred

could've been a pool but they put a lot fo work into it..ritualistic cleansing purpose

rectabgular building surrounded by smaller rooms

pool was 8ft deep and 39 ft by 23 ft.

used kiln burned bricks set with a gypsum morter covered with 1 inch layer or vidimin, surouned in mudbrick and then covered in clay

Neolithic village and Banpo, Shaanxi Province

4th oldestcivilizationinthe world

caves -den residences

lived in cavesearly on

pit and nest houses developed

nest house built on platforms or stilts made of wood

created wood framework with mortice and tenon joints

precursors to major architectural contribution

pit housescouldberoundorrectangular

dig a pit anduse a pillar to raise the walls above the ground

Persepolis Iran (persia) 500 BC

 was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire 

. Cyrus the Great (Kūrosh) who chose the site of Persepolis, but that it was Darius I(Daryush) who built the terrace and the great palaces.

Darius ordered the construction of the Apadana Palace and the Council Hall (the Tripylon or three-gated hall), the main imperial Treasury and its surroundings. These were completed during the reign of his son, King Xerxes the Great (Khashayar)

seven tombs of kings with reliefs carved on them

apadana palace had rectangular porticos with  twelve columns in two rows of six 

ancient iran

 during 6thcentury it wasthe largest and most powerful empireinthe world

cyrus the great etc conqueredeverything

palace at persepolis

found by dariusthe great as the new capital

completed in 460 bc

built on a stone platform which survives

fortified by a mud brick wall, very high

crowded, more than half the space had buildings

no temple or sacredarchitecture

they were zoroastrian

they worshiped before a fire on a platform out of doors

columns are fluted

capitals are animal heads

halls are likehypostyle halls 

0

.

archaic greece

doric- lower greece

Ionic- upper greece not as strict

concentrated on ethics and morality

believed in the here and now

most important architecture was civic

in antis- has arms

portico- porch

Amphiprostyle-double columns in the front and back only

prostyle- columns only in the front

peripteral- goes all the way around, called peristyle too

dipteral- two rows of columns all the way around

tripteral- 3 columns all the way around

henostyle- one column

distyle- two

 etc. only count the front row of columns

hexastyle is the most typical

dodecastyle- 11 columns extrememly rare

magna greca- greece was organized into city states

encouraged younger sons to colonize other areas.

helped to spread greek culture to italy africa and egypt.

paeistum- archai

temples didn't have windows they had stacked and piled walls

Paestum hera I 

greek columns taper upward and are drums

fatter at bottom and thinner at the top

has an entasis- swells at the center

wooden columnsswelled at the center

all in ruins. 

there is a heavyness. getting used to scupltim in stone

triglyphs have dentals

Treasury of the Siphnians 

Delphis 6th C

pediment sculpture a

has acoteria on the top

Ionic order- has caryotids and a continuous freize

surviving fromt he actual temple

from archaic greece- they all have a little grin (make lifelike)

striving toward naturalizm and idealism

almost all of the art was abstractt o some degree

temple of Artemis diana

6th century

Doric order. 

has medusa on it

triglyph metope

soffit- something we are mean to see from unertneath

Ephesus temple of artemis

6th c BC Ephesus 1/7 wonders

was rebuilt several times

was first marble temple

mostly dipteral. 

ionic order is moreflexible

was a beautiful large temple. columns 60ft high

the base of clumbs surviv that are cut in stone 

naos- main room of a temple and most sacred romans call it a cella

it's in ruins now

used to be huge and decorative true to ionic style

base of the column had figural sculpture

about 60 ft high (columns).

has acoteria at the apex of the pediment

use egg and dart motif in greek architecture and pottery

Temple of Zeus at Olympia

1/7 wonders

5th c BC

regarded as the height of classical greek art and architecture 400 bc

very early classical

doric order

with triglyph metope

acoteria at the top of the pediment

to participate in olympics you had to be a male citizen of a greek city state

you were either greek or a barbarian

consdered greek in 3 ways

1.0 language

2) all worshiped the same gods and goddesses

3) all participated int he olympics- their major event

in opening ceremonies the athletes would process aroudn the temple of zeus (father of the gods). 

 temple had a 40ft high sculpture of zeus in the interior in gold and ivory

many written accounts fo the sculpture

descriptions of the sculpture gets hazier as they go upward...no windows so they probably couldnt see the top well

1076 Bc first olympics

Temple of Zeus at Olympia

Pedimental sculpture

apollo stants up straight at the apex of the pediment

other features are in action

story - lapiths and the centaurs, most popular scene in architecture

the lapiths: twp prominent families whose children are getting married. Invite everyone in the land except the centaurs.

They have a wedding banquet, apollo is guest of honor.

centaurs were mad (smart yet led with their emotions).

greeks believed emotions should alway sbe under the control of the intellect

Centaurs had a plot to abduct the bride and bridesmaids fromthe wedding

apollo is directing the action.

apollos emotions are in check. 

part of the sculptures were painted

Temple of Zeus at Olympia

Sculpture ofZeus

phidias was the sculptor

also sculpts something for the pathenon and both survive a long time

found various pieces of evidence that he sculpted zeus at his workshop

ivory was used

the sculpture was one of the seven wonders of the world

40 feet high gold and ivory

possibly two stories inthe temple

Persian capitals , Persepolis 500 bc Iran

The most distinctive feature of Persian architecture is the column. Though modelled after Greek columns, Persian columns are thinner, heightening their sense of verticality. The Persians also developed a unique style of capital (the topmost section of a column), in which the front portion of an animal emerges from either side; this design may be termed the Persian animal capital.D34

Great stupa, sanchi 3rd c

located in india

most prominent budhist temple

It is part of an entire complex of structures, mostly stupas, built between the 3rd Century BCE and the 12th Century AD. The stupa is not a building in any traditional sense. Once a burial or reliquary mound, the stupa has become a purely symbolic object.

Sanchi is 68 kilometers north of Bhopal in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is unique, not only for having the most perfect and well preserved stupas, but also for offering the visitor a chance to see, in one location, the genesis, flowering, and decay of Buddhist art and architecture during a period of about 1500 years 

built during the reign of Ashoka Maurya

Originally stupas were mounds covering the relics of the Buddha or his followers

 Its hemispherical shape represents the world egg. 

The so-called "parasols," set one above the other along the shaft emerging from its uppermost region, represent a heavenly hierarchy. The cosmic symbolism is completed by a ritual circumambulatory path around the monument.

palace at knossos 

crete, minoan greece

bronze age

The palace of Knossos was undoubtedly the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. It appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and storerooms close to a central square. 

The palace also includes the Minoan column, a structure notably different from other Greek columns. Unlike the stone columns that are characteristic of other Greek architecture, the Minoan column was constructed from the trunk of a cypress tree, common to the Mediterranean

minoan columns are small at the bottom and wide at the top

 mounted on stone bases with round, pillow-like capitals.

frescoes are of mythological people and painted on stucco

Beehive tomb

mycenaean greece, bronze age

also known as  tholos tomb

 is a burial structure characterized by its false dome created by the superposition of successively smaller rings of mudbricks or, more often, stones. The resulting structure resembles abeehive, hence the traditional English name.