Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

NEED TO STUDY HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE increased which resulted in development of various structures for
various purposes.
History of architecture is the study of art and science of design and
 Love: Instinct (skill) of love gave birth to many monumental works.
construction of various buildings/monuments especially one that is
Example Taj Mahal in India is one of great architectural monument
typical of period of history in various places in the world.
constructed on the basis of love.
History of architecture can tells, the various periods of historic
 Death: Death also has been responsible for many architectural
development have left certain historic buildings such as Cathedrals,
constructions. So many historical Toms and Mastabs are the example
Temples, Tombs, Palaces, and Cottages etc. These historic buildings
of this category monument.
reveal many things such as way of life, liking of people, nature of
construction, type of building materials, nature of construction under
different rulers, development of built forms, ornamentation, structural  Hope: Pyramids, temples, churches, Buddhist stupa and other places
solutions, constructional methods, organization in relation to of worship have come up share false hope of the man.
technological, environmental factors, sociological, aesthetic, and
artistic influences which determine our built environment etc. which
are unknown. History of Architecture Classifications: History of architecture
classified in the following based on the period/era.
From the beginning of its history, architecture has had three basic
aims such as to built structure with commodious (better specious), a) Prehistoric architecture: This is belongs from the origins of
strong and satisfying the sense of artistic. mankind in the mists (difficult to understand something) of the
preglacial (ice age) period down to the beginnings of recorded
In ancient times human sought shelter in caves to protect him from history. This history of architecture mostly belongs to stone,
wild animals and also from harsh weather. These rock caves consider bronze and Iron Age like Paleolithic, Neolithic etc.
as the earliest form of the human dwellings. As the civilization
advanced from the ancient cave to present modern gentleman, so also b) Pre-classical architecture: This is the first notable development
has advanced the architecture from earliest form of cave dwelling to of architecture and it was found in the fertile Valley of the Nile.
the present day sky scrapers. This history of architecture was belongs to 3rd millennium of
before Christ. The best example for this history of architecture
is the history of Egyptian and Mesopotamians architecture.
Basis for Birth of Architecture: The following are basis for the birth
of architecture around the world;

Fear: From primitive times the human has been trying to protect himself
from the attack of wild animals and also from harsh weather. For this he
created his dwelling which kept on changing in time and need. With
advancement in his intelligence desires for safety, comfort and luxury

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 1

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
o the physical location of the region
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE INTRODUCTION o availability of different types of building materials
 The Environmental factors
Man has not always been a builder. He depended on hunting for his o Climatic features of the region
survival, he essentially a nomad and content with caves or makeshift o Seasonal rainfall, flooding, drought etc
shelters in the forest. But then, some six to eight thousand years ago, he  The Historical factors
discovered the secrets of agriculture. For the first time he could indulge o Political developments
in the luxury of a settled habitation; and, from that moment, architecture o Religious developments
was born. o Cultural developments
In history the past is often divided into periods of historical and cultural  The Socio-Economical factors
styles. It begins with prehistory. The era before writing was invented. It is o Social structure of the region
generally grouped into the following such as: o Economical conditions
o Trade and commerce
 The Pre-Historic World (before 3000 BC)
 The Ancient World (3000 BC to AD 500) CULTURE and CIVILIZATION: Before we begin to explore history and
 The Medieval World (AD 500 to AD 1500) what it means today, we need to discuss two important terms - Culture
 The modern World (AD1500 to AD 2000) and Civilization. Culture usually refers to sum of human endeavors such
as:
Each period grouped with a timeframe. The time frame is given in terms
 Methods and practices for survival;
of BC and AD, which gives a reference point of zero as the birth of Jesus
Christ.  Political, economic, and social institutions;
The study of history always done with different kinds of factors and  Values and beliefs;
reasons for any particular incident, development and any event which
takes place in during a period of time. The basic questions which face any  The different forms of Arts
historical event are as follows:  Culture is passed from one generation to another by
 WHAT / WHEN / WHERE / WHO / HOW / WHY o Human behavior, speech, and artifacts.
The history is also studied based on by different factors such as:
 By Time: It means periods / decades / centuries / eras etc The term Culture can also be used to refer to the creative, artistic, and
 By Location: It means cities / regions / cultures / countries etc intellectual expressions of a civilization. Civilization on the other hand,
refers to:
 By Topics: It means styles / architects / technology / philosophy /  The way people live in a complex
building types etc o political, economic and social structure,
The study of History of architecture is always related with the different o usually in a urban setting;
contextual factors affecting or influencing the particular type of  Usually after making certain technological and artistic advances
architectural development on a period of time. These are generally o and sharing a refinement of
grouped such as:  Thought, manners, and taste.
 The Geological factors o Civilization is transmitted primarily by writing.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 2
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
PRE HISTORIC WORLD: Their first tools were of stone axes, pointed stone tools and scrapers.
The record of human evolution is obscuring, sufficient evidence exists to Their more sophisticated tools included bows and arrows, fishhooks, and
show that the earliest primate ancestors of modern humans, probably wooden needles. They lived together in small groups, buried their dead
originated in Eastern Africa. Anthropologists designate this earliest with rituals, and began to paint and sculpt in the caves which became the
cultural period as the Paleolithic, or the Old Stone Age (up to 10,000 first form of recordings of the early civilization.
BC). It also corresponds to the geological period known as Ice Age, the
time of extensive climatic changes caused by the advances and retreat of
massive glaciers.

Prehistoric Tools and Their Uses

Prehistoric humans made a great variety of stone tools, many of which were Early Hunting and Gathering Tools
designed for particular tasks. Larger forms, such as axes and adzes, were used
to cut and shape wood. Knifelike blade tools were used to butcher animals. An assortment of prehistoric tools provides evidence of the hunting and
Small arrowheads of a variety of shapes and sizes made precise weapons for gathering methods of early peoples. Slabs of bark were often used to
hunting. gather nuts and berries and functioned as crude dishes or bowls (top
left). Reproductions of fishing tackle and arrows believed to have been
OLD STONE AGE (Paleolithic): used around 8000 BC are displayed on the lower left. Recovered tools for
The human beings of Stone Age lived in packs, followed the herds of digging and cutting (right) are shown with recreated wooden handles.
wandering animals, and ate wild seasonal fruits and vegetables. The The heads of the adzes are made from flint, as is the fire-starter shown
duties and work divided along sex lines as all male teams hunted animals below them.
for meat and fur while females and children gathered plant foods,
prepared meals, and tended the young. During night all sought shelter
together in caves for safety and refuge against the climate and animals.
This way of life hinged on cooperation and food sharing among small
social groups.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 3
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The Bronze Age in Europe occurred around 2200 to 700 BC. Bronze was used
for weapons such as spearheads, swords, and knives. The two swords,
NEW STONE AGE (Neolithic): bottom, were cast with long blades for slashing. The upper sword is from
During 10,000 to 8,000 BC a transformation occurred that has been France. The Danish sword below it has been cleaned to show its original color.
called the most important event in human history. Hunters and gatherers
became farmers and herders. Thus began the Neolithic period or the New Pre-Historic Architecture:
Stone Age (around 8,000 BC). They learned to domesticate animals and
to plow the earth, and sow seeds, providing themselves with a much more Stonehenge: Stonehenge, prehistoric monument on Salisbury
reliable food supply, which in turn encouraged the developments of Plain, north of Salisbury, in southwestern England, that dates from the
permanent settlements and eventually the rise of urban centers and late Stone and early Bronze ages (about 3000-1000 BC). The monument
Towns. consists of a circular group of large upright stones surrounded by a
METAL AGE: circular earthwork. Stonehenge is the best preserved and most celebrated
The agricultural revolution expanded across the Near East and into of the megalithic monuments of Europe. It is not known for certain what
Europe and Africa. Between 6,000 BC to 3,000 BC human beings also purpose Stonehenge served, but many scholars believe the monument
learned to mine and use copper. This signifies the end of Stone Age and was used as a ceremonial or religious center or a type of astronomical
beginning of Metal Age. People have learned to make tools with metal clock or calendar.
and with a combination of stone, wood and metals. This gave remarkable
achievements in the society in terms of lifestyle with improved Stonehenge is not a single structure, but a series of structures that were
production and defensive systems. rebuilt. Little is known of Stonehenge‘s architects. In the 17th century
English antiquary John Aubrey proposed that Stonehenge was a temple
BRONZE AGE built by Druids, a caste of Celtic priests encountered by the Romans as
In about 3000 BC artisans combined copped and tin to produce bronze, a they conquered ancient Britain in the 1st century AD. Another early
strong alloy, which they used in their tools, weapons, and jewelry. The notion was that the Romans themselves constructed the monument.
Bronze Age extended from about 3000 BC to about 1200 BC, gave rise to These theories were disproved in the 20th century, when archaeologists
two major civilizations in the Near East. showed that work on Stonehenge began some 2,000 years before Celts,
and later Romans, had arrived in the area. Today it is widely believed
that Neolithic peoples of the British Isles began constructing the
monument about 5,000 years ago.

Plan of Stonehenge
This plan of Stonehenge shows the general arrangement of the
monument and the most famous component features, including the Altar
Stone at the center, the trilithons (consisting of two uprights supporting a
horizontal stone laid on top of them), the Heel Stone, and the Slaughter
Stone. The significance of the arrangement of the stones is unclear,
though it probably was related to astronomical observations and
Bronze Age Weapons religious rituals timed to coincide with particular astronomical events,

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 4

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
such as the summer solstice.

Pre-historic village: Prehistoric village (wood) preserved under

water by a trading community established on an island like village. The
houses and fortifications constructed of wood. The whole plane village
looks like oval shape surrounded by wall. Approximately 100 identical
dwellings, arranged in attached rows all oriented to the south.
Communal open spaces just inside, near the entrance gate. Walls
constructed of horizontal wood inset into vertical posts with thatch roof.
All has central fire-place made with stone hearth.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 5

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
These early civilizations made deep and lasting impressions on their
neighbors and successors that helped shape life in the Western World.
MESOPOTAMIA ARCHITECTURE
Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning ―land between two rivers‖. The
Introduction to Mesopotamia: hill country and Zagros Mountains rise to the east of the Tigris-
Euphrates valley, and the vast Arabian Desert stretches to the west. The
The earlier developed in Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers Tigris Twin Rivers course down to the Persian Gulf, draining an area of
and Euphrates (in present day Iraq). And the other one originated along approximately 600 miles long and 250 miles wide.
the Nile River in Egypt.

 Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations shared certain Near the mouth of the gulf, on the river delta, human wanderers settled
characteristics: in about 6000 BC, founding villages and tilling the land. Despite heat,
 Both were ruled by Kings who were in turn supported by a marshes, unpredictable and violent floods, and invaders who come from
priestly caste; both the mountains and the desert, some of these communities prospered
 The rulers‘ power was shared by small, educated elites; and grew.
 Their economies were slave based;
 Their societies were stratified, with class privileges at the upper Agriculture dominated the economy of Mesopotamia. Harsh living
end; and palaces and religious edifices were built for ceremonial conditions and unpredictable floods forced the inhabitants to learn to
and governmental purposes. control the rivers through irrigation systems and cooperative tilling of
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 6
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
the soil. Farmers eventually dug a complex canal system to irrigate their surrounding buildings on a high artificial platform. Temples were
cultivated plots, which might have been some distance from the river. As surrounded by new forms of public buildings including royal palaces.
production increased, prosperity allowed larger populations to thrive.
Villages soon grew into small cities-with populations ranging from All these required new forms of accommodation for the seat of
10,000 to 50,000- surrounded by hamlets and fields. government and the planning of palaces acquired a new complexity.
From representation in Mesopotamian art something is above the
Trade developed with the nearby areas, and wheeled vehicles and sail external appearance of buildings and fortifications at this time.
boats carried goods up and down Mesopotamia. The family had replaced Gateways were flanked by high towers their parapets decorated. Facades
the tribe as the basic unit of the society. Families now owned lands were ornamented with a complex system of vertical pilasters and three
outright, and under the general direction of the religious and secular quarter columns; their brick works sometimes carved to represent palm
authorities, they worked in their fields and maintained their irrigational trunks. Whole towns are their inner citadels were surrounded by fortress
ditches. Marriages were arranged by parents with economics as an walls.
essential consideration.
Three successive civilizations flourished in Mesopotamia for nearly
The political structure reflected the order and functions of the social
1500 years.
system. At the top the ruler, who was supported by an army, a
 The Sumerian period (from 3000 BC to 2350 BC)
bureaucracy, a judicial system, and priesthood. The ruler usually obtained
 The Assyrian period (from 2350 BC to 2000 BC)
advice from prominent leaders, meeting in council, who constituted the
 The Babylonian period (from 2000 BC to 1600 BC)
next layer of the social order of rich land owners, wealthy merchants,
priests, and military chiefs. The next group consisted of artisans,
craftspeople, and petty businesspeople, and traders. Below them were THE SUMMERIAN PERIOD: The Sumerians, Elamites and
small landowners and tenant farmers. At the bottom of the social scale Hittites: (From 3000 BC to 2350 BC)
were serfs and slaves, who either had been captured in war or had fallen
The kings of the Sumerian dynasty lived in formally planned palaces.
into debt.
The brick platforms supporting their primary religious temples were
In Mesopotamia the concept of architectural design was a regional
later heightened and elaborated, to create complicated staged towers
invention. Their earliest public buildings took the form of their temples.
called Ziggurats. Other temples at ground level were enclosed in a
In a tree less country, with no stone available sun dried bricks soon
sacred precinct with protective walls.
became the slandered building material, although the design long retained
some memory of the reed architecture favored by earlier marsh dwellers.
Hittites rulers soon emulated the architectural achievements of
Parapets and internal walls were often decorated with mosaics consisting
Mesopotamia. Temples and fortress walls were now built on a sub
of terracotta cones.
structure of heavy stone work, and portal sculptures were a new feature
The planning of temples became remarkably sophisticated with a
of their monumental gateways.
central sanctuary some times cruciform like a Christian basilica, rising
above its lateral chambers to allow clearstory lighting. Because mud
brick buildings were short-lived the practice of a new temple upon the
Kingdom of Sumer: Sumer was the birthplace of the first known
ruins of its old let to a convention by such temples were raised, above the
civilization in the world. It formed around the region where the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers flow in relatively parallel courses toward the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 7
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Persian Gulf. It was later absorbed by the Babylonian civilization. The  The Choga Zanbil
region is also part of what is known as the Fertile Crescent, so named o at Susa (13th century BC)
because the people who lived in this crescent-shaped area developed rich,
irrigated farmlands.

 The white temple

 at Warka (3000BC)

Examples: The White Temple at the Sumerian City of Uruk, or

warka, was built 3OO0 BC. It stood upon a platform with
 The white temple sloping Facades of paneled brickwork 4o ft above Ground
o at Warka (3000 BC) level.
 The Sumerian platform temple Externally it was white Plastered, but showed
o at Khafaje (2600 BC) traces of wooden Ornament between the projecting
buttresses. The long sanctuary and lateral chambers a
 The great ziggurat tower Characteristic.
o at Ur (2113 – 2048 BC) The entrance for worshippers was through a side-
 The temple of Ishtar-kititum room, but there were a imposing doorways at either end,
o at Ishchali (1800 BC) one of the displacing the altar from its axial position.
Scholars have explained this by attributing to such
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 8
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
temples, the function of a "portal ", through which deity
might pass on his visits to earth.

 The great ziggurat tower

 The Sumerian platform temple  at Ur (2113 – 2048 BC)
 at Khafaje (2600 BC)

A Sumerian platform-temple (below), at Khafaje,

east of modern Baghdad built in 2600 BC, it was enclosed
in an oval shaped precinct, with subsidiary chambers at The great ziggurat tower at Ur-of-the-Chaldees,
ground level. reconstructed was built by Ur-Nammu and Shulgi, two
An outer enclosure wall was extended to protect a Sumerian kings of the 3rd Dynasty 2113-2o48 BC,
priestly residence with its own private chapel. The inner incorporating the remains of an earlier structure.
courtyard was provided with offering-tables and showed It was constructed of mud-brick, reinforced with thick
evidence of animal sacrifices. layers of matting and cables of twisted reeds.
The temple itself and its platform were much A triple stairway with heavy bastion leads to the
denuded and are here tentatively reconstructed. A similar, summit of the first stage, when one passed through a
better-preserved example at Al'Ubaid, near Ur-of-the- portal, perhaps cover by a dome.
Chaldees had facades decorated with the pictorial friezes A fourth stairway gave access to the second and third
of coloured stone inlay and copper animal figures in high stages.
relief. Nothing remain of the summit shrine itself, save a few
fragments of glazed ornament mud the form suggested here
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 9
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
is, therefore, hypothetical. It was built in 1800 BC, by a ruler of the
independent state called Eshnunna.
 The temple of Ishtar-kititum
 at Ishchali (1800 BC)
 The Choga Zanbil
 at Susa (13th century BC)

The Choga Zanbil ziggurat complex, twenty five miles

east of Susa, was constructed in the mid-13th century BC
by Untash-Gal of Elam.
The city had three concentric Fortification walls. The
innermost wall enclosed the tower itself, rising in six
stages from a base to yds square to a vertical height of
almost 54 yds.
The temple of lshtar-Kititum at Ishchali, east of Unlike those of Mesopotamia, this Elarnite ziggurat had
modern Baghdad, is dedicated to a form of the Mother- Stairways leading to the summit which passed through
Goddess. vaulted passages within its structure, also incorporated in
This is the largest and most important of the three the periphery of its lowest stage were in earth chambers
temples which make up the ingeniously planned assembly and chapels, dedicated to Inshushinak Mother Gods of
of religious buildings at Ishchali. the Elamite pantheon. Adjacent to the tower at its foot
were formally built altars and shrines, while temples
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 10
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
dedicated to minor deities occupied sites within the Khorsabad, the ephemeral capital of Sargon II of
second enceinte. Assyria, 721-7o5 BC, ms built, occupied and abandoned
all within a score of years.
THE ASSYRIAN PERIOD The double fortification wall encloses an area of one
Under the Assyrian kings the Mesopotamian architecture acquired a new square mile and has seven city gates.
vitality. King Ashurnasirpal II made his capital at Nimrud. King Sargon The royal palace, with its three private temples and
II built a new capital at Khorsabad. King Sennacherib and his successors small ziggurat, stands astride the wall at parapet height
preferred Nineveh itself. In these walled cities palaces took precedent on the northwest side of the city.
over religious buildings, raised on brick platforms, leveled with the It is approached at ground level through a walled
surrounding fortifications. Their principle gateways were flanked by citadel, containing other groups of public buildings, and a
guardian figures, of human headed bulls, or lions, sculptured in stone. great temple, dedicated to the god Nabu, is linked to it
City walls often more than 20 feet thick were further strengthened with by a stone building.
many towers. A second raised building near the southwest corner
of the town has the function of an imperial arsenal, or
Example:
ekaI mashati, used for assemblage of military equipment
 Palace complex at Khorsabad and storage of spoils of war.

THE BABYLONIAN PERIOD:

After the fall of Nineveh the focus of Mesopotamian civilization
returned to the south, where a new dynasty of kings including
Nebuchadnezzar, revived the glories of Babylon. Much rebuilding took
place in the old Sumerian cities. The capital city Babylon was
enormously enlarged, heavily fortified with magnificent buildings. Here
the traditional of architecture reached its zenith and was enhanced by a
new form of façade ornament consisting of figured designs in coloured
glazed brickwork.
The inner city n the east bank of Euphrates had a five mile circuit
of walls. Public buildings were concentrated around a raised procession
street, leading from the famous Ishtar gate to the splendid ziggurat.

Examples:
 The old city of Babylon
 The Ishtar Gate
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 11
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
by a huge double fortification wall, with projecting towers
 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and a navigable moat, making a total circuit of five and a
quarter miles.

 The old city of Babylon

Later he added an extended outer rampart, forming
a triangle eight miles in circumference, around the
eastern part of the town.
There was a Summer Palace at the Northern apex
of the outer enclosure and from here the great Procession
Street approached its entrance to the inner city through
the famous lshtar Gate, built astride the double
fortification, with two pairs of towers and roomy internal
chambers.
At this point the street, paved with marble slabs,
was raised high above the surrounding buildings, but its
foundations penetrated some 30 ft beneath.
Farther south, the Procession Street skirted two
sides of a broad open temenos, or dedicated precinct,
surrounding the multi coloured ziggurat, so carefully
described by Herodotus after his visit to Babylon in about
46o BC.
All facades of the gateway and those of the
1. Procession Street adjoining street were faced with blue-glued bricks and
2. Ishtar Gate ornamented with figures of heraldic animals--lions, bulls
3. Palace of Nebuchadnezzar and sirrush dragons modeled in relief and glazed in other
4. Temple of Ninmaskh colours. These figures were repeated, without glazing, on
5. Ziggurat of Etemenanki facades of the hidden foundations.
6. Temple of Marduk Nebuchadnezzar's palace was planned around five
7. Stone Bridge to the New City successive courtyards. Facing the third of these was the
entrance to his colossal throne-room, in a facade once
Old city at Babylon took the form of an irregular more decorated with brilliant glazed ornament.
Quadrangle on the east bank of the Euphrates. To this As a result of quarrying activities in the past, not a
Nebuchadnezzar added a smaller "New City' on the west vestige of this building remains. Of the Ishtar Gate, too,
bank. He joined the two by a bridge and surrounded them the ruins which survived above ground level were
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 12
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
removed by German excavators in 1913 and the building Nebuchadnezzar's palace was planned around five
re- constructed in the Berlin Museum. successive courtyards. Facing the third of these was the
entrance to his colossal throne-room, in a facade once
more decorated with brilliant glazed ornament.
 The Ishtar Gate:
 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

There was a Summer Palace at the Northern apex of

the outer enclosure and from here the great Procession
Street approached its entrance to the inner city through Hanging Gardens of Babylon
the famous lshtar Gate built astride the double
This hand-colored engraving by 16th century Dutch
fortification, with two pairs of towers and roomy internal
artist Maarten van Heemskerck depicts the Hanging
chambers.
Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the
All facades of the gateway and those of the
World.
adjoining street were faced with blue-glued bricks and
Technically, the gardens did not hang, but grew on
ornamented with figures of heraldic animals--lions, bulls
the roofs and terraces of the royal palace in Babylon.
and sirrush dragons modeled in relief and glazed in other
Nebuchadnezzar II, the Chaldean king, probably
colours. These figures were repeated, without glazing, on
built the gardens in about 600 BC as a consolation to his
facades of the hidden foundations.
Median wife who missed the natural surroundings of her
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 13
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
homeland.

 Ruins of Babylon

Ruins of Babylon
The ancient city of Babylon, located east of the
Euphrates River near present-day Baghdad, developed in
stages and reached its peak of expansion during the Neo-
Babylonian dynasty under Nebuchadnezzar II.
The city was the capital of a kingdom encompassing
a large part of southwest Asia and was the largest city in
the known world.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 14

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE:

Ancient Egypt:
Ancient Egypt, civilization that thrived along the Nile River in
northeastern Africa for more than 3,000 years, from about 3300 BC to 30
BC. It was the longest-lived civilization of the ancient world.
Geographically, the term ancient Egypt indicates the territory where the
ancient Egyptians lived in the valley and delta of the Nile. Culturally, it
refers to the ways ancient Egyptians spoke, worshiped, understood the
nature of the physical world, organized their government, made their
livings, entertained themselves, and related to others who were not
Egyptian.

The Nile River, which formed the focus of ancient Egyptian civilization,
originates in the highlands of East Africa and flows northward
throughout the length of what are now Sudan and Egypt. Northwest of
modern-day Cairo, it branches out to form a broad delta, through which
it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Because of seasonal rains farther
south in Africa, the Nile overflowed its banks in Egypt every year.
When the floodwaters receded, a rich black soil covered the floodplain.
This natural phenomenon and its effects on the environment enabled the
ancient Egyptians to develop a successful economy based on agriculture.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 15

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
buildings
before
2500 BC.
Their
enduring
images—
sculpted,
painted,
and
drawn—
captivate
viewers
even
today.
Other natural factors combined to give rise to a great civilization in the
Nile region. In Egypt‘s relatively cloudless sky the Sun almost always Egyptian
shone, consistently providing heat and light. The Nile served as a water Pyramid
highway for the people, a constant source of life-giving water, and the s:
sustainer of all plants and animals. In addition, natural barriers provided Located
on the
good protection from other peoples. west
bank of
The desert to the west, the seas to the north and east, and the Nile‘s the Nile
rapids, or cataracts, to the south prevented frequent hostile attacks. River on
the
In this setting a sophisticated and creative society came into being. That
outskirts
society was the only one in the area to endure for thousands of years. of Cairo, the pyramids at Giza, Egypt, rank as some of the best-
Each of its rivals rose to power but ultimately faded from importance. known monuments in the world. The ancient Egyptians constructed
the pyramids to serve as royal tombs. Built without the use of
It was in this land that two of the Seven Wonders of the World were cranes, pulleys, or lifting tackle, the massive structures stand as
testaments to the engineering skills of their makers.
found: the pyramids at Giza and the lighthouse at Alexandria. The ancient
Egyptians produced a vast body of written records, including ethical and
moralistic treatises, instructional texts, religious and magical scrolls,
evocative love poetry, epic stories, and ribald tales. They possessed a
sophisticated understanding of mathematics and the principles of
architecture, enabling them to introduce to the world large stone

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 16

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
At certain periods, ancient Egypt‘s influence extended even farther south
and west in Africa as well as east into Asia.

PREDYNASTIC EGYPT (5000 – 3000 BC)

Scholars divide Egyptian history into dynasties. The Dynastic

period began around 3000 BC when lands along the Nile River were
united under one ruler. From about 5000 BC until 3000 BC, a time known
as the Pre dynastic period, Egypt was not a unified nation. Different
groups ruled over different parts of the land.

As time passed, however, these groups were incorporated into

larger political units, until a single state was formed around 3000 BC. At
the same time, the culture of the south expanded northward, gradually
The ancient Egyptians processed thin flat sheets from the papyrus, a plant replacing northern cultures to produce cultural unity.
that grew along the Nile, and on these paper like sheets they wrote their
texts. Their earliest script, now known as hieroglyphs, began as a type of The Egyptians began creating art early in the Pre dynastic period,
picture writing in which the symbols took the form of recognizable using materials such as bones, clay, stone, and the ivory teeth of
images. They originated many basic concepts in arithmetic and geometry, hippopotamuses. They made figurines of animals, birds, and human
as well as the study of medicine and dentistry. They devised a calendar beings, and decorated the tops of hair combs and pins with carved birds
on the basis of their observations of the Sun and the stars. and animals. Stone palettes used for grinding minerals for eye paint took
the shape of birds, turtles, and fish.
Although the ancient Egyptians worshiped many gods, Egypt is
also often recognized as the origin of the first recorded monotheist DYNASTIC EGYPT (3000 – 30 BC)
(worshiper of one god), the king who called himself Akhenaton. Egypt
also developed one of the first religions to have a concept of the afterlife. The Dynastic period of Egyptian history began about 3000 BC
No culture before or since paid as much attention to preparations for what with the formation of an Egyptian state that extended roughly 800 km
(500 mi) from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to what is called the
was to come after death. Both royalty and private individuals built,
First Cataract.
decorated, and furnished tombs, which the ancient Egyptians understood
to represent their eternal existence. This state was ruled by a king whose main duties were to act as
an intermediary between the gods and humanity and to uphold the
Politically, Egypt was a major power in the ancient world. Its correct order of the universe by overcoming the forces of chaos. The
kings governed the land through an elaborate bureaucratic administration. king governed the country through a small group of educated male
officials. Together with their families, they formed an elite group
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 17
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
making up about 5 percent of the population. Almost everyone else The royal tombs and pyramids of ancient Egypt were elaborate
provided services for the elite or worked the land. All surviving ancient structures with important religious purposes. They were located along
Egyptian art and architecture relates to the king and the elite, and scholars the Nile River, the vital waterway that runs the length of the country. For
know virtually nothing about art produced for the rest of society. about 2,000 years, until the end of the New Kingdom in 1070 BC, royal
tombs were built on the Nile‘s west bank. Because the sun set in the
Egyptologists (people who study ancient Egypt) have grouped
west, Egyptians believed that the western desert was the entrance to the
Egypt's dynasties into an Early Dynastic period (1st to 3rd dynasties):
underworld, where the dead dwelled and through which the sun passed
at night.
 Old Kingdom (3400 – 2130 BC)
Pyramids (Egypt), large structures with four triangular sides that
 Middle Kingdom (2130 – 1580 BC)
meet in a point at the top, directly over the center of the pyramid are
 New Kingdom (1580 – 332 BC) square base. Ancient peoples in several parts of the world built
pyramids, but the Egyptians constructed the biggest and most famous
pyramids.
In 332 BC Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia, conquered Egypt.
In 305 BC Alexander's general Ptolemy became king of Egypt, and for The ancient Egyptians built more than 90 royal pyramids, from
almost 300 years his descendants, the Ptolemies, ruled Egypt. The about 2630 BC until about 1530 BC. During that time, the pyramid form
Romans defeated Egypt in 31 BC marked the end of ancient Egypt as an evolved from a series of stepped terraces that resembled the layers of a
independent power. wedding cake to the better-known, sloped pyramidal shape. The first
pyramid, the Step Pyramid at Şaqqārah, was constructed during the reign
Architecture: of King Djoser (2630 BC-2611 BC). The largest pyramid is the one built
for King Khufu, at the site of modern Giza. Khufu‘s pyramid, known as
The most important buildings in ancient Egypt were temples, the Great Pyramid, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World
tombs, and palaces. Temples housed rituals for the worship of the gods. that still survives.
Tombs served as the burial locations for the king and the elite. The king
lived in the palaces, where he performed governmental and religious
duties. Because many cities, towns, and villages in Egypt today occupy The Step Pyramid of King Djoser at Saqqarah
the sites of ancient palaces and surrounding settlements, these buildings
disappeared over the years as new buildings went up. The Step Pyramid was built by King Djoser, who ruled from
2630 BC to 2611 BC, during the 3rd Dynasty (2649 BC-2575 BC). In its
By contrast, many ancient Egyptian temples and tombs have final form it consisted of six huge, square tiers of decreasing size, placed
survived because they were located in the desert, or at the edge of the one on top of the other to a height of nearly 60 m (200 ft). Its
desert, where few people lived and little construction occurred. diminishing tiers resemble steps.

Pyramids and Royal Tombs

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 18
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Step Pyramid, Şaqqārah

The Step Pyramid of King Djoser

was built during the 3rd Dynasty at
Şaqqārah, Egypt. It was designed by the
architect Imhotep. The pyramid was the
first monumental royal tomb and is one
of the oldest stone structures in Egypt.

The Step Pyramid stood in the

middle of a rectangular enclosure. Also within the enclosure were various
other buildings, some of which could be entered, while others had no
doors. These buildings functioned only for the spirit forms of the dead
king and the gods, who were believed to be able to pass through the thick
rock walls.
Unlike the earlier mud-brick tombs, the entire complex at
Şaqqārah was built of stone; however, similarities show that the complex
evolved from the earlier tombs and funerary enclosures at Abydos. The Egyptian Pyramids
Şaqqārah design combined the tomb and funerary enclosure so that the
Located on the west bank of the Nile River on the outskirts of Cairo, the
burial, placed under the pyramid, lay within the funerary enclosure.
pyramids at Giza, Egypt, rank as some of the best-known monuments
The Great Pyramid at Giza in the world. The ancient Egyptians constructed the pyramids to serve
as royal tombs. Built without the use of cranes, pulleys, or lifting tackle,
The largest pyramid ever built, King Khufu‘s, is often called the
Great Pyramid. It lies in the desert west of Giza, accompanied by the the massive structures stand as testaments to the engineering skills of
pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure (Khufu‘s son and grandson). their makers.
The Great Pyramid was built during Khufu‘s reign (2551 BC-
2528 BC). Vandals and erosion have stripped away some of the Great
Pyramid‘s outer material, and some of its uppermost levels have been
dismantled, but it still retains its sense of majesty.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 19

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
positions that required the most skill—architects, masons, metal
workers, and carpenters.

The base of the Great Pyramid forms a nearly perfect square, with
only a 19-cm (about 7.5-in) difference between its longest and shortest
sides, out of a total length of about 230 m (756 ft). This huge square is
also almost exactly level. When newly completed, the Great Pyramid rose
146.7 m (481.4 ft)—nearly 50 stories high. The pyramid‘s core probably
includes a hill of unexcavated rubble, making it impossible to determine
its exact number of blocks. Researchers estimate that 2.3 million blocks In building Khufu‘s pyramid, the architects used techniques
were used to build the Great Pyramid, with an average weight of about developed by earlier pyramid builders. They selected a site at Giza on a
2.5 metric tons per block. The largest block weighs as much as 15 metric relatively flat area of bedrock—not sand—which provided a stable
tons. foundation. After carefully surveying the site and laying down the first
The work of quarrying, moving, setting, and sculpting the huge level of stones, they constructed the Great Pyramid in horizontal levels,
amount of stone used to build the Great Pyramid was most likely one on top of the other. The smooth exterior of the pyramid was made of
accomplished by two crews of 2,000 workers each. Teams of bakers, a fine grade of white limestone that was quarried across the Nile. These
carpenters, water carriers, and others probably served the pyramid exterior blocks had to be carefully cut and transported by the river to
builders, so that a total of about 25,000 men and women may have lived Giza.
year-round near the construction site. None of the workers were slaves.
Most were probably farmers, contracted to work for a limited period. The interior of the Great Pyramid is complex, with a series of
Specialists, who were permanently employed by the king, filled the passages leading to several rooms. The most important room is the
King‘s Chamber, the room in which Khufu‘s body was placed during his
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 20
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
funeral. In this room the priests left items that Khufu, like all Egyptians, that the queen was buried here. Instead, it most probably held a statue of
would need for the afterlife. the king that represented his ka, a form of his spirit. The walls of the
unfinished Queen‘s Chamber grow closer as they rise and meet at a
single point at the ceiling. This form results from each level of stones in
the walls projecting slightly outward from the level beneath it, an
arrangement called corbelling.

Where the Ascending Passage levels off horizontally and runs

toward the Queen‘s Chamber, it also intersects with one end of the
Grand Gallery, a large, corbelled passageway 47 m (153 ft) long and 8.5
m (28 ft) high.

The Grand Gallery most probably held some of the large stones
that were used to plug passages after the king‘s funeral. In the western
wall at the point where the Ascending Passage and the Grand Gallery
meet, there is an opening to a tunnel that winds its way down through
the core of the pyramid and the bedrock to meet the Descending Passage
near the Subterranean Chamber. It probably provided air to the workers
carving out the Subterranean Chamber.
The entrance to the Great Pyramid was set 17 m (55 ft) above
ground level. It was intended to be used only once, during Khufu‘s
At the upper end of the Grand Gallery, another level corridor
funeral, when special scaffolding was erected. Once the scaffolding was
dismantled, the entrance‘s height served as a security measure against runs south into the King‘s Chamber, a simple, rectangular room faced
tomb robbers. entirely with red granite. All that remains in the room now is a granite
sarcophagus in which King Khufu was buried, near the western wall.
The entrance leads to the Descending Passage, which runs down About 1 m (3 ft) above the floor, near the center of the northern and
through the pyramid into bedrock beneath the pyramid and levels out southern walls of the King‘s Chamber, are openings to shafts that run
until it reaches the Subterranean Chamber. About 18 m (60 ft) from the upward through the pyramid to the exterior of the pyramid.
pyramid entrance, before entering the bedrock, the Descending Passage
intersects another corridor, called the Ascending Passage, now sealed The exact purpose of these shafts is not known. Similar shafts
with three large granite blocks. lead out from the Queen‘s Chamber but are blocked after 65 m (213 ft)
and never reach the exterior of the pyramid.
The Ascending Passage runs upward for about 39 m (129 ft), until
it levels out and enters the so-called Queen‘s Chamber. Early Arab
explorers of the Great Pyramid gave it this name in the mistaken belief
Mastaba Tombs

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 21

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The tombs for the elite members of Egyptian society were less elaborate connect the worlds of the dead and the living. Although solid and
than royal tombs, but they were nevertheless impressive. The preferred impassable to the living, the door permitted the dead to pass through and
location for elite tombs was the west bank of the Nile, but many were receive offerings.
built on the east bank as well. In the 1st and 2nd dynasties the tombs of
This tomb chapel remained open to priests and family members
the elite at Şaqqārah consisted of an
after the tomb‘s owner was buried, but the actual body was placed in a
underground structure that contained the
burial chamber at the bottom of a shaft cut deep into the ground below
burial site and a flat, rectangular mud-brick the chapel. After the burial, the shaft was filled in and made
structure built over it. Today these inaccessible.
structures are called mastabas, from the
Arabic word for "bench." The long sides of
the mastabas had a north-south orientation.

In the 2nd Dynasty, tomb builders

started creating a niche on the eastern side
of the tomb. In it was placed a stone slab
carved with an image of the deceased tomb
owner seated before a variety of offerings.
The slab marked the place for making
offerings. During the next two dynasties,
the niche was gradually cut deeper into the
solid mastaba, so that the offering place
lay within it. Decorated limestone slabs
lined the walls of the niche.
In the 4th Dynasty, stone mastabas began
to replace those of mud brick. In the 5th
Dynasty (2465 BC–2323 BC) and 6th
Dynasty (2323 BC–2152 BC), the large
mastabas of the highest officials had a
series of decorated rooms for the
performance of funerary rituals. Rock Cut Tombs

These rituals focused on a false After the Middle Kingd

door on the west wall of the offering om ended in 1640 BC, the
chamber, a door that was intended to Egyptians stopped building
royal pyramids, and in the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 22
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
New Kingdom (1550 BC–1070 BC), kings were buried in tombs at Thebes chapels, these provided a space for offerings by the living to the dead,
in the Valley of the Kings. but instead of a false door, the focal point was a statue of the deceased
placed in a niche on the back wall of the chapel.
The Valley of the Kings is a rocky desert area with high cliffs.
The Egyptians cut the tombs into the cliffs. The tombs typically consisted
of a series of corridors, steps, and rooms that ended in a burial chamber. Temples
The door to the tomb formed a point of transition from the world of the
living to the world of the dead, so that the tomb represented the duat. The Egyptians believed that the gods occupied a different part of the
universe than living human beings did. Temples were built as houses for
In the New Kingdom tombs were mostly undecorated, except for the the gods, where the gods could appear on earth. The focal point of any
temple was a sanctuary area that contained a cult statue of the god. This
burial chamber. In the 19th Dynasty (1307 BC–1196 BC) and 20th
statue, the sanctuary, and the temple were made as beautiful as possible
Dynasty (1196 BC–1070 BC), decoration extended to the tomb entrance, so that the god would want to reside there, and the structures
where the sun‘s passage was depicted through the duat at night until its incorporated precious materials such as gold and silver.
rise, regenerated, in the morning. The dead king, who was identified with
the sun god, achieved new life by taking part in the eternal cycle of the Old and Middle Kingdom temples were typically built of perishable mud
sun. Because the narrow Valley of the Kings lacked space for temples in brick, and despite the fact that many of them were lined with decorated
which to honor the king, these were separated from the tomb and built stone slabs, few have survived. Most surviving temples date from the
where the desert's edge met the cultivated 18th Dynasty or later, when major temples were built of stone and stone
regions. structures had replaced older ones of brick.

The Because the space within a temple was sacred, a wall enclosed the
temple area and separated it from the outside world. Most temples were
best-
rectangular, with the entrance on the side nearest the Nile. A huge
kno gateway called a pylon stood at the entrance to the temple area and led
wn e into an open court. Then followed a covered, pillared room called a
lite c hypostyle hall. Beyond this was the sanctuary, which contained the
emet shrine in which the cult statue of the god was kept.
ery
of
the
New
Kin
gdom lies on the west bank of
the Nile at Thebes. The rock-cut tomb chapels there take the shape of a T.
They are entered from an open court through a door that leads into the
crossbar of the T, with the shaft of the T straight ahead. Like earlier tomb
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 23
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

Temple of Khons was built in Karnak, Egypt during 1100 BC.

Two large towers called pylons guarded the entrance. This drawing
shows the columns within the temple that supported the roof. A sacred
The Egyptians believed that gods were fundamentally different chamber at the right was dedicated to the moon god Khons.
from human beings, and that it was dangerous for humans to interact with
gods unprotected. In fact, most people never went inside a temple. For
those who had been purified through special religious rituals, the temple
provided a safe place for contact with the gods.

The space within the temple became increasingly sacred as one

went further in, and the more sacred inner parts were restricted to the
king and priests. The sanctuary was the most sacred space of all. Here the
deity entered the temple from the divine realm and took up residence in
the cult statue

Temple of Khnos at Karnak

The entrance of the Temple of Khons at Karnak

Rock Cut Temple

Queen Hatshepsut's temple was built about 1480 BC at Deir El
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 24
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Bahri, Egypt. The Egyptians erected the temple at the foot of a huge New Kingdom and include the palace of Amenhotep III at Malqata near
cliff. Rows of columns supported a series of limestone terraces. A ramp Thebes, the palaces of Akhenaton at Amarna, and the palace of
provided access to each terrace. Merenptah at Memphis.

The nature of the Egyptian king was complex. Although he was a human
being who was born, grew up, and died like other human beings, his
body housed the royal ka-spirit, which transmitted the divine aspects of
kingship from one king to the next. The king was also the earthly
manifestation of various deities, such as Ra, the sun god, or Horus, the
god of the sky. For this reason, the ritual area of the king‘s palace
resembled a temple.

As in temples, an entranceway led into an open court that was followed

by a pillared hall. But beyond the hall, instead of a sanctuary, was the
throne room. Against the center of the back wall, a raised platform
supported the king's throne. The throne sat within a kiosk that took the
place of the shrine in a temple‘s sanctuary. The enthroned king was
therefore equivalent to the cult statue of a god.

The floors of the palace were decorated with images of pools surrounded
by flowering plants through which young calves leapt while birds flew
above, depicting the world at sunrise. The enthroned king therefore took
on the role of the sun god Ra, at whose appearance each day the world
Queen Hatshepsut's temple
came to life again after the dark night.
This temple combined the conventions of the Egyptian funerary
In Egyptian thought, foreign lands and their inhabitants represented the
precinct valley temple, causeway, and mortuary temple. Its colonnaded
forces of chaos. Images of bound foreigners were painted on the steps
limestone terraces, linked by gently sloping ramps, are set against the
leading up to the throne platform and on the platform itself. As the king
mountain slopes.
ascended the platform, he walked on these images and then sat on them.
This break with architectural tradition characterized the Queen The foreigners lay under his feet in subjection, symbolizing the triumph
Hatshepsut‘s forceful personality, who was the only woman pharaoh of of the king over the forces of chaos.
that period.
Obelisks: Obelisks are independent tower kind of structures erected
with a single stone in the temple entrances, courtyards and in city
Palaces: Palaces provided a setting for Egyptian kings to carry out the centers. They normally used to have a square base and gently tapering
rituals of kingship. Most were built of mud brick and have not survived upwards and crowned with a small pyramid on the top. The height of
well. Palaces that Egyptologists have excavated date mainly from the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 25
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
these obelisks will be 9 to 10 times of its base. They are ornamented with
carvings in different levels called Hieroglyphs. There were two famous
obelisks erected in Egypt.

1. Obelisk in the temple of Amun At Karnak, Thebes

This obelisk was considered as the symbol of Sun god, erected on the
front entrance of the temple of Amun at Karnak, Thebes. This measures 9
feet square at the base, and 6 feet 2 inches at the top.
The total height is 105 feet and weighs around 230 tons. At present this
obelisk is in the central piazza of Rome.
In the Old Kingdom, small chapels built in temple areas housed statues
2. The Cleopatra’s Needle. of the king, where the royal ka-spirit could receive offerings. In the New
Kingdom, huge ka-statues of the king stood at the entrances to many
This obelisk was erected originally in the temple of Rameses - II. This major temples.
was with 8 feet square at the base with a total height of 68 feet 6 inches to
the top. This weighs around 180 tons. Although most people could not enter the temples, they could come to
This obelisk was taken by the British to England, and now standing on the entrances, and these statues became places for people to
the Thames embankment at London. communicate with the gods by addressing the king‘s ka-spirit.

Sculpture

The function of most ancient Egyptian statues was to provide a physical

place where a god or spirit could appear. In temples the god took up
residence in the cult statue, and the divine royal ka-spirit could reside in
statues of the king. Statues of the elite provided a place in the world of
the living for the spirits of the dead. Such statues were the focal point of
rituals. Offerings were presented to them, incense was burned, and ritual
words were recited in their presence. These spirits were not restricted by
time and space, but could simultaneously be present in all their statues,
wherever the statues were located.
The great Sphinx at Giza: The Great sphinx erected during 2560
BC was made up of Sandstone, 65' high, and 240' long at Giza, Egypt.
Sphinxes are creatures‘ part lion and part human, were often depicted in

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 26

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Egyptian art.
Greek Architecture:
The most famous sphinx is, the one at Giza, carved from the rock on the
site the sphinx's colossal size prevented the anonymous sculptor from
The Greek civilization emerged relatively after the Egypt and
rendering it with any subtle facial expressions.
Mesopotamia, in the region of Greece. The region of Greece consists of
More significant as a monument than as a great work of art, the Great mainland mostly coastal area with many small and big islands in the
Sphinx had a practical purpose--to guard the nearby pyramid tombs. Mediterranean sea and in the Aegean bay.
Egyptian Ornamentation

Egyptian columns

 The climate of Greece was comfortable with no natural hazards such

as heavy rains and floods like Egypt and Mesopotamia.
 The most available building materials are soft stones like limestone
and marble, with a limited quantity of wood.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 27

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 The climate and materials gave the Greek craftsmen a wide scope of  Limited democracy with representative government.
developing their skills in a remarkable way.
 Personalities of individual architects were clear and evident with their C. The Classical Period (480 – 323 BC)
professional approach.  Rivalry between Athens and the city-state of Sparta dominated
 The architects discussed and wrote long series of technical writings, the history of 5th century Greece
underlying the theory and significance of beauty.  A period usually considered the culmination of Greek art and
 They also studied various aspects of design such as, unity, diversity, architecture, and drama with its highest achievements being
proportions, symmetry, rhythm, harmony and modules. the Parthenon in Athens
 They also worked out the mathematical relations between the  This was the great era of Greek philosophy
dimensions, equality of ratios and common dividing modules.  Alexander the Great extended his father‘s empire into Asia
 Development of architecture took the extreme refinement with the Minor (now Turkey), Syria, Egypt, Persia, Afghanistan and as
developments of different orders such as Doric, Ionic and Corinthian far as India.
orders.
 They used the scale called Minoan feet which equals to 0.3036 meter. D. The Hellenistic Period (323 – 31 BC)
The regular foot is 0.3046 meter.  After Alexander died, his generals and successors divided the
empire into a number of kingdoms called Hellenistic (Greek-
Historical Developments like) kingdoms, because the ruling classes spoke Greek and
The roots of Greek culture lie in Mycenaean culture, which lasted from the official culture was Greek. The term Hellenistic is
about 1600 BC to 1100 BC. This was a time of warrior kings, fortified derived from the Greek word Hellan meaning Greek.
cities, and palaces, a time when highly developed monumental art and
architecture first flourished on the Greek mainland. Then followed by Architectural Character
four major historical periods of developments
The ancient Greeks developed three major styles called Greek Orders
A. The Dark Age (1100 – 750 BC) that determined the major features of the building façade mostly adopted
 A period of relative impoverishment, depopulation, and cultural for temples and civic buildings.
isolation.  Doric order
 Contacts with the cultures of the east.  Ionic order
 Abstract style of pottery decoration  Corinthian order.
 With a disunited land of scattered city-states. Building types:
 On the mainland established their first colonies.  Religious: open air altars, temples and treasuries.
 Civic: council house, law courts, market place, open air assembly
B. The Archaic Period (750 – 480 BC) and roofed colonnade or portico.
 Influences from the east  Domestic: houses from one room type to multiple rooms
 New city-states took shape with monumental building programs organized around a courtyard, one or even two stories.
became part of this competition, as each community attempted to  Recreational: Open Air Theater, roofed concert hall, gymnasium
establish itself as culturally superior and stadium.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 28
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Doric order:

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 29

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

The Doric order

 Cylindrical shaft diminishing at top from ¼ to 2/3 of the diameter
at the base
 20 flutings called entasis
 Height between 5 to 6 times of its base diameter
 Entablature consists of three components namely architrave,
frieze and cornice
 Architrave is a principle beam with 2 to 3 slabs in depth with
continuing drops at the base called regulae
 Frieze with two alternate square panels called triglyphs (with 2
channels and 2 half channels) and metopes (with fine relief
sculptures)
 Cornice on the upper crowning part on the sofit of the slope of the
roof, with lion headed water spouts
 Columns start directly from the floor slab without any base
 The plinth of the building with three steps of huge height from15‖
to 29‖ each
 The best example of the Doric order is the temple of Athena
called The Parthenon in the Acropolis at Athens.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 30

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

The Ionic order

 Cylindrical shaft with a height (including the base and the
capital) of 9 to 10 times of the diameter at its base
 24 flutings called entasis
 Two pairs of spiral volutes on the capital,
 Both on the front and back joined by a concave cushion with
ornamentation in the form of fillets or beads
 Volute scroll rests on a circular slab called echinus carved with
an egg and dart molding
 Corner capitals are of three sided scroll volutes
 Entablature with plain architrave and frieze with horizontal
bands
 Cornice with lion headed gutter moldings for rain water drains
on the sofit of the slope roof
 Base of the columns with simple or ornamented relief to a height
of 6 to 7 feet
 These Ionic order columns look more slender and tall in
comparison to that of Doric order
 The best example for this order is in the temple of Erectheon in
the Acropolis at Athens

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 31

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 32

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The Corinthian order
Greek Building Types: Greek buildings are includes;
 The Corinthian order resembles Ionic in most aspects.
 The Corinthian columns have tall capitals shaped like an upside-
Temples: They were built with special regard to external effect, and
down bell and are covered with rows of acanthus leaves and small
were ornamented with sculpture of the highest class in order to form
vine like spirals called helixes
fitting shrines for the deities in whose honor they were erected. They
 The first known Corinthian column stood alone inside the cella of were generally placed in a "temenos" or sacred enclosure, and consisted
the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae (429?-405? BC). of a "naos" or cell, usually oblong in plan in which was placed the statue
 Indeed, the Corinthian order was at first used only for columns of the god or goddess ; a treasury or chamber beyond and a front and
inside buildings—it did not appear externally until the 4th century rear portico, with flanking colonnades, the whole generally raised on a
BC. stylobate of three steps.
 Its use in exterior temple colonnades did not become widespread
until Roman times. The earliest temples were made of wood, and that the stone structures
that succeed them were masonry versions of the timber originals. The
Comparison of Greek Architectural Orders capital was originally a piece of timber between a vertical post and the
horizontal beam. The pediment was the gable end of the roof. The
cornice was the eave. The triglyphs were decorated end of the beams.
The guttae (small studs under the triglyps) were pegs or nails.
 were masonry versions of the timber originals
 The pediment was the gable end
 The cornice was the eave
 Triglyphs were decorated end of the beams

In the larger temples were internal colonnades of columns placed over

each other to support the roof. On the two end facades above the
columns a triangular shaped pediment, usually but not always filled with
sculpture, terminated the simple span roof. These roofs were constructed
of timber and covered with marble slabs ; the ends of the overlapped
joints being provided with ante-fixae(eave tile) at the eaves.

The door was almost always placed in the centre of the end wall, behind
The ancient Greeks developed three major architectural styles, or the portico of columns, and frequently planned so that the sun might
orders, that determined the major features of a temple facade. The Doric enter and light up the statue opposite.
is the oldest and simplest order. The Ionic and Corinthian orders added
a base to the column and developed a more elaborate scheme for the
column’s capital. The entablature (above the columns) also differs in
each order. Click on the red arrows to see the capitals and entablatures
in more detail.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 33

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

(Acropolis, Athens):
 The Acropolis was called as the temple complex of any Greek town
located on a small hillock or a mountain from which the entire town
is visible
 Acropolis was a group of buildings, mostly temples, which
collectively embodied the more exalted aspects of the Athenian
dedication to the pursuit and enjoyment of imperial power.
 The calculated contrast which they evoked-- between the Acropolis
and the city below and between pure masonry and sculpture---makes
it perhaps the only seriously successful example of architecture in
the service of politics.
 The prime mover was Pericles himself; but the successful fulfillment
of his ideal was entirely due to the genius of the men who executed
it--Ictinus, Mnesicles and, above all, the sculptor Phidias.

 The Acropolis at Athens consists of three major structures and a

number of small structures of temples for various Greek gods and
goddess.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 34
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 The major buildings of the Acropolis Athens are

o The Parthenon (Temple of Athena)

o The Propylaea (Gateway structure)
o The temple of Erectheon (Temple in two levels)

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 35

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The Parthenon:  To correct for this, architects added a slight swelling in the taper of
the columns. Another adjustment was a slight inward tilt of the
 The Parthenon was built as a monument to the goddess Athena and to columns.
Athens, and testifies to the Athenians' desire to create a monument of  The corner columns were made slightly thicker than the others to
unparalleled beauty. prevent them from seeming spindly when seen against the backdrop
 The columns were slender and elegant, with a height 5.5 times their of the sky, rather than the building.
diameter.  While such refinements had been used on earlier buildings, what was
 The harmonious proportional relationship of each part to the whole new was the Parthenon's subtle and vibrant combination of them all.
was determined through mathematical formulas.
 The temple is richly adorned with sculpture—two pediments filled The Propylaea
with statues, 92 carved metopes, numerous sculpted roof-ornaments,
and a continuous Ionic frieze atop the cella walls of this otherwise  The Propylaea (437-432 BC) was a monumental structure that served
Doric building. as the main gateway to the Acropolis on its steep western approach.
 The campaign centered on the Acropolis and began with the
Parthenon (447-432 BC).  Like the Parthenon, the Propylaea combine the Doric and Ionic
 The Parthenon‘s architects were Ictinus and Callicrates, and the orders.
temple they designed was unusually large, about 31 by 70 m (102 by  Its west and east facades are Doric and recall the proportions of the
230 ft). Parthenon, while Ionic columns line a taller central passageway
 Eight columns marked the front and rear facades, and 17 columns ran between them.
along each side.
 The cella had two rooms, east and west, each accessible from a porch.  The architect Mnesicles designed asymmetrical wings to the north
In the larger, eastern room stood a statue of Athena Parthenos and south of the Propylaea‘s central block.
(Athena the Virgin), her flesh covered in ivory, her drapery and armor
in solid gold. Made by the sculptor Phidias, she stood perhaps 10 m  Perched on a small outcropping just to the southwest of the
(33 ft) tall. Propylaea is the Temple of Athena Nike (420s BC), a tiny, elegant,
 The most impressive features of the Parthenon‘s design are its many Ionic structure with a richly sculpted frieze and two (mostly lost)
optical refinements. pediments.
 Some scholars believe that architects in ancient Greece made subtle
adjustments in their designs to overcome optical illusions that they
believed would mar the perfection of their buildings.
 For example, a long horizontal line, such as the stylobate, appears to
sag when many vertical lines (the columns) rest on top of it.
 To correct for this sag in the middle, the Parthenon‘s architects gave
the stylobate and other major horizontal lines a slight upward curve.
Because of a similar optical illusion, a perfectly straight column may
appear to curve inward.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 36
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The Erechtheon
 On the north side of the Acropolis stood an Ionic temple known
as the Erechtheon.

 Among its many sacred objects, the Erechtheon housed the

Athenians‘ most sacred statue, an ancient wooden image of
Athena Polias (the name for Athena as goddess of the city).

 The Erechtheum was begun in the 430s or 420s and was mostly
complete by 405 BC.

 It is laid out in an unusual asymmetrical plan.

 A six-columned porch on the eastern facade is mirrored by six

engaged Ionic columns on the western facade, which has no
porch.

 Columned porches on the north and south sides are not centered,
but are placed toward the western end of the building.

 The northern porch is larger than that on the south, and

awkwardly extends beyond the west side of the building.

 The southern porch, sometimes called the Porch of the Maidens,

has six marble maidens called caryatids that support the
entablature in place of columns.

 The irregular plan of the Erechtheum can probably be explained

by a need for it to incorporate several sacred places of worship
already on the site.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 37

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The ancient Greeks, however, always credited the invention of this right-
angled plan to a mid-5th century Ionian architect, Hippodamus of
Miletus, who planned new cities for Piraeus.
His influence also appeared in the uniform streets and blocks of late 5th-
century Olynthus, on the Chalcidice peninsula.
By the 4th century BC, carefully planned cities and civic spaces had
become the rule in ancient Greece.
Around 350 BC, for example, the people of Priene moved from an old,
haphazardly laid-out town to a new, more regular one, even though the
sloping ground on which it was built made right angles awkward.

Greek house
Greek houses varied, but in the 5th and 4th centuries BC two standard
The City planning plans emerged.
Even before the start of the Classical period in the early 5th century BC, Typical 5th- and 4th-century houses in Olynthus and then 2nd-century
the Greeks had begun to lay out some cities in a grid like plan, with houses on the island of Delos had small rooms arranged in a rectangular
streets regularly intersecting at right angles. plan around a colonnaded interior courtyard, often with a covered
veranda facing onto it from one or two sides.
A second type of house, found in Priene, also focused on an interior
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 38
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
courtyard. But instead of a collection of small rooms, the main living area
consisted of a large rectangular hall that opened onto a columned porch.
Smaller rooms for servants, storage, or cooking opened off the other sides
of the courtyard.

In the Hellenistic period, housing types became more diverse, but houses
of wealthy people might feature marble thresholds, doorways, and
columns; mosaic floors depicting humans or animals; and plastered walls
modeled and painted to look like fine stonework.

Section of a typical Greek house

Epidaurus (The Greek theatre)

The Greek theatre plan, perfectly preserved in the sophisticated 4th-
century BC theatre at Epidaurus (above and right), had evolved out of
the performance of choral odes during the festivals of Dionysus.
These Ceremonies demanded separate assembly areas for the chorus and
spectators.
The chorus, who both chanted and danced, performed on an orchestra--a
circular dance- floor with an altar at its centered-an arrangement which
determined much of the subsequent development of Greek theatre.
Initially, the spectators sat on temporary wooden banks of seats, but an
accident at Athens in 499 BC led to safer and more permanent seating--
wedge-shaped blocks of stone banks, approximately concentric with the
orchestra, cut into a convenient hillside.
Plan of a typical Greek house At Epidaurus, the banks of seats extend more than halfway round the
orchestra, and are not built to a standard radius; a broad passage divides
them horizontally, and the upper banks are steeper than the lower; these
arrangements improved acoustics.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 39

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

The Administrative & Market Buildings:

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 40

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE:
Other Buildings
 The Choragic Monument Introduction:
After the founding of Rome in 753 BC, powerful kings ruled until,
according to patriotic legend, the Romans expelled the last foreign
monarch in 509 BC and established a more representative form of
government known as the Roman Republic.

In the five centuries the republic existed, Rome expanded from a small
community on the hills beside the Tiber River into the major power of
the Mediterranean world. After centuries of warfare the Romans
conquered other peoples who lived in the surrounding regions and by
266 BC controlled the entire Italian Peninsula.

The Romans then embarked on their conquest of the rest of the

Mediterranean basin. First they defeated their great rival, Carthage,
whose possessions, including Sicily, Spain, and North Africa, became
Roman provinces. During the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, Rome‘s military
forces, known as legions, fought against kings and city-states in the
eastern Mediterranean to bring Greece, Asia Minor (roughly modern
The tower of the Winds Turkey), Syria, Judea, and Egypt under Roman control. In the west,
Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, which included all of modern France, so
that the Roman frontiers extended from the Sahara to the North Sea and
from Spain to the Near East.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 41

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Constantine ruled from 306 to 337 AD, during which he got converted
himself into a new religion Christianity and shifted his capital from
Roman Empire: The period of Roman Empire is includes: Rome to Constantinople which is known as Istanbul of Turkey today.

Imperial period The Government

This remarkable military achievement transformed the Romans As the empire developed, the emperor stood at the top of the
themselves. Roman imperialism introduced extremes of wealth and administrative system. He served as military commander in chief, high
poverty that sharpened social and economic conflict within the Roman priest, court of appeal, and source of law.
state. Military loyalty, bureaucracy, and imperial succession were all viewed
The flood of military plunder and captured slaves dramatically changed in personal terms. This concentration of power produced a court in
the countryside as small farms gave way to large plantations, and landless which government officials and the imperial family competed with
peasants migrated to Rome and other cities. Immense wealth inflamed the poets, astrologers, doctors, slaves, and actors for the emperor‘s attention
ambitions of Roman nobles who struggled for personal domination rather and favor.
than collective rule. The emperor‘s own slaves and freedmen dominated the clerical and
In 49 BC Caesar, who had held many of the highest political offices in financial posts and formed the core of imperial administration just as
Rome, marched into Italy to challenge the leaders of the republic. After they did in the household administration of any Roman aristocrat.
defeating his enemies, he ruled as dictator until his murder on the Ides of
March (March 15 by the Roman calendar) in 44 BC. Caesar‘s assassins, The society
Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, hoped to restore the Ancient Rome was situated on seven hills and its monumental public
republic, but it was no longer possible. Neither the urban masses nor the buildings—the Colosseum, the Forum of Trajan, and the Pantheon—
military would allow the old aristocracy to regain control. made the city the “capital of the world” under the emperors.
Rome needed a strong hand to administer the state and control the army, But in addition to the arenas, temples, and forums, Rome also had
since the old system of government was unsuitable to rule an empire of theaters, basilicas, gymnasiums, baths, taverns, and brothels. The first
50 million subjects. If Rome wanted to maintain its dominance, the emperor, Augustus, had a modest house, but his successors
government needed to create new administrative and military institutions. progressively expanded it into an enormous imperial residence on the
Caesar planned to transform the Roman state, but his few years in power Palatine Hill from which all ―palaces‖ take their name.
were insufficient. His followers included his longtime military deputy, The rich preferred to live on the hills above the teeming crowds and
Mark Antony, and his great-nephew (and adopted son), Octavian. They animals of central Rome. Rome housed over 1 million inhabitants, so
first defeated Brutus and Cassius at Philippi, a city of ancient Macedonia, most of its buildings were not villas and splendid monuments.
in 42 BC before turning on each other.
The poor lived packed into apartment houses near the center of the city
By 30 BC Octavian was the unchallenged successor to Caesar and the since there was no public transport. The public spaces in Rome
master of Rome. Three years later the Senate proclaimed him Augustus, resounded with such a din of hooves and clatter of iron chariot wheels
the supreme ruler. Later he was followed by other imperial rulers such as that Julius Caesar proposed a ban on chariot traffic at night.
Trajan, Hardian, Antonius Pious and Constantine being the last ruler of
the imperial Roman Empire. One Roman writer said that the imperial government kept the Romans
contented by ―bread and circuses.‖ Other societies have relied on the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 42
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
same strategy, but never to the same degree. The Roman emperors Quarried stone, used in conjunction with timber beams and terra-cotta
provided free food to hundreds of thousands and sponsored an endless tiles and plaques, was the essential Roman building material from
series of games. Republican times on.
The stone chosen ranged from central Italian tufa and travertine to
Roman Art and Architecture gleaming white marble shipped from Greece and Asia Minor—or, from
The art and architecture of ancient Rome and its empire, was extended the time of Caesar on, from Luna in Italy—and multicolored marbles
from the British Isles to the Caspian Sea. The earliest Roman art is imported from quarries all over the ancient world. Thin revetment
generally associated with the overthrow of the Etruscan kings and the plaques of fine marble were often used to sheathe walls constructed of
establishment of the Republic in 509 BC. cheaper stone blocks or rubble. Marbles lent splendor to the Romans‘
The end of Roman art and the beginning of medieval art is usually said to buildings, as they did to those of the Greeks before them.
occur with the conversion of the emperor Constantine the Great to
Christianity and the transfer of the capital of the empire from Rome to However, it was a material invented by the Romans—concrete—that
Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) in AD 330. revolutionized the history of architecture and permitted the Romans to
put up buildings that were impossible to construct with the traditional
Roman art is traditionally divided into two main periods, art of the stone post-and-lintel system of earlier architecture. Roman concrete
Roman Republic and art of the Roman Empire (from 27 BC on), with
was an amalgam of aggregate and a mortar of lime and pozzolana,
subdivisions corresponding to the major emperors or to imperial volcanic sand. It provided Roman architects with the means to cover
dynasties. When the Republic was founded, the term Roman art was vast spaces with great vaults (see Arch and Vault).
virtually synonymous with the art of the city of Rome, which still bore
the stamp of its Etruscan past (Etruscan Civilization).
Gradually, as the Roman Empire expanded throughout Italy and the
Mediterranean and as the Romans became exposed to other artistic
cultures, notably that of ancient Greece, Roman art shook off its
dependence on Etruscan art; during the last two centuries before Christ a
distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting, and painting emerged.
Roman art is not just the art of the emperors, senators, and aristocracy,
but of all the peoples of Rome‘s vast empire, including middle-class
business people, freedmen, slaves, and soldiers in Italy and the provinces.
A clear picture of Roman architecture can be drawn from the
impressive remains of ancient Roman public and private buildings and
from contemporaneous writings, such as De Architectura (trans. 1914),
the ten-volume architectural treatise compiled by Vitruvius toward the Arches and Vaults
close of the 1st century BC. This series of drawings shows the structure of some basic arches and
vaults. The construction of an arch (A) requires a temporary wooden
Building materials and technology structure to hold the voussoirs (wedge-shaped bricks or stones) until the
keystone, or central voussoir, can be put into place. Arches are
connected with the aid of an impost (B), a piece of molding located
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 43
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
where the arch begins. Imposts are also used at the point between an arch facing in its own right; brick-faced concrete quickly became the favored
and the capital of a column. Arches can be connected (C) to form a material for large buildings such as apartment houses, baths, and
barrel, or tunnel vault. A series of barrel vaults (D) is used to create an warehouses.
arched ceiling or roof. A variation on this is the cross, or groin, vault (E),
Roman city planning
in which two barrel vaults intersect.
The typical Roman city of the later Republic and empire had a
Concrete vaulting made possible the construction of the great rectangular plan and resembled a Roman military camp with two main
amphitheaters and baths of the Roman world, as well as the dome of the streets—the cardo (north-south) and the decumanus (east-west)—a
Pantheon and such spectacular hillside sanctuaries. Because concrete grid of smaller streets dividing the town into blocks, and a wall circuit
walls and ceilings were fashioned in molds, architects were encouraged with gates. Older cities, such as Rome itself, founded before the
to experiment with irregular configurations that lent visual excitement to adoption of regularized city planning, could, however, consist of a maze
the interior of buildings. of crooked streets.
The focal point of the city was its forum, usually situated at the center
of the city at the intersection of the cardo and the decumanus. The
forum, an open area bordered by colonnades with shops, functioned as
the chief meeting place of the town. It was also the site of the city‘s
primary religious and civic buildings, among them the Senate house,
records office, and basilica.

Pantheon Interior, Rome

Roman engineers completed the Pantheon, a temple to all the gods, in AD
128. Its interior was conceived as a single immense space illuminated by
a single round opening, called an oculus, at the highest point in the dome. Basilica of Maxentius:
The interior is decorated with colored marble, and lined with pairs of The use of concrete allowed Romans to develop large new public structures
called basilicas. This Roman basilica was begun by the emperor Maxentius
columns and carved figures set into niches in the wall. between 307 and 310 and completed by Constantine the Great after 312.
The basilica was a roofed hall with a wide central area—the nave—
Although Roman concrete could be faced with a variety of materials, the flanked by side aisles, and it often had two or more stories. In Roman
most popular during the empire was brick. Indeed, during the first two times basilicas were the site of business transactions and legal
centuries after Christ, brick first came to be appreciated as a building proceedings, The first basilicas were put up in the early 2nd century
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 44
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
BC in Rome‘s own Forum, but the earliest well-preserved example of the surrounded it were galleries for spectators. As cities grew, however, it
basilicas (circa 120 BC) is found at Pompeii. became necessary to establish a separate forum (forum civile) for legal
and administrative affairs, as well as mercantile forums (fora venalia),
Forum: Forum (Latin, ―marketplace‖ or ―out-of-doors place‖), term each devoted to the sale of an important commodity.
applied by the ancient Romans to the large, open, rectangular space in the
central part of a city that was the common place of assembly of the The term forum gradually became synonymous with market and was
people. employed as a descriptive epithet in the names of many market towns.
The center of the forum was usually so filled with statues, altars, arches,
Originally an unenclosed space, without buildings, in which the people and other monuments that the transaction of business was seriously
gathered on market days and for religious festivals, elections, and other obstructed. In response to this problem, a general clearing of the forum
public events, it became the political center where civic and was ordered from time to time.
administrative buildings and the more important temples were located.
Archways frequently surmounted both ends of the road or roads that
transected the forum.
Function of the forum: In early times, each city had only one forum,
serving not only as a place for the transaction of legal, political, and
mercantile business but also as an arena for public games, amusements,
theatrical performances, gladiatorial and boxing combats, and races.

Triumphal Procession
An artist depicts the lavish celebrations of a triumphal procession through the
Forum. When a Roman general conquered a foreign enemy and acquired new
land for the fatherland, the senate (in the republican era) or the emperor (in
imperial Rome) could grant the victor permission to parade in triumph through
the streets of the capital city.
Following an established route, the Roman general and his army marched in a
long procession, accompanied by horse drawn floats laden with booty and
followed by captive enemies walking in chains. In imperial times, the
procession passed the Flavian Amphitheater (later known as the Colosseum)
The principal forum in Rome, the Forum Romanum Magnum (Great and under the Arch of Titus.
Roman Forum), was of this type, and above the colonnades that
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 45
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
From there it followed the Sacred Way through the Forum, under the Arch of An excellent example of the canonical temple type is the Maison-Carrée
Septimus Severus, and up to Capitoline Hill to the Temple of Jupiter. There, the (circa AD 4) in Nîmes, France.
triumphant army would make sacrificial offerings and then lead the prisoners
away, generally to their death.

Maison Carrée, Nîmes

The Romans modified the Greek temple form, as demonstrated by this Roman
temple, the Maison Carrée, built in Nîmes, France, in the 1st century AD. The
Romans expanded the interior chamber so that it reached the outer columns,
Imperial Forum, Rome and they raised the temple on a podium. Like other Roman temples, the
Maison Carrée can only be approached from the front.
The Roman Forum was founded at the beginning of the Roman republic Roman temples were erected not only in the forum, but throughout the
(around 500 BC), and it continued to develop into the late 2nd century AD. city and in the countryside as well; many other types are known. One of
Among the ruins seen here are the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina the most influential in later times was the type used for the Pantheon
(since converted into a church, background, left), the foundations of the (AD 118-28) in Rome, consisting of a standard gable-roofed columnar
Basilica Julia (foreground, center), and the three remaining columns of porch with a domed cylindrical drum behind it replacing the traditional
the Temple of Castor and Pollux (background, right). rectangular main room, or cella. Simpler temples based on Greek
prototypes, with round cellas and an encircling colonnade, such as that
Roman temples built about 75 BC at Tivoli, near Rome, were also popular.
The chief temple of a Roman city was generally located at one end of the
forum. The standard Roman temple was a blend of Etruscan and Greek  The Pantheon
elements; rectangular in plan, it had a gabled roof, a deep porch with The Pantheon in Rome is one of the most famous buildings in the world.
freestanding columns, and a frontal staircase giving access to its high It was commissioned by Hadrian in 118 and completed in 128. At one
plinth, or platform. The traditional Greek orders, or canons (Doric, Ionic, time it had a colonnaded court leading to the portico. The dome of the
Corinthian), were usually retained, but the Romans also developed a new rotunda behind the portico is 43.2 m (142 ft) in diameter.
type of column capital called the composite capital, a mixture of Ionic The oculus (a round opening) at the top is 8.5 m (28 ft) in
and Corinthian elements. diameter and provides the only source of light for the interior.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 46

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

Isometric details of the pantheon

Basilica: It is a large structure in ancient Roman or early Christian

times, usually built on a rectangular, as distinct from a circular or
cruciform, plan. Later the term was conferred as an honor on certain
churches selected by the popes, such as Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 47

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Theaters and Amphitheaters:Roman theaters first appeared in Theaters were popular in all parts of the empire; impressive examples
the late Republic. They were semicircular in plan and consisted of a tall may be found at Orange (early 1st century AD), in France, and Sabratha
stage building abutting a semicircular orchestra and tiered seating area (late 2nd century AD), in Libya.
(cavea).
Unlike Greek theaters, which were situated on natural slopes, Roman The ancient theater at Orange in France was built in the 1st century AD,
theaters were supported by their own framework of piers and vaults and when the town was part of the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the
thus could be constructed in the hearts of cities. best-preserved Roman theaters in the world and is used today for
theatrical performances

The earliest known amphitheater (75 BC) is at Pompeii, and the grandest,
Rome‘s Colosseum (AD70-80), held approximately 50,000 spectators,
roughly the capacity of today‘s large sports stadiums.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 48

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Colosseum
 The Colosseum in Rome (70-82) is best known for its multilevel
system of vaults made of concrete.
 It is called the Colosseum for a colossal statue of Nero that once
stood nearby, but its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater.
 It was used for staged battles between lions and Christians, among
other spectacles, and is one of the most famous pieces of architecture
in the world.

Circuses: Racecourses or circuses were also built in many cities for

holding chariot races and horse races.
Rome‘s circus-shaped Piazza Navona occupies the site of one that was
built during the reign (AD 81-96) of the emperor Domitian.
The largest circus in Rome, the Circus Maximus, held about 200,000
spectators. Circus Maximus, arena of ancient Rome, located between the
Palatine and Aventine hills, and the principal amusement place of the
city from about 600 BC to the early days of the Roman Empire.
It was reconstructed and enlarged by Julius Caesar. In outer dimensions
the Circus Maximus was about 610 m (about 2000 ft) long and 190 m
(625 ft) wide, and the arena was about 564 m (about 1850 ft) long and
85 m (280 ft) wide.
It had three tiers of seats, with room for about 200,000 spectators. The
Circus Maximus was the scene of athletic contests and chariot and horse
races that were held until the 6th century AD.

Amphitheaters (literally, double theaters) were elliptical in plan with a

central arena, where gladiatorial and animal combats took place
(Gladiator), and a surrounding seating area built on the pattern of Roman
theaters.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 49

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
facilities. Once lined in marble, the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla now
provide a majestic open-air setting for opera performances.

Circus Maximus at Rome

Public Works
Public Baths: Large cities and small towns alike also had public Among the other great public building projects of the Romans, the most
baths (thermae); under the Republic they were generally made up of a noteworthy are the network of bridges and roads that facilitated travel
suite of dressing rooms and bathing chambers with hot- , warm- , and throughout the empire, and the aqueducts that brought water to the
cold-water baths (caldaria, tepidaria, frigidaria) alongside an exercise towns from mountain sources.
area, the palaestra. Aqueduct, artificial channel built to transport water. An aqueduct may
be an open or enclosed canal, a tunnel, or a pipeline; an aqueduct bridge
Baths of Caracalla: Public baths formed an important part of the is a structure that carries a canal over a valley or a river.
culture of the Roman Empire; in Rome, the capital of the empire, 952
facilities were in operation by the middle of the 4th century BC. Built
about AD 217 in Rome for the pleasure of the leisure classes, the Baths of
Caracalla—which contained space for 1600 bathers—were a later and
more grand example of these facilities. The huge, vaulted interior
contained baths, swimming pools, lecture halls, lounges, and exercise
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 50
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
preference for symmetry around an axis. The standard domus italica, or
early Republican house, consisted of an entrance corridor a main room
(atrium) open to the sky with a central basin for the collection of
rainwater, a series of small bedrooms an office area, a dining room, a
kitchen, and perhaps a small garden. The front rooms of the house might
open onto the street and serve as shops.
During the late Republic and early empire, Roman houses
became ever more elaborate. Greek-style columns were installed in the
atrium, was expanded and framed by a colonnade (peristyle), and the
decoration became quite lavish.

The Villa and the Palace

Suburban villas, such as those owned by the statesman and orator Cicero
and other famous Romans, often incorporated fields, lakes, shrines, and
thermal complexes. It had grand reception halls, public dining areas,
fountains, and a garden in the form of a stadium, in addition to a
residential wing. The finest of the preserved imperial villas is that
(begun AD 118) of Hadrian at Tivoli.

Pont du Gard near Nîmes, France

Built by the Romans in the late 1st century, this aqueduct channeled fresh
water to Nîmes from springs 50 km (31 mi) from the city. This sturdy
structure, which still stands, testifies to the remarkable engineering skills
of the Romans.

Residences
Although the public buildings were generally the grandest and costliest Canopus at Hadrian's Villa
structures in the city, most of the area of a Roman town was occupied by The villa of Hadrian, at Tivoli, Italy, constructed between AD 118 and
private residences. 134, was the largest Roman villa ever built. This view shows one end of
the Canopus, a pool named after the two-mile canal connecting Canopus
The Domus: Family dwellings then as today were built in a wide and Alexandria in Greece. The Canopus consists of a series of pillars
variety of shapes and sizes, but the Roman domus usually displayed the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 51
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
and arches interspersed with copies of Greek sculptures surrounding an More modest residences were on the top floors and often had little
elongated pool. furniture except for sleeping pallets and no cooking facilities.
The Insula: City dwellers of the imperial period who could not afford Facing the street were small shops where butchers, bakers, pillow
private residences lived in insulae, multistory brick and concrete makers, and other merchants sold their wares. A trough on the street
structures strikingly similar to modern apartment houses. The best- provided water for all occupants of the insula.
preserved examples are at Ostia, the port of Rome at the mouth of the
Tiber River, and date from the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

Roman Tombs
One kind of building that was almost always located outside the city
proper was the tomb. Roman tombs, usually set up beside the major
roads leading in and out of the cities, exhibit an extraordinary variety of
forms because they reflect the personal tastes of private patrons and
because their simple function—to house the bodies or cremated remains
of the dead—could be satisfied with almost any shape.

Triumphal Arches
Chief among these are the honorary, or so-called triumphal, arches
erected in all parts of the empire. Although almost none of the great
statuary groups (often chariot groups) that once crowned these arches
have survived, the original purpose of such monuments was solely to
Roman Insula: In early Rome, single-family homes were generally
support honorific statuary; the arches were very plain.
reserved for very wealthy aristocrats. Most ordinary citizens lived in a
Under Augustus and
building of several stories that resembled a modern apartment complex.
succeeding
Known as an insula, this type of urban structure featured living quarters
emperors, however,
for a range of income groups side by side with shops and restaurants.
the arches
Prosperous families often occupied more than one floor, possibly built
themselves became
around an interior open-air courtyard. Entry might be through an atrium
more and more
or reception room where the family kept a shrine to the household gods.
elaborate. They
eventually developed
The center of the atrium could also be open to the outdoors and feature a
into veritable
small pool or impluvium that captured rainwater. Other rooms in the
billboards covered
house usually included a dining area where family members and guests
with extensive series
ate while reclining on couches and a kitchen where food was prepared
of relief panels
and then cooked over hot coals.
advertising the
victories and good
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 52
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
deeds of the emperors. captives, scenes of Romans fighting Gauls, and panels of captured arms
The reliefs often recounted specific historical events, but frequently and armor.
allegorical scenes were also depicted in which an emperor might appear
in the company of the gods or receive the homage of kneeling
personifications of conquered peoples. Among the most important
preserved arches in the capital are the Arch of Titus (about AD 81), in the
Roman Forum, and the Arch of Constantine (AD 315), near the
Colosseum.

Early Christian Architecture:

Introduction:
First, however, Christianity had to settle its relation to the political order.
The loyalty of Christians to ―Jesus as Lord,‖ however, was
irreconcilable with the worship of the Roman emperor as ―Lord,‖ and
those emperors, such as Trajan and Marcus Aurelius, who were the most
deeply committed to unity and reform were also the ones who
recognized the Christians as a threat to those goals and who therefore
undertook to eliminate the threat.

Arch of Constantine
The Arch of Constantine, Rome, (312-5) was built to commemorate Constantine
the Great’s victory over Maxentius, making Constantine the absolute monarch of
the Roman Empire. The arch is actually three arches, with four freestanding
columns and elaborates sculptural ornamentation.
The arch erected in honor of Constantine the Great presents a mixture of
reliefs reused from earlier monuments and new reliefs made specifically
for the arch.
The panels and friezes depict a host of subjects, including scenes of
battle, sacrifice, and the distribution of largess. In the reused reliefs the
head of Constantine the Great was routinely substituted for those of his
predecessors.
Richly decorated arches are also found outside Rome. At Benevento in
southern Italy a grand arch with 14 panels honoring the emperor Trajan
was put up about AD 114. At Orange in France, the Arch of Tiberius (AD
25) is covered with representations of military trophies and bound
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 53
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
the empire, but even beyond its eastern borders, far into Asia, Christian
monks devoted themselves to prayer, asceticism, and service.
The conversion of Constantine assured the church a privileged place in
society, and it became easier to be a Christian than not to be one. As a
result, Christians began to feel that standards of Christian conduct and to
follow the full-time profession of Christian discipline as a monk.
From its early beginnings in the Egyptian desert, with the hermit
St. Anthony, Christian monasticism spread too many parts of the
Christian empire during the 4th and 5th centuries. Not only in Greek and
Latin portions of the empire, but even beyond its eastern borders, far
into Asia, Christian monks devoted themselves to prayer, asceticism,
and service.

Early Christian Art and Architecture

Early Christian Art and Architecture, art works and buildings produced
between the 3rd and 7th centuries for the Christian church.

The period overlaps the Late Antique period—Roman art and

architecture of the late 2nd to the 7th century—as well as the first three
centuries—5th to 7th century—of Byzantine art and architecture.
Christianity in the 4th and 5th Centuries Until 313 AD, by which Emperor Constantine the Great made
Christianity one of the Roman Empire's state religions, Christian art was
During the 4th and 5th centuries, Christianity was the dominant religion
restricted to the decoration of the hidden places of worship, such as
of the Mediterranean world. From Ireland in the west to Ethiopia in the
catacombs and meeting houses called titulae (converted private houses).
southeast, people throughout the world had converted to the new
Most of the early representatives in painting and sculpture were derived
Christian faith. Only one century later, the extent of Christianity would
from Roman art, appropriately stylized to suit the spirituality of the
change drastically due to the spread of a new religion, Islam.
religion.
By the beginning of the 4th century, Christianity had grown so much in
An iconography was devised to visualize Christian concepts. For
size and in strength that it had to be either eradicated or accepted.
example, Christ was symbolized by a fish, a cross, or a lamb, or by the
Emperor Diocletian tried to eradicate and failed; Constantine accepted
combined Greek letters chi and as a monogram. Christ the Good
and created a Christian empire. The conversion of Constantine assured
Shepherd was often shown as a beardless young man.
the church a privileged place in society, and it became easier to be a
Christian than not to be one.
As a result, Christians began to feel that standards of Christian conduct Two types of plans
were being lowered and that the only way to obey the moral imperatives In general, two types of plans predominate: the basilica, processional in
of Christ was to flee the world and to follow the full-time profession of form, with a long axis running from a centered doorway to the altar at
Christian discipline as a monk. Not only in Greek and Latin portions of the other end of the building; and the centralized church, of circular or
polygonal plan, with one large central space, usually with a dome
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 54
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
overhead. churches. In Rome the principal shrines became the sites of enormous
The two basic shapes are combined in many different ways, and timber-roofed basilicas, all erected in the 4th and 5th centuries.
either one can be modulated to a cross like form by the addition of
projecting wings, either in the form of a Greek cross (with arms of equal
length) or a Latin cross (with one longer arm, the nave). Elaborate
churches may have separate rooms for baptism, for treasures and relics,
and for administration. They may also have more than one altar and
subsidiary chapels.

An Early Christian Basilica

The basilica is an ancient Roman building type on which early Christian
church designs were based. Basilicas have a long central hall, or nave,
separated from side aisles by rows of columns. At the end of the nave is
Two Basic Church Plans a raised platform, or bema, where an altar typically stood. Behind the
The two basic designs in Christian church architecture are the basilica bema is a semicircular apse. People enter the basilica through a roofed
and the centralized structure. Rome’s Santa Costanza, an example of the porch, or narthex, that faces onto a square courtyard called an atrium.
centralized plan, features a domed cylindrical core surrounded by a The roofed walkways on the side of the atrium form an ambulatory.
circular ambulatory. St. Sernin, the Romanesque cathedral at Toulouse, The plan often included an atrium, or forecourt; a narthex, or porch; a
France, provides an example of the basilica. Shaped like a cross, it long nave (central hall) flanked by side aisles; a transept hall crossing
features a longitudinal floor plan, intersected at one end by a transept. the nave; and a semicircular or polygonal apse (east end of a chapel,
reserved for clergy) opposite the nave. In front of the apse, the altar was
The Basilica set directly over the shrine.
Christian worship, being congregational, requires a hall, and the Roman Pagan spoils (stolen, pillaged goods) were used throughout; columns,
basilica—a civic hall—became the model for both large and small decorative panels, masonry, and bronze roof tiles from imperial
buildings were incorporated in the new structures. Smaller basilican

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 55

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
churches were built in large numbers.

Old Saint Peter's in Rome

Galla Placidia at Ravenna, Italy

The 5th-century Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy, is an Early Christian
mausoleum built in the form of a Greek, or equal-armed cross. This
type of centralized plan, borrowed from classical architecture, usually
features a round or polygonal building topped with a dome. The
structures were used for Early Christian mausoleums, baptisteries,
and martyr shrines.

One of the earliest examples of Christian architecture and an excellent

example of the basilica form, the church known as Old Saint Peter‘s, in
Rome, Italy, was begun in AD 333 and demolished in the 16th century by
order of Pope Julius II to make way for the new Saint Peter‘s. Based on
the shape of a Latin cross, Old Saint Peter‘s had a long nave (central
aisle) with a transept (projecting wings) crossing the nave near the front
of the church. Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337)
commissioned the construction of Old Saint Peter‘s as a church and
Byzantine Architecture:
public hall after legalizing the Christian religion.
Introduction:
The Centralized Building Byzantine Empire survived after the breakup of the Western Empire in
Baptisteries were also built in centralized form. They were either circular the 5th century AD. Its capital was Constantinople (now Istanbul,
or polygonal, with the object of veneration—the baptismal font, the holy Turkey). Constantinople became a capital of the Roman Empire in 330
place—visible to the faithful from the cloister or aisle circling the site. A after Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, refounded the
typical baptistery is that found at Galla Placidia (5th century) in Ravenna city of Byzantium and named it after himself. Only gradually did it
Italy. develop into the true capital of the eastern Roman provinces—those

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 56

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
areas of the empire in southeastern Europe, southwestern Asia, and the together with substantial expenses incurred in erecting public buildings
northeast corner of Africa, which included the present-day countries of and churches—in particular, Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy
the Balkan Peninsula, and Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt, Wisdom) in Constantinople—overstrained the empire's resources, while
and the eastern part of Libya. plagues reduced its population.
The empire, ruled by an emperor without any formal constitution, slowly
formed a synthesis of late Roman institutions, orthodox Christianity, and Byzantine Art and Architecture
Greek language and culture. Byzantine Art and Architecture of the Byzantine originated chiefly in
Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), the ancient Greek town of
Byzantium, which the Roman emperor Constantine the Great chose in
AD330 as his new capital and named for himself.
The Byzantine Empire continued for almost 1000 years after the
collapse of the Western Empire in 476. Byzantine art eventually spread
throughout most of the Mediterranean world and eastward to Armenia.
The Hellenistic heritage was never entirely lost to Byzantine art but
continued to be a source of inspiration and renewal. In this process,
however, the classical idiom was drastically modified in order to express
the transcendental character of the Orthodox faith.
Early Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries had simply taken over
the style and forms of classical paganism. The most typical form of
Byzantine Empire classical art was the freestanding statue, which emphasized a tangible
Lepcis Magna became part of the Byzantine Empire by the 6th century, physical presence.
after suffering invasions by Germanic tribes. With the triumph of Christianity, artists sought to evoke the spiritual
The Byzantine Empire evolved from the Roman Empire‘s eastern character of sacred figures rather than their bodily substance.
territories after the Roman Empire‘s western regions fell in the 5th Sculpture was largely confined to ivory plaques (called diptychs) in low
century. Arabs soon took control of this part of North Africa, however, relief, which minimized sculpturesque effects.
and Lepcis Magna was eventually abandoned. Mosaics were the favored medium for the interior adornment of
Byzantine churches. The small cubes, or tesserae, that composed
Early Period mosaics were made of colored glass or enamels or were overlaid with
Constantine the Great established precedents for the harmony of church gold leaf.
and imperial authorities that persisted throughout the history of the The luminous effects of the mosaics, spread over the walls and vaults of
empire. The church acquired vast landed estates and, along with the the interior, were well adapted to express the mystic character of
emperor himself, was the largest landholder during most of the empire's Orthodox Christianity. At the same time their rich, jewel-like surfaces
history. were also in keeping with the magnificence of the imperial court,
Emperor Justinian I and his wife, Theodora, attempted to restore the presided over by the emperor, the de facto head of the Orthodox Church.
former majesty, intellectual quality, and geographic limits of the Roman
Empire. At great cost, they reconquered, between 534 and 565, North Byzantine Domes
Africa, Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, and parts of Spain. This effort, however,
Now, domes in themselves present no particular structural difficulties;
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 57
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
the Romans had already used them to stunning effect-notably with the
Pantheon in the 2nd century.

And for a less sophisticated example one has only to think of the igloo.
But the igloo and the Pantheon are both in themselves circular.
The problem arose when the dome had to be set upon a square base. No
one is sure who hit upon the final solution, but that solution-the pendent-
must rank with the arch and the vaults a key invention in architectural
history.

Its soundness had been triumphantly proved at Santa Sophia, where each
giant pendent is over sixty feet high, and thereafter the dome-pendent
arrangement became the dominant feature in Byzantine churches.
The result was to change the axis of the whole church, which in the early
basilicas had been horizontal.
Now, the horizontals disappeared and the eyes were drawn, instead,
upwards to the dome--where, in all probability, they were met by those of
Christ.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 58

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 Hagia Sophia, or the Church of the Holy Wisdom, in Constantinople,
built in five years by Justinian and consecrated in 537, is the
supreme example of the centralized type.
 Although the unadorned exterior masses of Hagia Sophia build up to
an imposing pyramidal complex, as in all Byzantine churches it is
the interior that counts.
 In Hagia Sophia the architects Anthemius and Isidorus created one
of the great interior spaces in the history of architecture.
 The vast central dome, which rises some 56 m (185 ft) from the
pavement, is dramatically poised over a circle of light radiating from
the cornea of windows at its base.
 Four curved or spherical triangles, called pendentives, support its rim
and are in turn locked into the corners of a square formed by four
huge arches.
 The transition between the circular dome and its square base,
achieved through the use of pendentives, was a major contribution of
Byzantine builders to the development of architecture.
 To the east a vast semi dome surmounts the three large vaulted
niches of the sanctuary below.
St. Sophia in Constantinople  Arcades that recall the arcaded naves of the basilica churches occupy
the ground story on the north and south sides of the central square.
 To the west is another huge semi dome preceding a barrel-vaulted
narthex

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 59

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 60

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE:  In AD622, the year that established the Islamic calendar, Muhammad
made his flight (Arabic hijrah) to the city of Yathrib (later Medina).
Islam is one of the three major world religions. In the Arabic language, There, a community of believers developed who worshiped in
the word Islam means ―surrender‖ or ―submission‖—submission to the Muhammad's house compound.
will of God. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim, which in Arabic
means ―one who surrenders to God.‖  The common prayers of the new community in this simple setting—
an enclosed oblong courtyard with huts along one side wall and a
The Arabic name for God, Allah, refers to the God worshiped by Jews rough portico (the zulla, originally for shade) at one end for the
and Christians. Islam‘s central teaching is that there is only one all- poorer followers—established the mosque form.
powerful, all-knowing God, and this God created the universe.
This rigorous monotheism, as well as the Islamic teaching that all  Almost all mosques, therefore, repeat the plan of Muhammad's
Muslims are equal before God, provides the basis for a collective sense of house, being composed essentially of an enclosed courtyard (sahn), a
loyalty to God that transcends class, race, nationality, and even building at one end for prayer, and arcades (riwaqs) on the sides.
differences in religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one
community, the umma, irrespective of their ethnic or national  The first followers of Muhammad, coming from the Arabian
background. Peninsula, had no native artistic traditions comparable to those of the
empires they subsequently conquered, which they then took as their
Officials in Islam: starting point.
• The Muezzin –who calls the faithful to prayer
• The khatib– who preaches  As Islam spread, its art forms developed, modified by the different
• Amir– administrative officer climatic conditions and available materials in the lands of Islamic
• Sultan–Civil and military leader conquest, and absorbing and adapting indigenous (native place) art
• The Imam- the prayer leader styles. Motifs from one area soon became universal in the vast
Islamic world.
Origen & Character of Islamic Architecture:
 Islamic art thus developed from many sources. Roman, Early
 Two dominant features of Islamic art and architecture, the importance Christian, and Byzantine styles were taken over in early Islamic
of calligraphic ornamentation and the form of the mosque, are architecture; the influence of Sassanian art and the architecture,
intimately related to the Islamic faith and were developed in the early decorative art of pre-Islamic Persia under the Sassanids—was of
days of the religion. paramount significance; Central Asian styles were brought in with
Turkic and Mongol incursions; and Chinese influences had a
 The Prophet Muhammad was a wealthy merchant of Mecca who formative effect on Islamic painting, pottery, and textiles.
underwent a profound series of revelations when he was about 40
years of age and began to preach a new faith. These revelations,  Two dominant features of Islamic art and architecture is calligraphic
which to Muslims are the word of God, are contained in the Qur‘an ornamentation and the form of the mosque influencing the design
(Koran), the sacred book of Islam. and construction of buildings and structures within the sphere of
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 61
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Islamic cultures. Architectural Character:

 The principle architectural types of Islamic architecture are; the Islamic architecture has been called as "architecture of the veil" because
Mosque, the Tomb, the Palace and the Fort. The Islamic the beauty lies in the inner spaces (courtyards and rooms) which are not
architecture style based on the followings; visible from the outside (street view). Arabic Calligraphy is used to
enhance the interior of a building by providing quotations from the
Religious: Qur'an.

 According to Koran there are two dogmas/religion belief ― there is no The character of Islamic architecture based on the three-basic principles
God but Allah and Mohammed is his Prophet‖ such as geometry, axis and symmetry are visible in most of the Islamic
buildings and monuments.
 The earliest congregational mosques for Friday prayers were square
enclosures surrounded by reeds and oriented towards Kaaba at Meka The use of grandiose forms such as large domes, towering minarets, and
large courtyards are intended to convey power.
Geographical:
The key-architectural characters in Islamic architecture are;
 The Muslims originally were from the nomadic ‗Sahara‘ desert
tribes;  Islamic religious art does not include or permit the
 later on the desert tribe people came under one common faith- the representation/use of natural form in their architecture.
Muslim religion which adopted a different style known as Islamic  The pointed, horseshoe, multifoil, and ogee arches are used in
style or Mohammedan style their buildings or monuments externally and internally.
Geological:

 The architecture is characterized according to the availability of

building materials in different countries
 Domes were constructed in bricks and covered externally with
plaster in Persia, that in stone in Egypt and India
 Plaster was used for wall decoration in Egypt, Spain and elsewhere.

Climatic:

 Most of the countries have hot climate, hence to protect from sever
heat, sheltering arcades were provided.
 Windows were small and usually filled with intricate geometric
designs
 The dwellings were usually of flat roof
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 62
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 Geometrical surface decoration known as Arabesques are used 1. Mosque: It is an enclosed oblong courtyard with huts along one
especially for interiors structures; side wall and a rough portico (the zulla, originally for shade) at one
end for the poorer followers—established the mosque form. Or
 Four centered domes and cupolas (dome shaped roof) are used as
Mosque is Muhammad's house, being composed essentially of an
roof structure in their belonging buildings.
enclosed courtyard (sahn), a building at one end for prayer, and
 Large courtyards often merged with a central prayer hall. arcades on the sides. Mosque has the followings
 Minarets or towers are the elevated element in Islamic religion
architecture. o It housed no deity, commemorated no historic event, contained no
sanctuary;
 Mihrab or niche on an inside wall indicating the direction to o The ritual requirements were simple:
Mecca.
o A wall to indicate the direction of Mecca (called Quibla Wall) and
an area in which the faithful assemble. The essential futures of the
Mosque is;

a) Minaret: It is a tall tower with stairs leading up to one or more

balconies from which the faithful are called to prayer by the Muezzin
(5 times) –it can be round or square. It can be 1,2,4,6 or 7 in number.
b) Court/Courtyard: It is used for the congregation. Such an adapted
basilica was combined with an enclosed courtyard having arcades at
the side; it contained all the basic features of the Prophet's house at
Medina.
c) Mihrab: It is an arched niche in the mosque indicating the direction
of prayer- MEKAH. It indicates the holy city focal point of
decoration. The development of Mihrab came from, when the
Muslims conquered Syria in 636; they took over for use as mosques
many of the basilican churches that abounded there. These basilicas
were long, triple-arched buildings with pitched roofs and with the
Islamic Architectural Style: The principle architectural types of Islamic altar at the eastern end. The new worshipers placed the Mihrab on
architecture are; the southern wall and made new entrances in the northern wall.
Thus, the congregation prayed across the aisles.
1. Mosque;
2. Madrasa
3. Tomb;
4. Palace;
5. Fort.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 63
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

f) Mimbar & Maqqsura: The first known use of a mimbar (pulpit) was
d) Fountain/ablution pool (hauz): It is used for ceremonial washing in the mosque of Medina; originally used as a seat, it soon became a
before prayer. Before prayers, the faithful cleaned their faces, hands, true pulpit for preaching. Maqqsura is a screen or enclosure placed
feet, and rinsed their mouths. Cleansing was an act that was both around the mihrab to protect the leaders of the community during
symbolic and literal to prepare oneself to meet with God in prayer. services; this structure was developed after three early caliphs were
murdered.
g) Dome: Domes, a great feature of all Islamic architecture, developed
both from Sassanian and Early Christian architectural sources. The
earliest surviving mosque is the Dome of the Rock (late 7th century)
at Jerusalem, one of the great religious structures of the world.

The dome design is derived from Roman architecture, possibly in

emulation of the 4th-century Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also in
Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock, therefore, does not conform to
the basic mosque plan. Its dome is gilded, and all its other surfaces
are covered inside and out by colorful tile mosaic.

Dome of the Rock: The oldest extant Islamic structure, the Dome of the
Rock stands on the sacred rock in Jerusalem where the Prophet
Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven. Caliph Abd al-
Malik built the mosque during the late 7th century. The mosque‘s basic
e) Eyvan: An eyvan is an open, vaulted up to two-story passageway or octagonal design encloses a central space topped by a dome. A rich
hall, was introduced into each side of the arcades surrounding the mosaic decoration covers the outer walls.
mosque courtyard. The eyvan had its roots in the architecture of
Sassanian Iran.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 64

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
3. Tombs/Mausoleum: In Islamic stricture the building of elaborate
tombs, mausoleums, erected as symbols of the power of departed
leaders, became the most important structures of Islam, after
mosques and palaces.

Examples include the necropolis of domed tombs built outside Cairo

by the Mamluk rulers of Egypt in the 15th century. In Samarqand
(now in Uzbekistan), the Timurids constructed a necropolis, the Sah-
i-Zindeh (15th-16th cent.), an impressive group of buildings with
elegantly patterned brickwork and high tiled domes on drums.
In Iran, under the Mongol conquerors, a special kind of tomb was
2. Madrasas: It is a new kind of religious building for religious developed. The large 14th-century mausoleum at Sultaniyah has a
seminaryof learning and for prayer was introduced in eastern Iran. Its dome of double construction, giving greater height without added
form, based on Sassanian architecture, was taken over into a new kind weight, on an octagonal base (originally with a tower at each corner).
of mosque that soon spread too many countries. The most outstanding example of this form, it is the predecessor of
one of the most famous of all Islamic mausoleums, the Taj Mahal
For example, the madrasa and madrasa-mosque have eyvans on four (mid-17th cent.), in Āgra, India, built by two Iranian architects.
sides (with a larger one in front of the qibla), connected by two-story
arcades. In the madrasa these arcades lead to dormitories; in the mosque Tomb of Emperor Jahangir, Lahore in India was built in the 17th
they are simply niches. In some late madrasas the courtyard is covered by century, the tomb of the Emperor Jahangir, in Lahore, Pakistan, is
a dome. At Eşfahān (Isfahan), Iran, is an early, great example of a intricately decorated with a variety of patterns and colors. Seen here is
madrasa-mosque. Later examples of madrasa-mosques, both in Eşfahān the outer wall and one of the four minarets that surround the garden in
and both of the 17th century, are the Masjid-i-Shah with its high, pointed, which the emperor's tomb is located.
tiled dome behind the main eyvan, and its interior surfaces and stalactites
covered with tile; and the Masjid-i-Shaikh Lutfullah, with an even more
extravagantly tiled dome.

Taj Mahal, India was designed as a tomb for the wife of a 17th-century
Mughal emperor, was constructed by about 20,000 workers from 1631
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 65
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
to 1648 in Āgra, a city in northern India. The massive domed structure complex. Most perfect example of Islamic architecture and exterior of
was constructed in the Indo-Islamic style, using white marble and inlaid bright red burnet brick.
gems. At each corner is a minaret (prayer tower), and passages from the
Qur'an (Koran), the Muslim holy book, adorn the outside walls. The
bodies of the emperor and his wife remain in a vault below the building.

Caravanserai ("Caravan Inns"): It a courtyard type building with

single or double stored and it was used for travelers to take rest and
shelter as they traveled between the widely spaced cities and towns. This o The palaces are arranged to form a dense network of rooms
was built by the rulers to encourage trade which they taxed. The main mediated by airy gardens with pools of water;
function to receive travelers and merchandise. It was consisted of o Ornaments, lustrous (shining) tiling and variegated marble
courtyards to take care of animals. (different color marble.
o Salons, courtyards, pavilions, fountains and shady loggias

Fort & Palace: Islamic rulers also constructed buildings for military
aspects. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain(1238 -73) was the first and
foremost a fortification, and exemplifies the military aspects of the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 66
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 After the breakdown of the Roman economy and culture, skilled
Romanesque Architecture: architects and organizations of trained artisans no longer existed.

 The period in the history of Europe that lasted from AD 350 to AD  Important buildings were also constructed by the monastic orders.
1450 is the beginning of the Middle Ages, the western half of the Monasticism, a characteristic religious and social manifestation of
Roman Empire began to fragment into smaller, weaker kingdoms. By the period, required vast building complexes to house the monks and
the end of the Middle Ages, many modern European states had taken their chapels, cloisters, libraries, and workshops.
shape.
 New building skills were developed, particularly by the monks of the
 The time between the fall of Rome in 5 c. and about 15 c. is often
th th Benedictine and Cistercian orders.
called the Dark Age, which includes three periods the Pre -
Romanesque the Romanesque and the Gothic. Due to this  An outstanding achievement of Romanesque architects was the
Romanesque architecture comes under medieval architecture. development of architecture of stone vaulted buildings. A major
reason for the development of masonry vaulting was the need to
 Romanesque Art and Architecture flourished of Western Europe replace the highly flammable wooden roofs of the pre-Romanesque
about AD 1000 to the rise of the Gothic style in most regions by the structures. The attempts to solve new structural problems resulting
latter half of the 12th century. from the use of vaults, especially barrel vaults, were endlessly
varied.
 During the pre-Romanesque periods the Christian church is the only
international bond among the states of Western Europe, continued the The Romanesque Architecture was mainly flourishing in the following
diffusion of Roman culture from its center in Rome. regions of Europe:
 Italy
 By the end of the pre-Romanesque period, Roman stylistic elements  France
had fused with elements coming from Byzantium; from the Middle  England
East, especially Syria, by way of Byzantium; and from the Germans,  Germany
Celts, and other northern tribes.  Spain
Italy
 The various combinations of these influences created in Western  In the Italian provinces the diversity of styles during the
Europe a multiplicity of local styles that have acquired the generic Romanesque period was great.
name Romanesque, meaning ―in the manner of the Roman.‖  An Italian style showing great structural ingenuity developed in
Lombardia.
 Because many of the principal remaining monuments of pre-  It is characterized by the frequent use of the groined vault, and the
Romanesque and Romanesque art are the various styles of these buildings are somberly impressive because of the heavy proportions
periods are often differentiated by a description of the schools of and details that accompany the vaulting.
architecture.  Another extremely important Italian Romanesque style is that of
central Italy, which shows few structural innovations, and typically
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 67
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
continues the tradition of the Early Christian basilica by employing Cathedral Group at Pisa
classical decorative elements.
This group of buildings, built from 1053 to 1272 at Pisa, in Italy, includes a
 In the provinces around Rome the style is best represented by the campanile (bell tower), better known as
medieval basilicas in Rome.  the Leaning Tower, rear right;
 The churches of Tuscany are less monumental and generally have a  a cathedral, center;
livelier scheme of decoration than the Roman churches.  a baptistery, left.
 The use of colored marble in geometric patterns is characteristic, The tiers of open colonnades (series of columns) throughout the group
are characteristic of the Romanesque style of architecture, which preceded the
particularly in the form of alternating bands of black and white.
Gothic style in Western Europe.
 Open arcades, colonnades, and galleries are also important features of The campanile began leaning during construction due to the settling of
the interiors and exteriors, and the facades are often decorated with the foundation.
sculptures in relief.
 Outstanding examples of the Romanesque school form are a group of Leaning Tower of Pisa
buildings at Pisa.  Leaning Tower of Pisa, known as the campanile, is a freestanding
bell tower, of the cathedral of Pisa, Italy.
Pisa Group, Italy  Like the cathedral and associated baptistery, the tower was built in
Pisa group includes the cathedral begun in 1063; the baptistery, the Romanesque style.
begun in 1153; and the famous leaning tower, a freestanding bell tower,  The tower is renowned for its marked tilt. This spectacular
begun in 1173. irregularity has tended to obscure the fact that it is also a magnificent
example of Romanesque architecture and decoration.
 Begun in 1173, the eight-story round tower is 55 m (180 ft) tall and
16 m (52 ft) in diameter at the base.
 The ground floor is encircled by a blind arcade, or series of walled-in
arches.
 Six additional levels of open galleries, consisting of round arches
supported on columns, are surmounted by the bell chamber,
somewhat smaller in diameter.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 68

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 The first attempts to counter the lean of the structure were made in
1275, when construction resumed. By 1301 six stories were
Leaning Tower of complete, and the tower was finished about 1350.
Pisa  At its summit, the structure tilts about 5 m (16 ft) from the vertical,
and the lean is said to be increasing at a rate of about 1 mm (about
Started in 1173, the
Leaning Tower of Pisa 1/25 of an inch) per year.
in Pisa, Italy, is an  Italian physicist Galileo conducted his famous experiments with
example of gravity and the relative speed of falling objects from the top story of
Romanesque the tower.
architecture.
 The structure has been closed to the public since 1990 due to safety
and conservation concerns.
The leaning structure
is actually the France
campanile (Italian for
The French Romanesque schools of architecture are
“belfry” or “bell tower”)
of the cathedral of characterized by a varied use of vaulted styles.
Pisa. Even in Provence the nave is usually covered with a barrel vault.
In proportions and details, however, the Provençal churches
closely follow Roman examples.
Among the most classical-appearing Romanesque buildings
outside Italy is the Church (formerly Cathedral) of Saint Trophime at
 Although the Arles, the principal parts of which date from the 12th century.
tower's ancient bells remain in place, they are no longer rung. In the region of southwestern France, architects adopted the
 The interior of the tower is occupied by a 294-step spiral staircase Byzantine structural
that leads to the bell chamber. principle of vaulting the
 The exterior is adorned with fine multicolored marbles and excellent nave with a series of
carved work. domes.
 The doorway, which is especially ornate, features grotesque carvings Characteristic
of animals. features include pointed
 Construction of the campanile stretched over a period of nearly 200 domes and facades
years, partly because of delays caused by the tower's persistent decorated with tiers of
structural problems. wall arcades filled with
sculpture.
 By the time the first three stories were completed, one side of the
The school that
tower had already begun to sink into the soft soil, and construction
developed in the in
was halted for nearly 100 years.
central France
represents a provincial
development of the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 69
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
varied experiments in solving the vaulting problem in various pilgrimage churches in which groined vaults supported by flying buttresses
churches. appeared in a closely worked-out and well-integrated relationship.
Norman innovations in vaulting, and the Norman facade,
Autun characterized by two high flanking towers, were adopted in the Île-de-
France region in north-central France.
The Romanesque Cathedral of Saint Lazare, parts of which date back to the
12th century, dominates the town of Autun. The town sits at the juncture of
valleys amid hills in the historic region of Burgundy in eastern France. England
 Romanesque architecture in England most of the buildings were of
In southern France provide early examples of the use of a long choir with wood and those built of stone in the 10th and 11th centuries was
side aisles and, around the semicircular sanctuary, an arcaded ambulatory small and roughly constructed.
(semicircular aisle) with radiating chapels, a plan called a chevet.  The Norman Romanesque style from about 1120 to 1200 numerous
This type of plan was later adopted and elaborated in the Gothic monumental Norman structures were erected, including the main
style. Saint Sernin is also notable for its imposing central tower, finished portions of the cathedrals at Ely, Durham, Lincoln, Winchester, and
at a later date, barrel-vaulted nave, symmetrical composition, and rich Gloucester.
details.
Notre-Dame-la-Grande, France
 With its stone construction,
vaulting, and decorative
ornamental facade, the
church known as Notre-
Dame-la Grande (begun in
the 12th century), in Poitiers,
France.

 It stands as an important
example of French Romanesque architecture.
 The facade of the church displays an elaborate stone-carved relief
highlighting numerous figures sitting and standing within bordered arcades.
 Portions of the exterior recall techniques used during the Roman Empire,
especially the pointed scales lining the conical turrets, designed to look like
Roman tile.
In Burgundy the barrel-vaulted, three-aisled type of basilican church
Ely Cathedral
was highly developed, the spread of these orders popularized Burgundian
building methods throughout Europe. Ely Cathedral is an important
Norman architects assimilated the methods of vaulting developed Norman church in the eastern
in Lombardy and created an original style, exemplified in the abbey county of Cambridge shire. The
cathedral was begun in 1083 and took more than 200 years to
complete.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 70
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 Santiago de Compostela, is the place where the bones of the apostle
 Naves were covered with flat roofs, which were often later replaced Saint James had reputedly been discovered in the 9th century.
by vaults, side aisles were generally covered with groined vaults.  The barrel vault was generally used over the nave, and groined
 Other characteristics of the style include heavy walls and piers, long vaults covered the side aisles.
and narrow buildings, rectangular apses, double transepts, and deeply  Typical example the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela (1075-
recessed portals that were decorated with zigzag and beak moldings. 1128), one of the most popular pilgrimage churches of the period
and the most grandiose of the Spanish Romanesque buildings.
Germany  Subsequent remodeling has obscured its original appearance.
 German Romanesque churches were often planned on a large scale, Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
but show little interest outside the Rhineland in using a system of
nave vaulting. Santiago de
 The great cathedrals were built with wooden roofs; vaults were Compostela Cathedral
is the historic burial-
subsequently added. place of Saint James,
 The cathedral at Speyer (begun 1030, vaulted 1125) were covered one of the apostles of
with square groined vault. Jesus Christ.

Speyer Cathedral Construction on the

granite structure,
The cathedral at Speyer, Germany, was begun in 1030 with a flat timber roof. located in Santiago de
Compostela, Spain,
It was rebuilt between 1082 and 1125 with stone groin vaults. This view shows began in the late 11th
the east end, with its rounded apse topped by a gabled section, known as a fore century.
choir, and twin towers that are repeated at the west end of the cathedral;
The cathedral was the
 Many of the churches are of considerable height and often have an goal of several
apse or sanctuary at each end. medieval pilgrimages
 Round or octagonal towers are grouped around choirs and transepts and remains a site of
and, with the larger towers at the facade and over the center of the religious devotion.
structure, make a picturesque and fantastic silhouette.
Construction began
around 1070-1100, as an enlargement of a smaller church on the same
Spain site. The granite cathedral is mostly Romanesque in style. Although it‘s
 Spanish Romanesque architecture was started later period of 11th present appearance reflects alterations made between the 16th and 18th
century. centuries. The west front was refaced between 1738 and 1750 in
 In the 11th century many of the forms developed by the Romanesque Baroque style incorporating the nine towers of the medieval building,
schools of the south of France were adopted for Spanish churches on which were already an identifying landmark to arriving pilgrims. Behind
the pilgrimage route from France to Santiago. the west front is the late-12th-century Pórtico de la Gloria (Portal of
Glory), attributed to Spanish master Mateo and decorated with
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 71
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
sculptures of Christ and various saints, as well as carvings depicting pressures, of the vaults are perfectly contained by isolated piers and
heaven and hell. buttresses (see Buttress) was not achieved until the Gothic period.
The introduction of vaulting led to the general use of heavy walls and
piers in place of the light walls and columns that had sufficed for
wooden roofs.
In the mature Romanesque style, especially as practiced in France, the
use of massive walls and piers as supports for the heavy stone vaults
resulted in a typical building plan that treated the entire structure as a
complex composed of smaller units.
These units, called bays, are the square or rectangular spaces enclosed
by groin vaults; late Romanesque architects tended to use these bays as
their basic building unit, and these separate rectangular bays became a
characteristic and distinguishing feature of the Romanesque style.
Massiveness in stone structures is another major characteristic of
Romanesque architecture. The nave in Romanesque churches was
usually made higher and narrower than in earlier structures in order to
make room for windows, called clerestory windows, in the sidewalls
below the vault.
Doors and windows were usually capped by round arches;
slightly pointed arches were also sometimes employed. These openings
were generally small and decorated with moldings, carvings, and
sculptures that became increasingly rich and varied as the Romanesque
period drew to a close.

Canterbury Cathedral: The interior of Canterbury Cathedral in

Canterbury, England, dating from 1174, uses a ribbed vault made of thin
arches of stone. Typical of Gothic architecture, this allowed for thinner
walls which could accommodate glass windows and a tremendous
increase in height of the structure.

The dome, round and pointed vaults, and plain and ribbed groined
vaulting were used. However, a masonry structure in which the thrusts, or

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 72

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 Gothic architecture is largely a study of cathedrals and churches. The
Gothic Architecture: influence of development of gothic architecture includes;
 The term Gothic was first used during the later Renaissance, the
1. Regional: At the end of the 12th century Europe was divided into a
architecture was developed at that times is called ―Gothic
multitude of city states and kingdoms. The area encompassing
Architecture‖. Angevin kings brought the Gothic tradition from
modern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg,
France to Southern Italy, while Lusignan kings introduced French
Switzerland, Austria, eastern France and much of northern Italy,
Gothic architecture to Cyprus.
excluding Venic, was nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire, but
 Originating in 12th century France and lasting into the 16th century,
local rulers exercised considerable autonomy.
Gothic architecture was known during the period as "Frankish work"
(creative work), with the term Gothic first appearing during the latter
part of the Renaissance. 2. Materials: A further regional influence was the availability of
materials. In France, limestone was readily available in several
grades, the very fine white limestone being favoured for sculptural
 Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during
decoration. England had coarse limestone and red sandstone as well
the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque
as dark green Purbeck marble which were often used for
architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.
architectural features. In Northern Germany, Netherlands, northern
 Gothic architecture characteristic features include the pointed arch, Poland, Scandinavia, and the Baltic countries local building stone
the ribbed vault and flying buttress. was unavailable but there was a strong tradition of building in brick.
The resultant style, Brick Gothic, is called "Backsteingotik" in
 A series of Gothic revivals began in mid-18th century England, Germany and Scandinavia.
spread through 19th-century Europe and continued, largely for
ecclesiastical and university structures, into the 20th century. In Italy, stone was used for fortifications, but brick was preferred for
other buildings. Because of the extensive and varied deposits of marble,
 Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the many buildings were faced in marble. The availability of timber also
great cathedrals (churches), abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also influenced the style of architecture. It is thought that the magnificent
the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, hammer-beam roofs of England were devised as a direct response to the
universities and to a less prominent extent, private dwellings. lack of long straight seasoned timber by the end of the Medieval period,
when forests had been decimated not only for the construction of vast
 The great churches, cathedrals and in a number of civic buildings that
roofs but also for ship building.
the Gothic style was expressed most powerfully, its characteristics
lending themselves to appeal to the emotions.
3. Religious: The early medieval periods had seen a rapid growth in
monasticism (the time of monks) with several different orders being
 A great number of ecclesiastical buildings remain from this period, prevalent and spreading their influence widely. Foremost were the
of which even the smallest are often structures of architectural Benedictines whose great abbey churches vastly outnumbered any
distinction while many of the larger churches are considered priceless others in England. A part of their influence was that they tended to
works of art and are listed with UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. build within towns, unlike the Cistercians whose ruined abbeys are

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 73

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
seen in the remote countryside. architecture before they were structurally employed in medieval
architecture. It thought to have been the inspiration for their use
The Cluniac and Cistercian Orders were prevalent in France, the in France, as at Autun Cathedral, which is otherwise stylistically
great monastery at Cluny having established a formula for a well Romanesque.
planned monastic site which was then to influence all subsequent
monastic building for many centuries. In the 13th century St. In Gothic architecture, ogives are the intersecting transverse ribs of
Francis of Assisi established the Franciscans, or so-called "Grey arches that establish the surface of a Gothic vault. An ogive or ogival
Friars", a mendicant order. The Dominicans, another mendicant arch is a pointed, "Gothic" arch, drawn with compasses as outlined
order founded during the same period but by St. Dominic in above, or with arcs of an ellipse as described.
Toulouse and Bologna, were particularly influential in the building
of Italy's Gothic churches

4. Architectural: Gothic architecture grew out of the previous

architectural genre, Romanesque. For the most part, there was not a
clean break, as there was later to be in Renaissance Florence with the
revival of the Classical style by Brunelleschi in the early 15th
century.

Characteristics of Gothic Architecture:

 In Gothic architecture, a unique combination of existing technologies

established the emergence of a new building style. Those
technologies were the ogival/ pointed arch, the ribbed vault, and the
flying buttress.
 The structural parts of the building ceased to be its solid walls, and
became a stone skeleton comprising clustered columns, pointed  Rib Vault: The intersection of two or three barrel vaults
ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. produces a rib vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with
an armature of piped masonry often carved in decorative
 The main architectural characters of Gothic architecture based n the patterns. While the mechanics of the weight of a groin vault and
followings; its transmission outwards to the supporting pillars remained as it
1. The structurally development pointed arch, ribbed vault and the flying had been, the new use of rib vaults demonstrates the skill of the
buttress. masons and the grandeur of the new ideas circulating at the
introduction of Gothic architecture in the end of the eleventh
 Pointed Arch: It is one of the defining characteristics of Gothic century.
architecture is the pointed called as ogival arch. These types of
arches were used in the Near East in pre-Islamic as well as Islamic This technique was new in the late eleventh century, for example in
the roofs of the choir side aisles at Durham Cathedral. Some
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 74
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
ribbed vaults even have six sections in each bay (for example, the Flying-Buttress: A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most
sexpartite vault, formed by the intersection of three half "barrels") strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any
buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards (by stone
vaulted ceilings or from wind-loading on roofs) by redirecting them to
the ground.

The characteristic of a flying buttress is that the buttress is not in contact

with the wall all the way to the ground; so that the lateral forces are
transmitted across an intervening space. Flying buttress systems have
two key components - a massive vertical masonry block (the buttress) on
the outside of the building and a segmental or quadrant arch bridging the
gap between that buttress and the wall.

 The aesthetic qualities of Gothic architecture depend on a structural

development that is the ribbed vault.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 75

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
pressure could be counteracted readily by narrow buttresses and by
 Medieval churches had solid stone vaults (the structure that supports external arches, called flying buttresses.
the ceiling or roof). These were extremely heavy structures and
tended to push the walls outward, which could lead to the collapse of  Consequently, the thick walls of Romanesque architecture could be
the building. In turn, walls had to be heavy and thick enough to bear largely replaced by thinner walls with glass windows, and the
the weight of the stone vaults. interiors could reach unprecedented heights.

 Early in the 12th century, masons developed the ribbed vault, which  A revolution in building techniques thus occurred.
consists of thin arches of stone, running diagonally, transversely, and With the Gothic vault, a ground plan could take on a variety of
longitudinally. shapes.

 The new vault, which was thinner, lighter, and more versatile,  The general plan of the cathedrals, however, consisting of a long
allowed a number of architectural developments to take place. three-aisled nave intercepted by a transept and followed by a shorter
choir and sanctuary differs little from that of Romanesque churches.
 Although the earliest Gothic churches assumed a wide variety of
forms, the creation of a series of large cathedrals in northern France,  The cathedrals also retained and expanded the loveliest creation of
beginning in the second half of the 12th century, took full advantage French Romanesque architecture, the chevet—the complex of forms
of the new Gothic vault. at the east end of the church that includes the semicircular aisle
known as the ambulatory corridors, the chapels that radiate
from it, and the lofty polygonal apse encircling the end of the
sanctuary.

2. Structure:

 One of the defining characteristics of Gothic architecture is the

pointed arch. Arches of this type were used in the Near East in pre-
Islamic as well as Islamic architecture before they were structurally
employed in medieval architecture, and are thus thought to have
been the inspiration for their use in France, as at Autun Cathedral,
which is otherwise stylistically Romanesque.
 There was simultaneously a structural evolution towards the pointed
Gothic vault Development: arch, for the purpose of vaulting spaces of irregular plan, or to bring
transverse vaults to the same height as diagonal vaults.
 The architects of the cathedrals found that, since the outward thrusts  Pointed arches also occur extensively in Romanesque decorative
of the vaults were concentrated in the small areas at the springing of blind arcading, where semi-circular arches overlap each other in a
the ribs and were also deflected downward by the pointed arches, the simple decorative pattern, and the points are accidental to the

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 76

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
design.  In Italy, the tower, if present, is almost always detached from the
 The Gothic vault, unlike the semi-circular vault of Roman and building, as at Florence Cathedral, and is often from an earlier
Romanesque buildings, can be used to roof rectangular and structure.
irregularly shaped plans such as trapezoids.
 In France and Spain, two towers on the front is the norm. In
 The other structural advantage is that the pointed arch channels the
England, Germany and Scandinavia this is often the
weight onto the bearing piers or columns at a steep angle. This
arrangement, but an English cathedral may also be surmounted
enabled architects to raise vaults much higher than was possible in
by an enormous tower at the crossing.
Romanesque architecture.
 While, structurally, use of the pointed arch gave a greater flexibility
to architectural form, it also gave Gothic architecture a very different  Vertical Emphasis:
and more vertical visual character to Romanesque.
 In Gothic Architecture the pointed arch is used in every location  The pointed arch lends itself to a suggestion of height. This
where a vaulted shape is called for, both structural and decorative. appearance is characteristically further enhanced by both the
Gothic openings such as doorways, windows, arcades and galleries architectural features and the decoration of the building.
have pointed arches.
 Gothic vaulting above spaces both large and small is usually  On the exterior, the verticality is emphasized in a major way by the
supported by richly moulded ribs. towers and spires and in a lesser way by strongly projecting vertical
 Rows of pointed arches upon delicate shafts form a typical wall buttresses, by narrow half-columns called attached shafts which
decoration known as blind arcading. often pass through several storeys of the building, by long narrow
 Niches with pointed arches and containing statuary are a major windows, vertical moldings around doors and figurative sculpture
external feature. The pointed arch lent itself to elaborate intersecting which emphasizes the vertical and is often attenuated.
shapes which developed within window spaces into complex Gothic  The roofline, gable ends, buttresses and other parts of the building
tracery forming the structural support of the large windows that are are often terminated by small pinnacles, Milan Cathedral being an
characteristic of the style. extreme example in the use of this form of decoration.
 On the interior of the building attached shafts often sweep unbroken
 Height:
from floor to ceiling and meet the ribs of the vault, like a tall tree
spreading into branches.
A characteristic of Gothic church architecture is its height, both absolute
and in proportion to its width, the verticality suggesting an aspiration to  The verticals are generally repeated in the treatment of the windows
Heaven. A section of the main body of a Gothic church usually shows the and wall surfaces. In many Gothic churches, particularly in France,
nave as considerably taller than it is wide. The highest internal vault is at and in the Perpendicular period of English Gothic architecture, the
Beauvais Cathedral at 4 m. treatment of vertical elements in gallery and window tracery creates
a strongly unifying feature that counteracts the horizontal divisions
Externally, towers and spires are characteristic of Gothic churches both of the interior structure.
great and small, the number and positioning being one of the greatest
variables in Gothic architecture. The height of the at 160m.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 77

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 Light: façade is the main portal, often flanked by additional doors. In the arch
of the door, the tympanum is often a significant piece of sculpture, most
One of the most distinctive characteristics of Gothic architecture is the frequently Christ in Majesty and Judgment Day.
expansive area of the windows are very large size. The increase in size
between windows of the Romanesque and Gothic periods is related to the The West Front of a French cathedral and many English, Spanish and
use of the ribbed vault, and in particular, the pointed ribbed vault which German cathedrals generally has two towers, which, particularly in
channeled the weight to a supporting shaft with less outward thrust than a France, express an enormous diversity of form and decoration. However
semicircular vault. Walls did not need to be so weighty. some German cathedrals have only one tower located in the middle of
the façade.
A further development was the flying buttress which arched externally
from the springing of the vault across the roof of the aisle to a large Gothic Architecture: Gothic architecture was includes;
buttress pier projecting well beyond the line of the external wall. These 1. Church or Cathedral
piers were often surmounted by a statue, further adding to the downward 2. Secular and Non-secular building
weight, and counteracting the outward thrust of the vault and buttress
arch as well as stress from wind loading. Church/Cathedral:

The internal columns of the arcade with their attached shafts, the ribs of Most Gothic churches, unless they are entitled chapels, are of the Latin
the vault and the flying buttresses, with their associated vertical cross plan, with a long nave making the body of the church, a transverse
buttresses jutting at right-angles to the building, created a stone skeleton. arm called the transept and, beyond it, an extension which may be called
Between these parts, the walls and the infill of the vaults could be of the choir, chancel or presbytery. There are several regional variations on
lighter construction. Between the narrow buttresses, the walls could be this plan.
opened up into large windows.
The nave is flanked on either side by aisles, usually single, but
Through the Gothic period, due to the versatility of the pointed arch, the sometimes doubles. The nave is generally considerably taller than the
structure of Gothic windows developed from simple openings to aisles, having clerestory windows which light the central space.
immensely rich and decorative sculptural designs. The windows were
very often filled with stained glass which added a dimension of colour to Gothic churches of the Germanic tradition, like St. Stephen of Vienna,
the light within the building, as well as providing a medium for figurative often have nave and aisles of similar height and are called Hallenkirche.
and narrative art. In the South of France there is often a single wide nave and no aisles, as
at Sainte-Marie in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges is example.
Majesty (dignity):
In England it is generally long and may have two distinct sections, both
The façade of a large church or cathedral, often referred to as the West choir and presbytery. It is often square ended or has a projecting Lady
Front, is generally designed to create a powerful impression on the Chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In France the eastern end is often
approaching worshipper, demonstrating both the might of God, and the polygonal and surrounded by a walkway called an ambulatory and
might of the institution that it represents. One of the best known and most sometimes a ring of chapels called a "chevet".
typical of such façades is that of Notre Dame de Paris. Central to the
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 78
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
While German churches are often similar to those of France, in Italy, the  The view here is of the south side, overlooking the Seine River,
eastern projection beyond the transept is usually just a shallow apsidal displaying the dramatic flying buttresses and one of the famous rose
chapel containing the sanctuary, as at Florence Cathedral. windows.
 It was seminal in the evolution of the French Gothic style. It is 110
feet high-the first cathedral built on a truly monumental scale.
 With its compact cruciform plan, its sexpartite vaulting, flying
buttresses and vastly enlarged windows
 It became a prototype for future French cathedrals.

Chartres cathedral (France):

 The cathedral at Chartres, France, has become one of the most

famous Gothic structures in the world, due in large part to the artistry
Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris, France):
of the sculptural detailing and windows, which retain most of their
original stained glass.
 Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, was begun in 1163 and completed
for the most part in 1250. It is one of the best-known Gothic  Construction began on the main building in 1194 after a fire
cathedrals in the world. destroyed an older cathedral on the same site.
 Rising high above the town, it has an interior height of 121 feet.
There are two towers at the west end.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 79
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 The spire rising over the south tower is one of the finest true The English buildings were given boldly projecting transepts, and the
examples of gothic spires in Europe. transepts were generally doubled, giving the church the archiepiscopal-
 The cathedral has 166 windows with stain glass panels. The impact of cross.
sunlight of these stain glass intense reds, blues and violets creates a
magical effect of light and colour for the interior. The east end of the English church was almost invariably square, and
 The cathedral rises above the town of Chartres, its spires and this may represent a Cistercian influence which was encouraged in the
weathered copper roof is visible for miles around. Anglo-Saxon work.
The English vaulting system was more complicated than the French.The
facades became decorative screens, hiding rather than revealing the
arrangement behind them

Salisbury Cathedral (England): Salisbury Cathedral in

Salisbury, England, is an example of English Gothic architecture. It was
built between 1220 and 1260, but the crossing tower, flying buttresses,
and spire were added in the 14th century.
The two sets of transepts on the north and east sides are unusual for
Gothic buildings, as is the pastoral setting.
The English vaulting system was
more complicated than the French.
Ribs soon came to be used even
more for decorative than for
structural purposes and applied
from the point of view of pure

English Gothic: English

Gothic was from French. First
and foremost is the difference
in structural principle. The
flying buttresses system was
not used in England.
The plan of the English design. Ribs of these vaults were
cathedrals was long or appears brought direct up to pavement at the
to be long on account of its bottom. The effect from below is
narrowness. very like that of the branching
foliage of a tree, and one of the
most beautiful in English Gothic.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 80
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 Milan cathedral is the largest and exceptional example of the Italian
Gothic architecture.
Italian Gothic: The Italian architects had little sense of logical
structure, and thus produced buildings which included meager buttress  Its long spreading proportions are Italian, but all its details are of
systems, tied vaults, and lacked all that the French considered most typical northern Gothic.
important in the Gothic style.  It was built between 1386 and 1485 more than 50 architects and
sculptors created its fantastic pinnacles, flying buttresses and
Wall spaces were broad, openings were small and interiors gave an statues, but the building remained unfinished until the 19th century.
impression of roominess which frequently went over into bareness.
Since openings were small and wall spaces were broad, stained glass was  The whole is clad in Candoglia marble, its characteristic rosy
neglected. Its place was taken by mosaic, and especially by fresco, or surface receptive to every change of light.
painting in water color in wet plaster, which was cheap and began to  In this work Italian, French, and German influences mingle.
substitute the mosaic.
 The lofty Italian ground storey and wide inter columniation were
Facades became gorgeous screens, richly decorated in carved marble and
retained.
glass mosaic.
 But the triforium gallery disappeared, and the clear story was
Milan cathedral, Italy reduced.
 On exterior the vertical line was unsparingly emphasized.
 The material was fine marble throughout, and the carving was so
delicate and profuse in figure work, pinnacle and detail that a very
lace like effect was obtained.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 81

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Secular Buildings: These are non-religious building and these are
includes town halls, palaces and castles.

Synagogues, commonly built in the prevailing architectural style of the

period and country where they are constructed, were built in the Gothic
style in Europe during the medieval period. A surviving example is the
Old New Synagogue in Prague, built in the 13th century.

Many examples of secular, non-military structures in Gothic style

survive in fairly original condition. London, an 11th-century hall
renovated in the late 14th century with gothic windows and a wooden
hammer beam roof, and the famous Conciergerie, former palace of the
kings of France, in Paris.

In addition to monumental secular architecture, examples of the Gothic

style can be seen in surviving medieval portions of cities across Europe.
The house of the wealthy early 15th century merchant Jacques Coeur in
Bourges, is the classic Gothic bourgeois mansion, full of the asymmetry
and complicated detail beloved of the Gothic Revival.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 82

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
They developed aerial perspective, in which objects become
Renaissance Architecture: increasingly less distinct and less sharply colored as they recede from
Renaissance Art and Architecture, painting, sculpture, architecture, and the eye of the viewer.
allied arts produced in Europe in the historical period called the Renaissance painters achieved the greatest latitude with the
Renaissance. history, or narrative, picture, in which figures located within a landscape
Broadly considered, the period covers the 200 years between 1400 and or an architectural environment act out a specific story, taken either from
1600. classical mythology or Judeo-Christian tradition.
The word renaissance literally means ―rebirth‖ and is the French Within such a context, the painter was able to show men,
translation of the Italian rinascita. women, and children in a full range of postures and poses, as well as the
The two principal components of Renaissance style are the following: subjects' diverse emotional reactions and states.
A revival of the classical forms originally developed by the The Renaissance of the arts coincided with the development of
ancient Greeks and Romans, humanism, in which scholars studied and translated philosophical texts.
And an intensified concern with secular life The use of classical Latin was revived and often favored at this
Interest in humanism and assertion of the importance time.
of the individual. The Renaissance was also a period of avid exploration; sea
The Renaissance period in art history corresponds to the captains began to be more daring in seeking new routes to Asia, which
beginning of the great Western age of discovery and exploration, when a resulted in the discovery and eventual colonization of North and South
general desire developed to examine all aspects of nature and the world. America.
During the Renaissance, artists were no longer regarded as mere Painters, sculptors, and architects exhibited a similar sense of
artisans, as they had been in the medieval past, but for the first time adventure and the desire for greater knowledge and new solutions;
emerged as independent personalities, comparable to poets and Leonardo da Vinci, like Christopher Columbus, discovered whole new
writers. worlds.
They sought new solutions to formal and visual problems, and
many of them were also devoted to scientific experimentation. The Renaissance in Italy
In this context, mathematical or linear perspective was developed, That the Renaissance first developed in Italy is readily explained.
a system in which all objects in a painting or in low-relief sculpture are The example of the ancient Greeks and Romans was constantly
related both proportionally and rationally. available to the Italians—their language, which was only codified about
As a result, the painted surface was regarded as a window on the 1300, had evolved from the Latin of the Romans, and Italy also had on
natural world, and it became the task of painters to portray this world in its soil a wealth of classical ruins and artifacts.
their art. Roman architectural forms were found in almost every town and
Consequently, painters began to devote themselves more city.
rigorously to the rendition of landscape—the careful depiction of trees, Roman sculpture, particularly in the form of marble covered with
flowers, plants, distant mountains, and cloud-filled skies. reliefs, had been familiar for centuries.
Artists studied the effect of light out-of-doors and how the eye The famous artist-architects of Italy were:
perceives all the diverse elements in nature.  Filippo Brunelleschi
 Bramante
 Raphael
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 83
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
 Andrio Palladio
 Michelangelo

Dome of Florence, Italy

 by Filippo Brunelleschi

Dome of Florence, Italy

 Florence, located in north central Italy, is famous for being the

birthplace of the Renaissance.

 The Renaissance, a period that began in 1300 and lasted 300

years, attracted some of the greatest artists, writers, and
sculptors in history to Florence.

 The eight-sided dome of the cathedral known as the Dome was

designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and completed in 1436.

Early Renaissance Details

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 84

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Early Renaissance Details St Peter's, Rome

St Peter's, the most magnificent church in Christendom and the

fruit of many talents, soars triumphantly above the Vatican Hill.
For nearly 15o years, a succession of popes entertained the idea
of glorifying the shrine of their patron saint.
Michelangelo's plan of
1546 preserved the
original centralized
space of Bramante's
design and surpassed it
in clarity and economy.
By opening the plan at
its corners he created a
single integrated cross
and Square and a more
unified interior.

The scheme was finally

completed in the 17th
century by Bernini, who
designed the
monumental entrance
Pizza.

But, undoubtedly, most

of the credit must go to
Michelangelo and to
Giacomo Della Porta,
whose dome towers 452 ft above the pavement and adorns the church
with splendor.
Della porta took over the work in 1573, following
Michelangelo's death in 1564, making certain changes to the design.
It is buttressed by apsidal tribunes and supported internally by
four massive piers, each 6o ft square.
The stone ribs, rising steeply from a colonnaded drum to support
the crowning lantern, enhance its dynamic outline.
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 85
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
St Peter's, Rome Works of Michelangelo

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

 Renaissance master Michelangelo devised an elaborate

scheme for the decoration of the Sistine Chapel ceiling,
which he painted between 1508 and 1512.

 It features nine scenes from the Biblical Book of Genesis,

including the Creation of Adam, the Creation of Eve, the
Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Flood.

 These centrally located narratives are surrounded by

images of prophets and sibyls on marble thrones, and by
other biblical subjects.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 86

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Creation of Adam, Creation of Eve The characteristic creation of the period in domestic architecture
was the Villa, in which the house and garden were inextricably
combined.
Villas were usually designed on hillside sites, with abundant
supply of water, and included a series of terraces, steps, pools, and
fountains, all highly organized in accordance with a unified axial
system. The best example of this type is villa Rotonda at Vicenza.

Villa Rotonda at Vicenza

 This villa was designed by Andrio Palladio at Vicenza. In this
villa he treated the service buildings surrounding the house as
wide-flung colonnaded wings which unite the house and the
landscape together.
Creation of Adam, Creation of Eve  He made an attempt to imitate the ancient pedimented temple
Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo painted the Sistine front.
Chapel ceiling frescoes between 1508 and 1512. The frescoes
 This villa has even free standing porticos with a front of six
are his interpretation of the biblical book of Genesis, the story
columns.
of the creation of the world. In the central scene shown here,
God appears in human form as he gives the breath of life to  This villa composed about a central axis with a domed central
Adam, the first human being. The scene above it shows the salon, served as a prototype for many others in the northern Italy.
first woman, Eve, as she emerges from Adam's rib. Apartments
Villas and Apartments The characteristic apartment building of the Renaissance
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 87
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
architecture was the town palace of the merchant price, or the dignitary of Renaissance was France.
the church. The centralized power of the crown gave opportunity for undertaking
Such a building had projects on a very large royal scale.
several stories on a limited site,
bounded by one or more streets In France where the climate scarcely permitted the open loggias of Italy,
and usually by party walls, and the free standing column with either lintel or arch was very rare.
had to offer security against the
turbulent factions of the city. During renaissance in France the wall was simple with entablatures were
In the typical plan the indispensable elements of decoration.
court was rectangular,
surrounding arcades which
gave a covered communication These features can
at least between the rooms of be studied from
the ground floor. the examples of
The façade had palace of Charles
unbroken rusticated wall with V, the palace of
windows of paired arches Louvre,
resting on colonnettes. Fontainebleau,
and from the

The upper floors

had bays
divided by the pair of composite type of columns with
well treated rectangular openings with pedimental type of
palace of Versailles.
sun shades.

The
Renai
ssanc
e in Fontainebleau
Franc
e
The country
outside Italy which
was earliest and most
deeply affected by the

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 88

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Although indebted to Italian High Renaissance style, the austere
majesty and complete lack of ornamentation of this structure mark a new
style in Spanish architecture.

Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau, near Paris, France, is a château with large,
landscaped formal gardens. Francis II assembled a school of artists
here in the early 16th century.
They became known as the School of Fontainebleau.

The Renaissance in Spain

In Spain, painters during the Renaissance never fully achieved the The Escorial Palace near Madrid
modernity found in northern Europe and Italy, although their art was
almost totally dependent on these two traditions.  The Escorial palace was begun in 1562 for Philip II on the
The Spanish always imported painters and sculptors for most of plans of J B Toledo.
their important decorative work.
Even in the 16th century, Titian was the leading painter of the  It was a conscious imitation of the temple of Solomon
Spanish court, although he was not actually present there. based on the biblical descriptions.
In architecture, a fully Renaissance structure was not built until
late in the century.  Like the temple of Solomon it was to include a palace and a
Near Madrid, the architects of Philip II built El Escorial, religious house, the church replacing the Holy of Holies.
combining a monastery, a seminary, a palace, and a church.
 There was also to have a mausoleum for the king’s father.

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 89

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The Roman Catholic Church was a highly influential patron, and its
Baroque and Rococo Counter Reformation, a movement to combat the spread of
Baroque was the style dominating the art and architecture of Protestantism, employed emotional, realistic, and dramatic art as a
Europe in the 1600s, and in some places, until 1750. means of propagating the faith.
A number of its characteristics continue in the art and The simplicity sought by Protestantism in countries such as the
architecture of the first half of the 18th century, although this period is Netherlands and northern Germany likewise explains the severity of the
generally termed rococo of France. architectural styles in those areas.
Manifestations of baroque art appear in virtually every country in Political situations also influenced art.
Europe, with other important centers in the Spanish and Portuguese The absolute monarchies of France and Spain prompted the creation of
settlements in the Americas and in other outposts. works that reflected in their size and splendor the majesty of their kings,
The term baroque also defines periods in literature and music. Louis XIV and Philip IV.
The origins of the word baroque are not clear.
The word itself does not accurately define or even approximate Baroque characteristics
the meaning of the style to which it refers.
However, by the end of the 18th century baroque had entered the  Among the general characteristics of baroque art is a sense of
terminology of art criticism as an epithet leveled against 17th-century art. movement, energy, and tension (whether real or implied).
Historical background of Baroque and Rococo  Strong contrasts of light and shadow enhance the dramatic effects of
 Baroque art encompasses vast regional distinctions. It may seem many paintings and sculptures.
confusing, for example, to label two such different artists as  Even baroque buildings, with their undulating walls and decorative
Rembrandt and Gianlorenzo Bernini as baroque; yet despite surface elements, imply motion.
differences, they shared certain baroque elements, such as a  Intense spirituality is often present in works of baroque art; in the
preoccupation with the dramatic potential of light. Roman Catholic countries, for example, scenes of ecstasies,
 Understanding the various forms of baroque art requires knowledge martyrdoms, or miraculous apparitions are common.
of its historical context.  Infinite space is often suggested in baroque paintings or sculptures;
 The 17th century could be called the first modern age. Human throughout the Renaissance and into the baroque period, painters
awareness of the world was continuously expanding. sought a grander sense of space and truer depiction of perspective in
 Many scientific discoveries influenced art; Galileo's investigations of their works. Realism is another integral feature of baroque art; the
the planets, for example, account for astronomical accuracy in many figures in paintings are not types but individuals with their own
paintings of the time. personalities.
 The assertion of the Polish astronomer Copernicus that the planets did  Artists of this time were concerned with the inner workings of the
not revolve around the earth was written by 1530, published in 1543, mind and attempted to portray the passions of the soul on the faces
and only fully accepted after 1600. they painted and sculpted.
 The active trade and colonization policies of many European nations  The intensity and immediacy of baroque art and its individualism
accounted for numerous portrayals of places and peoples that were and detail—observed in such things as the convincing rendering of
exotic to Europeans. cloth and skin textures—make it one of the most compelling periods
 Religion determined many aspects of baroque art. of Western art

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 90

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
Italian Baroque Painting Among the first major architects of the early baroque was Carlo
 Some of the first and most influential artists to undertake a systematic Maderno, who is known principally for his work on Saint Peter's.
reform of the Mannerist style. Between 1606 and 1612 he built the nave extension and facade of this
 The illusionistic ceiling fresco was a particularly important medium structure, begun approximately 100 years earlier by Donato Bramante.
for high baroque painters. Building activity also occurred in centers outside Rome during the early
 From 1676 to 1679 Giovanni Battista Gaulli, also called Baciccio, decades of the 17th century.
painted Adoration of the Name of Jesus on the ceiling of the Gesù
Colonnades of Saint Peter’s Square
Church in Rome. The vast plaza of Saint
 From 1691 to 1694 Andrea Pozzo painted The Entrance of Saint Peter’s Square is surrounded by
Ignatius into Paradise for the ceiling of Sant' Ignazio, Rome, with the two colonnades made up of a total
same theatricality, drama, and emotion that had characterized high of 284 columns.
baroque painting throughout the century. Each colonnade has four
separate rows of columns; the
colonnades are curved around the
square in an elliptical shape.
The colonnades were
designed by Italian architect
Gianlorenzo Bernini and were
intended to appear as enfolding
arms welcoming visitors into the
square.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Santa Maria della Salute
in Venice
The major work of Italian
baroque architect
Baldassare Longhena, the
church of Santa Maria della
Salute (1631-1687), is
situated at the entrance to
the Grand Canal in Venice,
Italy.
Pozzo’s The Entrance of Saint Ignatius into Paradise Enormous snail-shaped
Italian artist Andrea dal Pozzo painted The Entrance of Saint Ignatius into volutes ring the drum of the
Paradise (1691-1694) on the ceiling of the church dedicated to the saint in Rome, Italy. dome, and each volute is
It is a masterpiece of illusionistic ceiling painting of the baroque period. Pozzo topped by the statue of a
continued, in painted form, the architecture of the church, creating the illusion that the
ceiling opens onto heaven as the figure of the saint ascends. religious figure.
Italian Baroque Architecture Baroque in England
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 91
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University
The baroque in England was developed by the major  Sir Christopher Wren, a distinguished mathematician, whose chief
contributions of two great personalities training in architecture was derived from books and a visit to Paris in
Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren 1665.
The introduction of academic forms into England was essentially the  His first tentative buildings were at the universities of the Oxford.
work of Inigo Jones.  Wren‘s great opportunity arose after the great fire of London in
The most noted of Jones‘s design was for the palace at Whitehall 1666.
in 1619-1622.  He was made responsible for rebuilding not only the St. Paul‘s
Cathedral, but 51 different churches in London.
 His greatest contribution was the complex and inventive steeples,
which gave a new skyline and unique beauty to the city of London.

St. Paul's Cathedral, London

 Wren's designs for St. Paul's Cathedral were accepted in 1675, and
he superintended the building of the vast baroque structure until its
completion in 1710.
 It ranks as one of the world's most imposing domed edifices. He also
designed more than 50 churches.

The Banqueting House Whitehall

The Banqueting House Whitehall completed in 1622, was Jones's
masterpiece strictly Palladian in concept.
Lille the Queen's House it is a double cube, and the central hall,
with ceiling panels painted by Rubens, occupies the piano nobile and
upper storey.
The severely classical facade, incorporating the Ionic and
Composite Orders has three projecting centre bays of columns and  Wren had a mathematician's sense of proportion, as seen in the dome
entablatures, with festoons and masks below the upper of two horizontal of St. Paul's.
friezes, symbolizing the revelry associated with a banqueting hall.  He also had a baroque sense of the dramatic and a good craftsman's
insistence on quality in the execution of classical decorative detail.
Sir Christopher Wren Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London

Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 92

History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao
Department of Architecture Adama Science & Technology University

Saint Paul’s Cathedral

Saint Paul‘s Cathedral, a major landmark in London, England, is one of
British architect Sir Christopher Wren‘s greatest achievements. After a fire destroyed
the old Saint Paul‘s in 1666, the city commissioned Wren to design a replacement,
which was completed in 1710.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

St. Stephen,
Walbrook.
By
Sir Christopher
 It was built on the site of the medieval cathedral destroyed in the fire
Wren.
of 1666.
 It was designed in the shape of a Latin cross, 463 ft long and 101 ft
wide, with a vast circular space at the crossing, where eight pillars
support the great dome.
 The dome is London‘s most famous landmark and a complex
structure. The openings in the cupola illuminate the crossing.
Saint Paul’s Cathedral
Corse Code: Archi-2110 Prepared by: 93
History of Architecture -I Prof.P.Eswara Rao