ANCIENT NEAR EAST
empires at different period
ARCHITECTURE
1.1 LOCATION
• Located in and around the valley of
Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern
Iraq
• Area is also known as Mesopotamia
or land between two rivers
• The land had poorly defined edges
• The land stretches from
Mediterranean to eastern borders of
present Iran
Black Sea
-To the south and west, it fades into the
Arabian desert
-To the north and west, it fades into the plains
of Syria
-The Tigris and Euphrates rivers sit in the land
as dominant physical feature
-The Rivers were un predictable, being subject
to alternating flood and drought
1.1 PERIOD
• The area witnessed the earliest rise of
human civilization around 4500 BC
Transformation from prehistory, to villages
and cities occurred there
Civilization there lasted for 5000 yrs.
Cultural development was not homogenous
during the period
• Different cultures established city states &
The cultures include Sumerian, Akkadian,
Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian
*not been possible to trace a neat order of
the history of the cultures
Sequence of Civilization
4500 to 2000 BC Sumerian culture,
peaking in 3300 BC
2350 to 2200 BC -Akkadian
2000 to 1600 BC -Babylonian
1600 to 1717 BC -Kessites
1350 to 612 BC -Hittites
612 to 539 BC -Assyrian
539 to 330 BC -Neo Babylonian Persian
1.2 SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS & BELIEFS
1. Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilization
What do we mean by civilization?
- Civilization is usually associated with the -
cultural practices of cities and urban living,
the presence of writing and written law
2. In Mesopotamia, earliest cities were
established & urban culture took hold
3. Between 4000 and 3000 BC, large number
of people began living in a small area creating
first cities
4. Many people began to have jobs that is
unrelated to agriculture
5.Once established, cities grew and increased
power and importance
6. As cities grew in power and importance,
rivalries developed between them for military
and economic control
7. The ANE was land without natural defences
8. Warfare was common throughout its
history
9. The Tigris and Euphrates also suffered from
alternate drought and floods
10. Combination of warfare and frequent
drought and flood made a continuous
homogenous civilization impossible
11. The result is that several cultures
flourished and died out during the ANE period
12. Cities in the ANE initially developed with
authority residing assembly of male citizens
13. Short term leaders were selected during
wars
14. When war leaders were retained during
peace time, kingship evolved 15. It was
initially elective and later hereditary
16. As some cities became more powerful,
they defeated weaker ones to create empires
and kingdoms
17. This led to collective rule of city states by
a sovereign king
18. With kingship also came monumental
palaces as place of residence and
administration for the king
19. Almost all ANE culture worshiped many
gods and goddesses
20. ANE people did not believe in immortality
or eternal life
21. They believed only gods immortal
22. Rather, they believed in divine rewards for
moral conduct
23. The reward was enjoyed in this life
24. The rewards include increased worldly
goods, numerous offspring and long life
25. The most popular and earliest religious
cults related to fertility
26. Fertility goddesses influenced the growth
of crops
27. Aspects of life such as war, weather,
disease, were explained by the actions of gods
28. The Sumerian had a religion based on the
elements- sky, earth, water, sun, moon, etc
29. This reflected the agrarian nature of their
society KE
30. As ANE people came together to live in
cities, they needed a means of
communication and record keeping ET TE ET
<π = KH
31. Around 3500, the Sumerians invented a
system of writing based on pictograph
32. This was later developed into a simpler
writing called the cuneiform
33. Development of written language-
KETTENET enabled them to produce historical
records
34. Written records also led to the
development of written law as in the code of
King Hammurabi
35. Cities in ancient Mesopotamia were
enclosed by wall fortifications.
36.The fabric of the cities are a blend of
residential, commercial buildings. industrial
37. Houses were one story high and mostly of
mud brick.
38. Rooms were arranged around courtyards
39. Houses looked inward.
40. Rooms were narrow with thick walls and
flat, vault or dome roofs
41. Timber & stone were scarce; Clay was
abundant & mud brick was most common
building material.
42. Buildings were usually raised on platforms
to protect them from the floods 43. Clay was
also used for pottery
44. Mesopotamians invented astrology,
wheeled vehicle & made advances in science
& math
 17.Cities were enclosed in walls with Ziggurat
temples and palace as centres of the city
2.0 ARCHITECTURE OF THE
18.Fabric of the city is made up of residences
CIVILIZATION: SUMERIAN
mixed with commercial and industrial
2.1 SUMERIAN ARCHITECTURE buildings

1. The transition from prehistory was made

around 4500 BC with the rise of the Sumerian
Oval Temple Khafaje
civilization
5. The inner court had an offering table and
2. Sumerians established an irrigation system
showed evidence of animal sacrifices
that made the capable of food production to
support urban living 6. The inner court also had basins for ablution
as well as workshops and storage rooms.
3. They were also skilled in metal craft

4. The Sumerians invented the cuneiform

system of writing 3.0 ARCHITECTURE OF THE
5. The major cities of the Sumerian civilization CIVILIZATION: ASSYRIAN
were Kish, Uruk and Ur
3.1 ASSYRIAN ARCH. Introduction
6. The Sumerian were the first civilization to
1. Assyria is the name for a part of ancient
make a conscious attempt of designing public
Mesopotamia located on the upper Tigris
buildings
2. The principal cities of Assyria were Nineveh,
7. Mud was their main building material
Dun, Khorsabad, Nimrud and Assur
8. Mud was formed into brick, sun dried and
3. The Assyrians were great warriors and
built into massive walls
hunters, and this was reflected in their art
9. Walls were thick to compensate the
4. They produced violent sculptures and relief
weakness of mud
carving in stone that was used to ornament
10. They were reinforced with buttresses their houses

11. Spaces were narrow because of the 5. During the Assyrian periods, temples lost
walling material their importance to palaces

12. Façade of buildings were whitewashed 6. Assyrian kings built walled cities, in which
and painted to disguise the lack of attraction palaces took precedent over religious
of the material buildings.

13. Buttresses and recesses also relieve the 7. Palaces were raised on brick platforms, and
monotony of the plastered wall surfaces their principal entrance ways were flanked by
guardian figures of human headed bulls or
14. Temples was their major building type
lions of stone
15. Sumerian house organization and their
8. Their halls and corridors were lined with
temple forms
pictures and inscriptions carved in relief on
16.The clearest example of the cities of the stone slabs up to 9 feet high
ancient Near East is found in the Sumerian
city of Ur
City of Khorsabad
9. Khorsabad was designed as the royal capital
of Assyria.
10. The city was built on a flat land with an
area of about a square mile and was enclosed
by a double wall with seven city gates
11. Only a part of the city including palaces,
temples and administrative headquarters was
built.
Palace of Sargon
1. The palace is approached at ground level
through a wailed citadel
2. Within the citadel is found the main palace,
two minor palaces and a temple dedicated to
Nabu
3. The main palace was set on a platform
located on the northern side of the citadel
4. All the buildings within the citadel were
arranged around courtyards
5. The palace was arranged around two major
courtyards about which were grouped smaller
courtyards
6. The palace consisted of large and smaller
rooms with the throne room being the largest
7. The building was decorated with relief
sculpture and glazed brick
3.2 ARCHITECTURE OF THE
CIVILIZATION: BABYLONIAN
Introduction
1. After the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC and the
end of the Assyrian civilization, focus of
Mesopotamian civilization shifted to old
Babylon.
2. A new dynasty of kings, including
Nebuchadnezzar, revived old Babylonian
culture to create a Neo Babylonian civilization
3. Old Sumerian cities were rebuilt
4. The capital old Babylon was enlarged and
heavily fortified
5. It was also adorned with magnificent new
buildings
6. The traditional style of Mesopotamian
building reached its peak during the period
7. Traditional building was enhanced by a new
form of façade ornament consisting of figures
designed in coloured glazed brick work
City of Babylon
1. The city of Babylon is shaped in the form of
a quadrangle sitting across and pierced by the
Euphrates.
2. The city was surrounded by a fortification
of double walls
3. These had defensive towers that project
well above the walls
4. The walls also had a large moat in front,
which was also used for navigation. (moat:
canal)
5. The length of the wall & moat is about five
and a quarter mile.
6. The city had a palace, Nebuchadnezzar's
palace, located on its northern side on the
outer wall
Ishtar Gate
1. From the palace originated a procession
street that cuts through the city raised above
the ground to the tower of Babel
2. The procession street enters the city
through the famous Ishtar gate
3. The Ishtar gate is built across the double
walls of the city fortification
4. The gate had a pair of projecting towers on
each wall
5. All the facades of gates and adjoining
streets were faced with blue glazed bricks and
ornamented with figures of heraldic animals-
lions, bulls, and dragons
6. These were modelled in relief and glazed in
other colours
7. None of the buildings of old Babylon has
survived to the present age
Architecture in the city of Babylon
1. Nebuchadnezzar's palace covered a land
area of 900 feet by 600 feet
2. It had administrative offices, barracks, the
king's harem, private apartment all arranged
around five courtyards
3. The palace is also praised for its legendary
hanging garden
4. This is recorded as one of the wonders of
the ancient Source: Unknown world, but exact
knowledge of the nature of this garden is not
known
5. Temples and towers were also prominent
architectural elements of Babylon
6. The legendary tower of Babel located at the
end of procession street is mentioned in the
Christian bible
7. There is also no information about the
design and construction of the tower
8. Most of what is available on the tower is
hypothetical
3.3 ARCHITECTURE OF THE
CIVILIZATION: PERSIAN NEEDSIAN
Introduction
1. The Persian empire started in about 560 BC
when Cyrus the great from the province of
Fars swept over the region with his powerful
cavalry
2. By the end of the century, Cyrus and his
successors, Darius 1 and Xerxes had
conquered the entire civilized world from
Indus to Danube River with the exception of
Greece
3. It was the wish of the Persians to construct
great buildings
4. They were to achieve greatness with their
architectural solutions
5. The architectural solutions were a synthesis
of ideas gathered from almost all parts of
their empire and from the Greeks and
Egyptians
6. Their materials of construction was also
from different locations
7. Material included mud-brick from Babylon,
wooden roof beams from Lebanon, precious
material from India and Egypt, Stone columns
quarried and carved by ionic Greeks
8. Despite sourcing materials and ideas from
different areas, their architecture was original
and distinctive in style
Palace at Persepolis
1. Persian architecture achieved its greatest
monumentality at Persepolis
2. It was constructed as a new capital for the
Persian Empire
3. The city was started 510 BC and finished in
460 BC
4. It is set along the face of a mountain
levelled to create a large platform 1800 feet
by 900 feet
5. It was surrounded by a fortification wall
6. The site was more than half covered by
buildings
7. The palace consisted of three parts:
a. An approach of monumental
staircases, gate ways and avenues
b. b. Two great state halls towards the
centre of the platform
 c. c. The palace of Xerxes, the harem,
and other living quarters at the south
end of the site
8. Structurally, the buildings relied on a
hypostyle scheme throughout.
9. They used it to achieve spaces of varying
scale
10.Some of the spaces were very big and
generally square in plan
11.The spaces were enclosed by mud brick
walls
12. The most impressive aspect of the palace
was the royal audience hall
13. The Royal audience hall was a square 250
feet in length
14. It contained 36 slender columns widely
space & 67 ft. high
15. The columns had a lower diameter of only
5 feet
16.The centres of the columns were spaced
20 feet or 4 diameters apart
17. The column was the greatest invention of
the Persians
18. The columns were fluted and stand on
inverted bell-shaped bases
19. Their capital combine Greek motifs with
Egyptian palm leaf topped by an impost of
paired beast
20.Another famous aspect of the palace at
Persepolis was the throne room
21.This was also known as hall of 100 columns
22. The columns in the room were 37 feet
high, with a diameter of only 3 feet. They
were spaced 20 feet apart or seven diameters
from axis to axis
23. The slim nature of the column created
room and spacious feeling in the room when
compared to the audience hall
24. The monumental entrance to Persepolis is
also one of the unique aspects of the Palace
25. The monumental gateway ensures a
dramatic entry to the Palace
26. It was heavily adorned with relief
sculpture ornamenting its stairway
27. The relief structure addresses different
themes relating to the role of Persepolis as
the capital of the Persian Empire
28.In some places, the sculpture shows
delegates from the different parts of the
Persian bringing gifts and rare animals to the
king during celebrations
29. In some places, royal guards and nobles of
the imperial court are shown
30. Elsewhere, the king is seen in conflict with
animals or seated beneath a ceremonial
umbrella
31. The ruins of Persepolis have survived to
the present day
32.Existing ruins however give a faulty
expression of the city's original appearance
33. Some columns supporting the halls of the
great halls have survived
34. The mud brick fabric of the palace and its
enclosing walls have perished completely
35. Only the sculptures which adorn doorways
or windows and openings and the relief
ornamenting its entrance way remain
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTISCS
4.1 BUILDINGS & OTHER ARCH, ELEMENTS
Building Types
1. 3 building types examined in ANE: Cities
and houses, temples and palaces
2. Temples and palaces were the most
outstanding buildings types in ANE
3. Significant development in house
organization and city fortification was also
witnessed
4. In Sumerian civilization, development in
house organization led to the evolution of the
inward-looking courtyard house
5.Houses formed the dominant buildings of
the city with narrow passages to distribute
people
6. Across all the civilizations, cities were
usually walled
7. The walls were of massive brick material,
with evenly distributed towers serving as
buttresses.
8. Examples of city wall or fortification
examined include City of Khorsabad and
Babylon
9.The chief's house at precinct of the Great
Ziggurat and the Palace at Persepolis were
also fortified with brick walls.
Temples and Palaces
1.Importance of temples and palaces varied
during the different periods of the ANE
2. Temples started during the Sumerian
period and were also common during the
Babylonian period.
3. The Sumerian temples were raised on
Ziggurats, while the character of the
Babylonian temples is not certain because
there is no trace of them
4. The Sumerian temples had chief temples
located outside the city and the city temple
located within the fabric of the city
5. Neo-Babylonians also built great palaces.
The legendary palace of Nebuchadnezzar with
its hanging garden is widely reported in
history
6. Temple building declined during the
Assyrian period, when palaces took over as
the prominent building type
7. The Palaces at Khorsabad and Persepolis
shows the rise of the palace as the focus of
architectural development over the temple
4.2 MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION & TECH.
Materials
1. Stone and timber suitable for building was
rare in the plains of the Tigris and Euphrates.
2. Clay was however in abundance. This was
compressed in moulds and dried in the sun to
provide bricks for all buildings.
-Sun dried brick material became the
standard building
-It was used across all the cultures of
the ancient Near East
3. Wood was scarce but was imported from
Lebanon
-Wood was probably applied mainly
for roofing or for producing tools and
ornaments
4. Stone was used by the Assyrians but only
for relieve carving and for columnar support
- It was in ancient Persia that
extensive use of stone witnessed
- The Babylonians introduce glazed
brick, which was used in the façade of
their gates and prominent buildings
Construction
1. The abundance of mud brick led to the
development of construction methods
appropriate to its physical properties.
-Structurally Mud brick is weak when
compared to stone
 -To compensate, walls were very
thick and reinforced with buttresses.
-This construction system is evident in
the Sumerian temples.
-Vaulting was known and used during
the Mesopotamian period
2. Rooms were usually roofed with domes or
vaults.
-Tunnel vaults were used to cover
long narrow oblong spaces.
-Columnar construction was not very
popular in the ANE
-It was used in few instances in the
late Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian
periods.
-It was however extensively used by
the Persians -Persian architecture,
was an architecture that borrowed
from other cultures in the region,
including Egypt and Greek sources
-Two technologies appear to have
been commonly used in the Ancient
Near East; passive cooling and water
supply.
-The evolution of courtyard in
Mesopotamia was probably a product
of its desert environment and the
need for climate modification.
-Courtyards were used for cooling to
create liveable environments in
houses
-The thick walls of houses may also
have served as a thermal storage
- They help to mitigate against the
wide fluctuations of temperature
-People of the ancient Near East also
mastered the earth of water supply
-Channels were used to move water
and supply it to agricultural fields and
houses.
-Ancient Babylon was said to have an
aqueduct that supplied water to the
city.
-The hanging garden in
Nebuchadnezzar's palace would also
be impossible without a means of
transporting water from the ground
to the garden Principles
Three principles appear to predominant in
the organization of architectural form and
space
1. Courtyard organization
2. Lifting of buildings on artificial
mountains
3. Organic organization of city fabric
4.3 FORCES SHAPING ARCH. ORGAN
Three forces account for the prevailing
architectural organizing principles observed
1. Geography
2. Symbolism and meaning to the
people
3. Social factors
Combination of the factors account for the
architectural forms that are witnessed in all
the cultures of the ANE
Geography
• A strong factor in shaping spatial
organization and built form
• Limited the availability of construction
material and constrained the
development of construction technology
• Desert environment also meant t hash
climatic conditions which lead to the
evolution of the courtyard form of
building
• Prevalence of mud bricks coupled with
the use of courtyard fixed the form of
buildings as a regional solution.
• Most buildings- whether house or • Courtyard house may have evolved
palace, were of one-story multi- because of privacy needs
courtyard form.

Symbolism and Meaning

• Organizing principles may also be a

factor of symbolisms and meaning.
• The role of symbolism is evident in
the Ziggurat.
• Sumerians think of ziggurat as a
ladder to the sky and to god
• They believed that God came down to
the Ziggurat to communicating with
the chief priest
• Climbing the ziggurat is also
associated with a holy experience.
• Symbolic meaning of ziggurat
provides motivation for the
construction of larger and more
impressive mountains
• Palaces also symbolizes power and
authority
• In Assyria, architecture expressed the
authority and power of the king.
• The palace at Khorsabad also shows
the decline in the symbolic
importance of the king, which is the
centre of authority.
• At Persepolis, the palace also
expresses the authority and power of
the emperor of the Persian empire
• This power is evident in the ability to
commandeer resources from as far as
Egypt and Lebanon to create a unique
palace.

Social Concerns

• Social concerns contributed to the

evolution of design principles
• There was need for defences due to
warfare Led to construction of wall
fortifications for cities
• Also, to ziggurat as a place of refuge
from attack
• Concerns for privacy
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Location
• Located in Africa on the northern edge of
the Sahara
• The Nile bisects through the land from the
south to the north
• The Nile is a seasonal river that overflows its
bank yearly to create a fertile valley
• The Ancient Egyptians lived in the fertile
valley and grew their crops
•They buried their dead in the desert
• The history of ancient Egypt started with the
land divided upper and lower Egypt
• The two regions were frequently at war with
each other
• Around 3000 BC, King Menes united the
two into a single nation
• Unification brought about peace that led to
the development of ancient Egyptian
Civilization
• The history of ancient Egypt is divided into
periods based on ruling dynasties
• Seven periods can be identified;
• 4500 to 2000 BC
• 2350-2200 BC
• 2000-1600 BC
• 1600-1717 BC
• 1350-612 BC
• 612-539 BC
• 539-330 BC
1.2 Social Characteristics & Beliefs
a. Importance of the Nile
-The Nile and its delta were the guiding force
of ancient Egyptian civilization
-It was a very predictable river, overflowing
its banks every year from July to October
- The floods leave a rich black silt that is
fertile and is farmed by the people
- During the floods, people were freed from
farming to engage in other activities including
building work
-The Nile was also the highway of Egypt
connecting upper & lower Egypt
-The Nile also offered protection from
invasion by outsiders
-The Nile offered a symbolic sense of direction
to the people, forming the primary principle
in architectural organization
b. Government
-At the centre of Ancient Egyptian civilization
was a strong central government headed by
Pharaohs
-The pharaohs provided stability & a unified
sense of purpose
c. Religion
-Ancient Egyptians were a religious people
-They believed in many Gods
- Different symbols were used to represent
the Gods and temples were built and
dedicated to them
-The pharaohs were also held as living Gods
- Egyptians also believed in life after death
-They believed that when they die, their souls
called Ka would live in them forever
- For the Ka to live, it needed either the body
of the dead person or a copy of it in the form
a statue
-The Ka will return each night to the body or
statue
 - If both the body and statue are destroyed,
then the Ka would die
d. Mummification
-To ensure the availability of a body to the ka
of a dead person, the Egyptians developed a
process of preservation called mummification
- The process involves cutting open the body
& removing all the internal organs and brain
- The body is packed in natron to dry it out
- It is then soaked in oil to preserve it
- Next it is wrapped in a special cloth called
mummy cloth
- The mummy is then coated with wax and a
face painted onto its wrapped head
- The mummification of a pharaoh took a
period of 72 days
- Once mummification is finished, burial
ceremonies are performed and the body is
ready for burial
e. Architectural Ideas
- Ancient Egyptians viewed earthly dwellings
as temporary
- They paid little attention to house
construction
-The tomb was seen as a permanent dwelling
for the afterlife
-Tremendous effort was exerted in tomb
construction
-The mummified dead body was buried in a
stone box called sarcophagus in the tomb
- They believed that a dead person needs all
his worldly goods
-The tomb was usually packed with all the
treasures of a dead person
-If anything cannot be provided, it is painted
on the walls of the tomb
- Tombs also have charms to protect the dead
person & his property
- The dead were buried in cities of the dead,
called Necropolis located in the desert
-Ancient Egyptians had many achievements
- This included a developed system of
government, a belief system and art of
mummification already discussed
- They also left a legacy of tombs & temples
- The Egyptians develop a system of irrigation
to improve agriculture
- The ancient Egyptians invented the
hieroglyphics systems of writing
- Historians were able to read hieroglyphics
following the discovery of the Rosetta stone
EARLY KINGDOM TOMB
The Pyramids at Giza
•The construction of a true geometrical
pyramid was achieved during the reign of
Cheops, son of Snefru
•This was located at Giza
•This pyramid is called the Great Pyramid
because of its size
• The pyramid is 482 ft high on a plan 760 ft
square
ROSETTA STONE
What is the Rosetta Stone?
- The Rosetta Stone is a stone with
writing on it in two languages
(Egyptian and Greek), using three
scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and
Greek). It was carved in 196 BCE
Why is it in three different scripts?
- The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts
hieroglyphs for religious documents. demotic-
common script of Egypt: Greek language of
the rulers of Egypt at that time)
-The Rosetta Stone was written in all three
scripts so that the priests, government
officials und rulers of Egypt could read what it
said.
When was the Rosetta Stone found?
- The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799
by French soldiers who were
rebuilding a fort in Egypt (in a small
village in Delta called Rosetta (Rashid)
What does the Rosetta Stone say?
- The Rosetta Stone is a text written by
a group of priests in Egypt to honour
the Egyptian pharaoh. It lists all of the
things that the pharaoh had done that
were good for the priests and the
people of Egypt
ARCHITECTURE OF THE CIVILIZATION
INTRODUCTION
1.During the old Kingdom, the pharaoh and
his court lived in Memphis
2.When they died, they were buried at the
Necropolis at Saqqara
3. The earthly dwelling of the ancient
Egyptians was seen as temporary & the tomb
as a permanent dwelling
4.Houses were built of temporary materials to
last for a lifetime
• Tombs were most outstanding architectural
element of the period
•Tombs also serve as the focus for the
worship of the dead
• The Tomb evolved during the old kingdom
from the Mastaba, through the stepped
pyramid to the renown ancient Egyptian
pyramid
MASTABA
•The earliest method of burial in ancient
Egypt was in shallow pits in the desert
• The desert dried the bodies and preserved
them • When animals preyed on bodies, the
people dug deeper
• In the end they built a bench-like structure
over graves to create first burial structure
called Mastaba.
•The name mastaba is derived from podiums
•found in the front of traditional houses In
the Old Kingdom, rich and noble persons-built
mastaba for their burial in the city of the dead
•Above ground the Mastaba is a large bench
of sun-baked bricks rising 9 meters high (3
floors)
•It had a flat top and slanting walls,
•The earliest royal tombs were decorated
with painted patterns in brilliant colours
•Internally, a mastaba consists of three parts-
a burial chamber, a serdab and a chapel
• The burial chamber was located 30 feet
below ground It was connected to burial
chamber above ground through a shaft
•The burial chamber is the place for the burial
of the dead person
• In the chamber is found the sarcophagus
where the dead body was placed
• The burial chamber is packed with all the
necessary things needed in the after life
• After burial, the shaft to the burial chamber
is sealed
-The Serdab and Chapel are located above
ground
-The serdab is a room where the statue of the
dead person is kept
- The statue acts as a substitute for body in
case it is destroyed
-Egyptians believe that the Ka must return to
the body or a copy of it each night
-If both body and statue are destroyed, the ka
would die
-The chapel is where the ka is supposed to live
forever
- It is a colourful room meant to deceive the
gods into letting ka enter the next world
- Had a false door leading to the land of the
dead
- Some mastabas had fence walls, and
chambers for burial of servants
-Mastaba served as an embryo for the
evolution of the pyramid
Stepped Pyramid
- King Zoser was the powerful pharaoh of the
third dynasty of old kingdom
- The stepped pyramid was built for King Zoser
by Imhotep
- It was built as a funeral complex in the
necropolis Saqqara
- Imhotep initially conceived of the tomb as a
large Mastaba of stone
• Dissatisfaction with the result led to the
stacking of mastaba one on top of another
• The result was the stepped pyramid with
five sloping setbacks
• The stepped pyramid is the intermediate
step between mastaba and geometric
pyramid
• Stepped pyramid was 200 feet high with 6
giant steps
• The burial chamber is entered from the
north side and is 92 feet down
• On either side of the e chamber are store
rooms for the king’s treasures
•All the treasures buried with Zoser have long
been stolen
•A stone statue of Zoser was also recently
found staring out through peep holes in his
Serdab
-The Serdab is located on the north side,
along with the funerary temple
-The stepped pyramid stands at the middle of
a large complex
-The funeral complex consisted of palaces,
temples and the stepped pyramid
-They were all surrounded by a fence wall 33
feet high
-The fence wall of the funeral complex has a
breaking pattern of about 200 projections and
recessions
-Fourteen of these were larger than the
others and 13 out of the fourteen had false
doors
-The false doors were for the use of the
pharaoh's ka
-The entrance door leads to a long hall having
two rows of columns
-This is one of the first uses of columns in
history
-The columns were designed to look like
bundles of reeds & had flutes
•In the north palace is also found stone
columns with capitals
•They were designed to look like the papyrus
plant
•Zosers funeral complex was designed as a
model of his palace, city and kingdom
•The shape of the pyramid suggests a
stairway to the sky to join the sun God Amon
Ra
EARLY KINGDOM TOMB
Attempts at Pyramid Building
-After the stepped pyramids, there were
several attempts at building a pure geometric
pyramid
-Among the prominent attempts were the
pyramid at Medun and two pyramids built by
Snefru at Dashur
-King Huni made the first attempt at building
a pure pyramid at Medun
-He constructed a seven stepped pyramid
with a square plan and height of 90 meters
and an angle of incline of 51 degrees
-The pyramid did not I have a mortuary
temple
. Pharoah Snefru made two attempts at
pyramid construction
. His first pyramid, the Bent pyramid at Dashur
had a square plan with a height of 102 meters
-The pyramid had a change of angle midway,
leading to its being called the bent pyramid
-Snefru's second pyramid, the north pyramid,
is the place he was buried
-It had a low pitch of 43 degrees instead of 52
degrees making it look stunted
-A true pyramid has an angle of 52 degrees
The Pyramids at Giza
-The construction of a true geometrical
pyramid was achieved during the reign of
Cheops, son of Snefru
-This was located at Giza
-This pyramid is called the Great Pyramid
because of its size
-The pyramid is 482 ft high on a plan 760 ft
square
-Two additional pyramids were subsequently
built at Giza
-The second largest in the center was built by
Chefren, the son of Cheops
-The third and smallest was built by
Mykerinus, the son of Chefren
-The three Together Are referred to as the
pyramids at Giza
-The three are aligned diagonally along the
projection of the diagonal of the great
pyramid
-The small pyramids close to them were built
for their Queens
-The great pyramid has a unique internal
arrangement
-First it has a chamber built below the base of
the pyramid
-Another chamber was built above it known
as the queen's chamber
-A larger burial chamber known as the king's
chamber was built at the centre of the
pyramid The Great Pyramid
-This is the chamber where the king was
buried in his Sarcophagus
-The kings chamber was 35 ft X 17ft in plan &
19ft high
-Both the king and queen chamber are
connected to the entrance on the north side
-Two air shafts also connect the king's
chamber to outside for ventilation -Once a
king is buried, the burial chamber was sealed
forever
-The pyramids were designed as part of a
funeral complex for the burial of a pharaoh
- Chefren's complex is the best-preserved
example
-The complex consists of three interconnected
units:
•A valley temple by the river Nile where the
pharaoh's body was embalmed
•A pyramid mortuary temple for rituals
•A long narrow causeway connecting the two
BURIAL CEREMONY -A theory hold that it was produced from
leftover material
-The death of a pharaoh marked the
beginning of a grand funeral -It may also have been carved to stand guard
over the temple and tomb of Chefren
-Hundreds of ships and barges filled with
nobles and priest sailed the Nile from
Memphis to Giza
EARLY KINGDOM TOMB: CONSTRUCTION
-The largest barge carried the body of the
Q: How were the pyramids constructed?
pharaoh
- no accurate know ledge about the method
-The boats docked at the lower valley temple
of construction of the pyramids -It is believed
where the body was carried to the roof for
that 100,000 men worked 3 months each year
mummification
for 30 years to build the pyramids
-At the end of 72 days, an opening of the
- The limestone used was quarried from
mouth ceremony was performed
nearby and transported by lever action -They
-A procession carried the pharaoh's body were paid in food, clothing & drinks Why did
along the cause way to the pyramid mortuary Egyptians Build Pyramids
temple
- The pyramids were in general response to
-This temple had many small chapels each the vast desert landscapes
with false doors
- For structures to be visible in the desert they
-Many statues of the pharaoh were placed in have to be of gargantuan size
the temple so that his ka could come back
- The pyramids were also a product of the will
each night
to achieve immortality by the pharaohs
-After prayers to the God Osiris, the body was
- The pyramids are the everlasting home of
lowered through the secret opening on the
the pharaoh's ka
north side to his burial chamber

-There he was laid in his stone Sarcophagus

-Rich treasure was heaped on him -The
passage was filled with rock & sealed forever
-Now it was time for the pharaohs ka to pass
to the land of the dead
-The funeral complex shows the earliest
development of the components of the new
kingdom temple
End of Pyramid Const.
-After the Mykerinus period, the era of
pyramid construction ended
-More pyramids were built later but they
were smaller and less complex
-Later pharaohs could not also afford the cost
of huge pyramid construction

-Grave robbers also learned how to break into

and steal the goods buried with pharaohs
EARLY KINGDOM TOMB: SPHINX
-The end of the Old Kingdom therefore
-Located in Giza is the great Sphinx with the
marked the end of the great era of Egyptian
body of a lion and head of Chefren
pyramid construction.
-The reason for its construction is not clear
MID & NEW KINGDOM BURIAL-CHAM
Mortuary Temples
-The Middle Kingdom began when pharaoh
Mentuhotep united Egypt again after the first
intermediate period -During the middle
kingdom, the practice of pyramid construction
disappeared
-Focus in architectural development was
however still on tombs and burial chambers
Two categories of structures came into use
mortuary temples & underground tombs
-Mortuary temples served as the place for the
burial & worship of pharaohs
-Temples dedicated to Gods were also located
in them
-Mortuary temples owe their origin to the
pyramid funeral complex, particular the
valley and pyramid temples
-Underground tombs became popular
because of the belief that they could not be
robbed
-Many power and wealthy pharaohs and
noblemen carved their tombs directly into
rock cliffs and underground during the
Middle and New kingdoms
-Most of the tomb and burial chamber
construction was carried out at Del Al Bahari
Mortuary Temple of Mentuhotep
-Two mortuary Del-al-Bahari; temples were
built at mortuary temple of Mentuhotep and
Hatshepsut
-Mentuhotep was the 1st Pharaoh of the
middle kingdom
-He built the first mortuary temple at Del-al
Bahari
-The temple is terraced in two levels -The
upper terrace is faced with double colonnades
-At the centre is a core believed to have a
small pyramid on top
-The pyramid is believed to be a dummy
burial chamber
-Entrance to the real tomb is found at the rear
from the western courtyard
-The burial tomb is accessible through a ramp
leading down at the centre of the courtyard
-Just like the pyramid funeral complexes, the
temple of Mentuhotep also has a causeway
leading to a valley temple
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
-Queen Hatshepsut's temple was built 500
years after that of Mentuhotep during the
new kingdom
-Hatshepsut was the only female pharaoh to
rule Egypt.
-When Her husband Pharaoh Tutmosis died,
her stepson was too young to rule
-She therefore became the ruler
-Even when he grew old, she would not allow
him to rule and crowned herself pharaoh
Queen Hatshepsut
•Ruled from 1503-1482 B.C.
•Married to Thutmose II
•After her husband died, Hatshepsut dressed
like a man and ruled as a pharaoh.
•She became the first female pharaoh in
Egyptian history.
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
-She dressed as a pharaoh, wearing men's
cloth with a false beard attached to her chin
-The temple of Mentuhotep served as a
model in the design of her temple
-Her extraordinary funeral temple located at
Del-Al-Bahari, is set against the background
of the cliffs
-The architect of her temple is believed to be
Senmut who is also buried in the temple
-The temple of Hatshepsut is like a giant
stage on three levels
-Each of the three levels was connected by a
ramp
-Her temple fits very well into the tall rock
cliffs behind it
-On the top level is her chapel dedicated to
the goddess Hathor
-The chapel was dug out of the rock cliff
-Hatshepsut hid her tomb in the deep rock
cliffs to stop robbers
-But her tomb was also plundered and
smashed into a thousand pieces
-Archaeologist believe that her son Tutmosis
III poisoned her to death & wrecked her tomb
-The temple of Hatshepsut had no dominant
mass
-Instead, there was a strong horizontal axis
running across the set of terraces &
perpendicular to the mountains
-Her temple was not a construction of stone
masses as in the pyramids
-It was rather a play of the emptiness of
terraces, ramps & courtyards against the
busy background of the cliffs
-Her temple captures the shift from the
compact geometry of the old kingdom
pyramids to the linear composition of the
New Kingdom temples
Underground Tomb- Rock Cut Tomb
-Two types of Underground tombs were built
by pharaohs and nobles during the Middle
and New Kingdom periods Rock cut tombs
and Shaft tombs
-Rock cut tombs are tombs that are carved
out of rocks
-Many of these are found along the cliff of the
Nile
-A very good example is the Rock cut tomb at
Beni Hassan
Beni Hassan consist of 3 elements:
a. A colonnade entrance portico for public
worship
b. Behind the portico, chamber or hall with
columns supporting the roof serving as a
chapel
c. a small recess towards the back of the
chapel where the person is buried
-The columns on the exterior were shaped like
a prism with 8 or 16 sides
-The columns in the interior were designed as
a bundle of reed tied together by rope
-Shaft tombs were a complex series of
underground corridors and rooms cut out of
the mountains in the valley of the King at Del-
Al-Bahari
-The large number of rooms and their
complicated arrangement is deliberately done
to create a maze or puzzle
BURIAL CHAM: UNDERGROUND TOMB-
SHAFT TOMBS
-This is designed to make it difficult for
robbers to determine where a dead person is
buried
-A dead pharaoh or nobleman is buried in
one of the many underground rooms
-Once the burial is finished, the entrance is
sealed permanently and hidden from
everybody
NEW KINGDOM CULT TEMPLES
-The Middle Kingdom lasted for 275 years
-The New Kingdom started after the end of
second intermediate period
-The New Kingdom lasted for 500 years
-During the New Kingdom, the capital of
ancient Egypt moved from Memphis to
Thebes
-The most important and common
architectural elements of the New Kingdom
were temples
-Several temples were built dedicated to
Egyptian gods
-The new kingdom temples borrowed a lot of
elements the funeral complexes at Giza
-They also borrowed elements from the
mortuary temples at Del Al-Bahari
• borrowed elements include:
- Long approaches
- Guardian sphinxes
- Colonnaded vestibules & inner courts
- Darkening shrines
- Intricate linear progression of constructed
space
• The New Kingdom temples allow a series of
experiences passing in stages from openness
and light in the exterior to interior closure
and darkness
• This feeling was deliberate as only the
Pharaoh and priest were allowed into the
inner part of temples
-Many examples of the New Kingdom temples
are found at Karnak and Luxor, all in Thebes
-An avenue of sphinxes connects the two
sites
-The temple of Khons at Karnak is a good
example of a simple New Kingdom Cult
Temple
-This temple shows an example of the
components and organization of a typical
temple
-This is dedicated to the God Amun (behind
the creation of the Egyptians)
-A person approaching first meets the
entrance wall called pylon
-The pylon is higher and wider than the
temple behind it
-The pylons were treated with moulding &
decorated relief carvings
-Mast with royal and religious flags fly in front
of the pylon
-Behind the pylon is the peristyle courtyard
-Made up of a row of twin colonnades on two
or more sides and was open to the sun
-It is the only place where common people
were allowed to enter
-Beyond the Peristyle courtyard is the
hypostyle hall
-Hypostyle means room with many columns.
-Peristyle hall and columns painted in bright
colors.
-The ceiling was usually painted blue to
resemble the sky with stars twinkling
-The columns in the center of the hypostyle
hall were usually higher than on the two other
sides, giving the room two roof levels
-In between the two roofs, windows were
place to allow light to enter
-These are called clerestory windows
-A gate from the hypostyle hall leads into the
sanctuary
-Only the pharaoh and the priest were
allowed here
-In the sanctuary is found boats or barges
kept on stone
-Each boat had a god inside
-At the far end of the sanctuary are found
chapels dedicated to gods and goddesses
-Here the priest washed, fed and dressed
statues of the gods each day
-As you move from the pylon into the temple,
the roof becomes lower and the floor rises up
-The inside is also slowly darkened
-The sanctuary is completely dark except for
small holes over the chapel of the Gods
-Every morning, the rays of the sun awakened
the gods
-The whole temple is surrounded by a wall
TEMPLE OF AMON, KARNA
-All the other New Kingdom temples have the
same components and sequences of space
found in temple of Khons
-They are usually more elaborate in terms of
scale, enlargement and duplication of
elements
-The temple of Amon, Karnak is an example of
the more elaborate temples
-It is the largest of the New Kingdom temple
and it grew in a haphazard way
-It is the largest of the New Kingdom temples
and it grew in a haphazard way
-Built by at least 16 pharaohs over a period
1700 years
-Each pharaoh added either a pylon,
courtyard, hypostyle hall or decorated on
parts built by an earlier pharaoh
-Queen Hatshepsut, Tutmosis II and Rameses
II all added to the temple
-The front pylon had two obelisks in front
-Apart from the front pylon, the temple had
two additional pylons
-Arrangement of the hypostyle hall is
particularly stunning
-It consists of 134 columns arranged in 16
rows; 7 rows of smaller columns on each side
framing 2 rows of larger columns
-The larger columns are higher and have a
higher roof -Smaller columns were of closed
papyrus bud, while the larger ones were of
open buds
-The open buds of the higher column
combined with lighting from the clerestory
window creates an effect of lifting towards
light
TEMPLE OF LUXOR
-There are several other temples built during
the New Kingdom
-We will not be able to review all the kingdom
others [339]
-Among the important ones are:
-The temple of Luxor (1408 1300 BC)
•THE TEMPLE OF SETI (1312 BC)
•THE RAMESSEUM THEBES (1301 BC)
•THE GREAT TEMPLE ABU SIMBEL (1301 BC)
OTHER ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
-Egyptian architecture also developed several
unique architectural elements
-Includes Columns, relief carving, and
writing, the obelisk and sphinxes
-Egyptian column has its origin in plant
materials - the lotus flower, papyrus plant and
the palm tree
-Columns were design to imitate the plants
-Capitals were designed to resemble a bud or
bell form of a flower
RELIEF CARVING AND PAINTING
-Relief carving and painting was used to
record history or depict everyday social
-The obelisk is an element unique to Egyptian
architecture
-It was carved as a monolithic piece of stone
and erected in front of temples
-They were usually dedicated to a particular
god, pharaoh or nobleman
SPHINXES
-Sphinxes are statues with the body of a lion
and the head of the God Horus
-They are used to line avenues leading to
temples
-They are believed to provide protection
-They also reinforce the axial planning of the
new kingdom temples
BLDGS AND OTHER ARCH. ELEMENTS
Buildings
-Two buildings types dominated ancient
Egyptian architecture; tombs and temples
-Minimal attention was paid to houses
because of belief -House were simple
designed to last a lifetime
-Effort was on buildings associated with the
afterlife -Tombs and temples were design to
last forever
-Tomb construction varied with the various
period of Egyptian civilization
-During the early Kingdom, tomb construction
evolved from the Mastaba through the
Stepped pyramid to the Geometric Pyramid
- At Giza, we see the ultimate development of
the Egyptian Pyramid
-In Middle and New Kingdoms, grave robbers
forced a change in tomb construction
-Pharaohs of the periods did not also have the
power of Early Kingdom pharaohs to
undertake pyramid construction
-Pyramid construction disappeared and
underground tombs became popular
-Two types were examined: Rock-cut tomb &
Shaft tomb
-Rock-cut tombs were carved out of existing
mountains
-Shaft tombs were dug in the underground of
mountains
-The Middle and New Kingdom also saw the
introduction of Mortuary temples
-Two Mortuary temples were examined:
Mentuhotep and Hatshepsut
-Mortuary temple of Mentuhotep was
constructed during the Middle kingdom
-Hatshepsut's temple was constructed during
the New Kingdom
-The mortuary temples were a place to bury
as well as worship a dead person
-The mortuary temples owe their origin to
funerary buildings that were attached to the
Pyramids
-During the New kingdom Focus in temple
construction shifted to Cult temples
-The cult temples were dedicated to the
worship of Egyptian gods
-Two temples were examined all located at
Karnak
-The temple of Khons is a typical Egyptian cult
temple
-The temple of Amon shows how the temple
can become complicated through addition
and duplication of elements
-Columns: designed to mirror plant materials
Evolved from attached columns in the Zoser's
complex to the heavy columns of Egyptian
cult temples
-Relief carving and painting: used to capture
history
-Obelisks: free standing poles dedicated to
Gods, Pharaohs or nobles
-Sphinxes: used to line avenues to temples for
protection
MATERIALS, CONST. & SYSTEMS MOTERIS
Materials
-Three common materials of construction in
Egypt: Plant materials, clay and stone
Plants consist of readily available material like
reeds, papyrus and palm ribs
-Timber was available in limited quantity;
used for roofing
-Clay was used for construction either as for
frame construction or as sun dried brick
-Stone was not much used during the early
period of ancient Egyptian civilization
-It became popular after the 3rd dynasty of
the Early Kingdom and was used for tombs
and temples
Construction System
-Construction system in ancient Egypt
reflected the availability of materials
-Two construction systems were
predominant: Adobe construction and post &
beam construction
-Adobe construction took the form of clay on
vegetable material or sun-dried brick
construction
-This construction was reserved for houses
and other buildings of daily life
-These buildings are supposed to last for only
a generation
-Egyptian monumental construction is mainly
of a post and beam style
-This is expressed mainly in pyramids, tombs
and temples
-Columns are designed to look like plant
material
Their shaft resembles bundles of plant stems
tied together
Their capitals are derived from the lotus bud
or the papyrus flower or the palm leave
-Great importance was attached to relief
carving and it was an integral part of the
architecture
-The true arch was not extensively used in
ancient Egypt
-The principle was however known
-Construction in Egypt took place during the
period of floods
-It took 20 years to build a pyramid with a
team of 20,000 men working three to four
months during the floods
Technologies
-Ancient Egyptians contributed to
technologies in the aspect of lighting
-Egyptians used courtyards extensively for
lighting
 -Technology has existed since the ANE period -Egyptian architecture also displays an
-The greatest contribution of the Ancient understanding and application of geometry in
Egyptians is in the aspect of Clerestory lighting design

-In the hypostyle hall of Egyptian temples is
found one of the earliest applications of the
clerestory method of lighting
-By making columns higher and creating two
roof levels, the ancient Egyptians were able to
admit light into halls
PRINCIPLES OF ARCH. ORGANIZATION
Emphasis on Building Masses
This is noticeable in the pyramids at Giza
-All the three main pyramids are Geometrical
pyramids
-A geometric pyramid has a square base and
a 52-degree inclination of its sides
-All the pyramids are also aligned in a straight
line along their axis
-This could only have been achieved with the
understanding of geometry

-The examination of ancient Egyptian

architecture shows more concerned with
massing & limited attention to space or
function
-The Mastaba, Pyramids, Mortuary and Cult
temples all display a focus on massing and
form
-There was limited consideration on
functional space
-Consideration of function in design was
limited to provision of spaces for ritual
activities such as chapels dedicated to Gods in
Pyramid funeral complexes and Mortuary and
Cult temples
Application of Harmony & Contrast
-Architecture in ancient Egypt also displays
understanding of the principle of Harmony
and contrast
-Example of this is reflected in the pyramids at
Giza
-The colour and material of the pyramid
create a harmony between the pyramids and
the desert
-The form and shape of the pyramids however
contrast sharply with the smooth undulating
desert

-This understanding is also displayed in the

temples of Mentuhotep and Hatshepsut
Application of Linear & Geometrical Org
-A double row of columns used to front the
-The Most important compositional principle
lower and upper terraces create a harmony
in ancient Egypt is linearity and axial
with the rugged background of the mountain
organization
cliffs
-Linearity means organization along a line,
-The terraces of the temples are however in
while axial organization means that there is a
sharp contrast with the mountainous nature
defined axis running through the whole
of the environment
composition
-The temples appear like an island of peace in
-Almost all the predominant monuments have
a rugged and violent environment
a linear and axial organization

-These include the pyramid funerary

complexes and the mortuary and cult temples
FORCES SHAPING ARCH. ORGANIZATION -Egyptian society is segregated with
pharaohs, noblemen and commoners
Influence of the Desert
-The desire to build massive tombs and
-Ancient Egyptian architecture can only be
temples by pharaohs and noblemen is a way
understood by also looking at the
to express their social standing in society
environment in which it is located
-Put in another way, the buildings are an
-Egypt is essentially located in a desert and
expression of the power, authority and social
the desert is nothing but empty space
standing of the nobles & pharaohs who built
-For anything to be visible and considered them
monumental, it must match the scale of the
desert

-This understanding may have influenced the

architects of ancient Egypt to focus on
building massing and creating the massive
buildings

Influence of the Nile

-The Nile had an important influence in the

linearity and axiality of ancient Egyptian
Architecture

-The Nile was a very straight river

-The straightness of the line provided the

ancient Egyptians with both a symbolic sense
of direction and a principle for application in
the creation of monumental buildings

Religion and Social Symbolism

-A review of the forces shaping architecture in

ancient Egypt will be incomplete without
considering the role of religion and social
symbolism

-Religion, particularly the belief in life after

death was a strong factor in creating the
monumental architecture of ancient Egypt

-The tombs and the temples are all a factor of

the desire to achieve immortality or appease
Egyptian Gods.

-Social symbolism also played a part in

shaping ancient Egyptian architecture
GREEK 1.1
Location
1.Greek civilization occurred in the area
around the Greek mainland, on a peninsula
that extends into the Mediterranean Sea
2.It started in cities on the Greek mainland
and on islands in the Aegean Sea
3. Towards the later or Hellenistic period,
Greek civilization spread to other faraway
places including Asia Minor and Northern
Africa
4.Most of the Greek mainland was rocky and
barren & therefore bad for agriculture
5.Most Greeks therefore lived along the
coastline or on islands where the soil was
good for farming
6. The Aegean and Mediterranean Seas
provided a means of communication and
trade with other places
6.The period of ancient Greek history can be
divided into four as follows: 1100 B. C.: 750 B.
C. Greek Dark Ages 750 B. C. : 500 B. C.
Archaic Period 5000 B. C. 323 B. C. Classical
Period 323 B. C. "The archaic & Ancient
Greece 700 BC classical period are sometimes
collectively referred to as Hellenic period: 147
B. C. Hellenistic Period
7.. Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC) -The
Mycenaean people ORIGIN
-Greek civilization is therefore usually viewed
as a continuation of the Mycenaean
civilization
-The start of the Greek civilization is therefore
dated to the end of the Mycenaean
civilization in 1100BC
-Following the decline of Mycenae, the area
around the Greek mainland went into a
period of decline that is referred to as the
Greek Dark ages/
3.Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC)
-Greece became depopulated with groups of
people moving out of mainland Greece
towards the islands of the Aegean
-Mycenaean and Greek culture dwindled and
many cultural elements including writing, art
and architectural techniques were lost
-Trade with Asia Minor, the Middle East and
Egypt, which was at the root of Cretan
prosperity stopped entirely
4. Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC)
-As Greek people migrated from the
mainland, other people from other less
prosperous mountain regions of the north
migrated to the more fertile coastline regions
-They invade the Greek mainland villages and
established their rule
-The northerners brought with them a Greek
dialect called Dorian, as opposed to the ionic
Greek spoken by the main settlers
-The two dialects and cultures later mixed
together to create a Hellenic culture, which is
at the root of ancient Greek civilization
5. Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC)
-These two dialects became equated with
characteristic architectural forms that evolved
in them
-In the period following the invasion by the
Dorians, there was a shift in lifestyle that
produced a sedentary agricultural lifestyle
and society.
-Sedentary lifestyle allowed the Greeks to
rediscover urbanized culture that ultimately
led to evolution of classical Greek culture
6. Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC)
-The revival of Greece from the dark ages
started during the eight century BC
-The Greeks developed a new political form
called city states
-City states are cities which are ruled as
independent nations
-The archaic period saw the renewal interest
in overseas trading contact
-Greek societies that were engaged in trade
became rich and by joining with other their
neighbours, sometimes forcefully, formed
large states
-The polis or city state emerged as the natural
and desirable political entity
-Early examples of these city states include
Athens, Corinth, Argos, and Sparta on the
mainland, and in the Eastern Aegean, Samos,
Chios, Smyrna, Ephesus and Miletus
-The archaic period marked the rise of the
aristocratic families; families that are
considered noble or of higher status
-The archaic period was dominated politically
by the leading aristocratic families in each city
state acting in concert or squabbling amongst
themselves for supremacy
-At times individual aristocrats were able to
take advantage of popular dissatisfaction to
seize authoritarian power
-Such rulers were called tyrants
-Such tyrants stimulated the development of
the arts through their patronage
-The archaic period marked the beginnings of
Greek monumental stone sculpture and
architecture -Around 546 BC, the rising
Persian Empire conquered some Greek city
states
-The rising threat of the Persian Empire
marked the end of the Greek archaic period
and of classical Greek culture
7. Classical period (500-323 BC)
-The Classical period of ancient Greek history
occurred between 500 BC, and 323 BC.
-The period started with the Greek city states
coming into conflict with the rising Persian
Empire
-The free Greek cities saw the threat that was
developing from the Persian Empire and
prepared for resistance
-A seaborne expedition by the Persians to
Athens was defeated at Marathon in 490 BC
-Under the Persian King Xerxes, Persia
attempted a retribution in 479 BC and was
defeated by an alliance of the Greek states
headed by Sparta
-The Greek alliance soon transformed into an
Empire under the leadership of Athens
-Pericles, the ruler of Athens between 444
and 429 BC became a driving force for the
development of temple architecture
-Pericles used the defence revenue from the
alliance for temple building in Athens to thank
the Gods
-Athens reached its greatest political and
cultural heights during the classical
-The full development of the democratic
system of government occurred under
Pericles
-The Parthenon on the Acropolis at Athens
was built -Philosophical schools such as those
of Socrates and Plato were founded
-Between 431 and 404, Athens entered into a
series of wars with Sparta which left it in ruins
-The fall of Athens gradually led to political
chaos in the whole of Greece
-The 4th century saw the rise of Macedonia as
a power in the region
-The Macedonian king, Philip rapidly
extended Macedonian power and wealth
-In 338 BC, he defeated a coalition of the
major Greek Cities including Athens and
Thebes, and created a federation of all Greeks
with him as the leader
-He proposed a crusade against the Persians
but was assassinated before undertaking it
-His son Alexander undertook the crusade and
established himself as the ruler of the former
Persian empire
-Alexander undertook a lot of military
campaigns to extend the Greek empire and
founded many new cities such as Alexandria
in Egypt
-He died in 323 BC without a heir to inherit
him
-The Death of Alexander marked the end of
the classical period of Greece civilization
8.Hellenistic period (323- 147 BC)
-The Hellenistic period of ancient Greek
civilization started with the death of
Alexander in 323 BC
-When Alexander died, he did not have an
heir to inherit him
-The Greek empire split into smaller states
with Alexander's generals as their rulers
-The period saw the trans planting of Greek
art, civic life and culture to newly conquered
areas
-The period also saw a marked increase in
interest in civic buildings
-The Hellenistic period ended in 147 BC, when
the Roman Empire conquered Greece and
incorporated the city states into it
1.2 Social Characteristics & Beliefs
1.Introduction
-Greek civilization is the first major civilization
in Europe
-Greek civilization along with the Roman
civilization are said to be at the root of
current western civilization
-They are referred to as "classical" cultures
because of their recognition as the root of
western civilization
-Greek and Roman architecture are also
referred to as classical architecture
-Greek civilization started with the mingling
of two Greek cultures, the Dorian and the
lonian to create a single Hellenic culture
-The two developed a sedentary agricultural &
commercial society that ultimately gave birth
to the concept of the city state
2. Societal Organization- The city state
-The ancient Greeks lived-in self-governing
city-states called "polis."
-The city-states were small, independent
communities which were male-dominated
and bound together by race.
-The ancient Greek world was made up of
hundreds of these independent city states
-The polis started as a defensible area to
which farmers of an area could retreat in the
event of an attack as in the Mycenaean
citadels
-Over time, towns grew around these
defensible areas.
•Societal Organization- The city state
-Every polis was different from another, even
though there were similarities between them
-They were all bounded by common language
and religious beliefs
-They all made efforts to preserve their own
unique identity, and each city state believed
that their state was better than all the other
states
-The city states often fought with one
another.
-The city state of Athens on the Greek
mainland was among the most famous and
powerful of the city states -It was a major
centre for learning and the arts.
-When city-states were first formed, they
were ruled by a few wealthy men.
-However, they gradually moved towards
democracy.
-Athens developed an early form of
democracy How did they make laws? Only
men who were born in Athens were allowed
to vote.
-They did this at public assemblies where
upper class citizens discussed and adopted
laws that might benefit Athens.
3.Social Organization and Responsibility
-The scale of the polis was small.
-The philosophers Aristotle and Plato believed
that the polis should be of a small size, so that
members know each other personally
-The ideal size of a city state was fixed at 5040
males by Plato
-Citizens in any polis were by blood and so
family ties were very strong.
-Membership of the polis was hereditary and
could not be passed persons outside the
family
Social Organization and Responsibility
-The society of the polis had a social hierarchy
with citizens at the top, followed by people
who are not citizens and finally slaves
-Public life was for male citizens while women
were secluded in the house
-Greek citizens did not have rights but duties
-All citizens were directly involved in politics,
justice, military service, religious ceremonies,
intellectual discussion, athletics and artistic
pursuits.
-It was not acceptable for Greek citizens to
refuse to carry out their responsibilities
4.Religious Belief
-The ancient Greeks were polytheistic,
believing in many different gods and
goddesses
-The God were regarded as all powerful but
similar to human beings in their passions,
desires and appetite
-All aspects of life were under the protection
of the gods, and they controlled everything,
from the waves in the ocean to the winner of
a race.
-All the gods and goddesses had specific roles,
controlling one or two major aspects of life
-Zeus was, for example, the supreme leader of
the gods, Hermes was the messenger of the
gods, and Poseidon was the god of the sea
-The essential concept in religious practice
was that of contract, of obligation and the
paying of obligation -Humans call on the gods
for protection and make offerings to the gods
to secure this
-Ancient Greeks believed that religion would
make their lives better while they were living.
-They also believed that the gods would take
care of them when they died.
-Religious belief was constantly changing and
developing as new cults were introduced from
time to time
5. Place of Worship: TEMPLES
a. the focus of Greek religious worships
b. usually built in the cities of the Gods called
"Acropolis"
c. built in every town and city for one or more
god or goddess
d. considered as offerings to the gods
e. Each community was therefore under
pressure to make them beautiful as possible
f. considered as the house of the gods
g. not designed for functional use
h. usually consists of a large open hall called
sanctuary where the statue of the god to
whom it is dedicated is kept
i. places for routine festivals to the gods
* festivals included plays, music, dancing, and
then a parade to the temple where they made
sacrifices and had a feast.
*Animals were usually sacrificed as a gift to
the gods
6.Architecture in service of religion
6.1 Service of Religions
6.2 Temples were the abode of gods
6.3 The Greeks regarded beauty as an
attribute of the gods and the conscious
pursuit of beauty as a religious exercise.
THE DIVINE BEAUTY OF MATHEMATICS
6.4 The most important task for architects
was how to make the temple beautiful
6.5 The search for ways to express
architectural beauty made the Greek
civilization among the first to have established
ideals of beauty Architecture in service of
religion
6.6 The Greeks convinced themselves that the
secrets of beauty proportions
6.7 Man was viewed by the Greeks as having
the most ideal proportions and is the measure
of all things
6.8 Greek developed a system of building
proportion that reflected those of the human
body
6.9 With time, they refined their system of
building proportion, and developed the
classical Greek orders
6.10 The principal building material of the
ancient Greeks was stone
6.11 Clay and timber were also used
6.12 Timber was used mostly for roofing and
its scarcity coupled with limitations in its
length-imposed restrictions on the width of
buildings
6.13 Temples were the main building type and
it was used as a decoration element by every
city
6.14 Greek society also made buildings other
than temples
6.15 These evolved in response to changes in
need with time
6.16 The most common buildings are
amphitheatres, council halls, public fountains
and theatres, gymnasia, schools and libraries,
public baths and lavatories
6.17 As these civic buildings emerge,
treatment once reserved for temple was
extended to them even though on a less
grand scale than in the temples
6.18 Greek CONSTRUCTION:
-was of a simple post and lintel or trabeated
construction
-ground plans were always very simple, -because the games were religious, anyone
usually rectangular who was caught cheating during the games
was never allowed to compete again
-with a combination of simple ground plans
and trabeated construction, they were able to
create amazing buildings
Orders
-constructed by skilled craftsmen who were in
In classical architecture, the parts of a building
demand and travelled from one state to the
that stand in fixed and constant relation to
other for construction work
each other; distinguishable by the capital
-designs were done on the ground by
• Doric
measuring out the foundation
• Ionic
6.19 BLOCKS OF STONE: • Corinthian
-were ordered from the quarry

-given initial preparation on building site
-large and retained in own weight; it was not
necessary to fix them together in any way
-Roofs were of wood beams and rafters cut to
square shapes with tile roof
1. Refers to the entire set of form that
makes up the principal elevation of a
temple
- Composed of a base
2. Greeks are credited with originating
the 3

-Carvings and other decorative work were

finished when the building is completed Other
Activities and Achievements

6.20 Greek society contributed:

a. earliest development of science & scientific

inquiry

b. attempted to explain the world through the

laws of nature.

c. found out that the earth was round and a

Greek person is credited as being the first to
measure the circumference of the Earth

d. made significant contributions to the arts.

particularly in sculpture and painting

e. wrote many stories and plays that continue

to be performed today.

f. huge sports fans and sports was considered

a part of religion

-every four years, the Greeks held the

Olympic Games in the stadium at Olympia.

-the best athletes in Greece competed in

different events