module 1: the first civilizations barbaric splendour 1 kalaa sghrira, tunisia
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MODULE 1: THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
Barbaric Splendour
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Kalaa Sghrira, Tunisia
“civis”: dweller of a cityThe story of Architecture begins with the
story of Civilization, when nomadic peoples established settlements.
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Learner Outcomes of Module 1 Know the four old-world River Valley Cultures
http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mvigeant/univ270_05/jake_aq/history.htm
Learner Outcomes of Module 1 Differentiate the different characteristics of the
culture and architecture of the Mesopotamian vs. Egyptians
Learner Outcomes of Module 1
Know the first four periods of the history of Egypt unified under Menes
Learner Outcomes of Module 1
Be able to identify tombs, temples built in each period
Temple of Horus, Edfu
Learner Outcomes of Module 1
Understand the natural phenomena which facilitated the development of surveying
The invention of Agriculture changed the way people lived.
Agriculture (Farming)
Growth of Cities
Division of Labor (Specialization)
Trade
Writing and Mathematics
Origins and Spread of Agriculture
http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mvigeant/univ270_05/jake_aq/history.htm
• Sumerian Civilization - Tigris & Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia)• Egyptian Civilization - Nile River
• Harappan Civilization - Indus River• Ancient China - Huang He (Yellow) River
Four old-world River Valley Cultures
Early River Valley Civilizations
•Flooding of Tigris and Euphrates unpredictable•No natural barriers•Limited natural resources for making tools or buildings
Environment
Sumer
Egypt
Indus Valley
China
•Flooding of the Nile predictable•Nile an easy transportation link between Egypt’s villages
•Deserts were natural barriers
• Indus flooding unpredictable•Monsoon winds•Mountains, deserts were natural barriers
•Huang He flooding unpredictable•Mountains, deserts natural barriers•Geographically isolated from other ancient civilizations
Mesopotamia
ZigguratsZiggurats
No one knows for certain why ziggurats were built or how they were used. They are
part of temple complexes, so they were probably connected with religion.
Mesopotamia “the land between the rivers”
From ~5500 to 539 BC hub of the world
Fertile because of massive irrigation works
Common building material sun-baked mud brick
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Mesopotamia “the land between the rivers”
Cuneiform writing wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets
The planning and architecture of cities was closely related to the civic and religious organization
Early use of bronze in artistic artefactsCities were surrounded by thick, fortress-like
walls
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The Fertile Crescent
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The Map of MesopotamiaMap of the Akkadian dynasty (2340 - 2180 BC
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Map of the Babylonian dynasty (2000 -323 BC)
The Map of Assyria (1350 - 612 BC)
Cuneiform
What impact did writing had in the development of civilization and architecture?
The Development of Written Language (1:42)The ancient Sumerians began to
document their activities by drawing pictures that represented words. Eventually, these pictures became symbols that were easier and faster to write
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/8812-mesopotamia-the-development-of-written-language-video.htm
What impact did writing had in the development of civilization and architecture?
Evolution of Cuneiform Words
The top of the Hamurabi stele shows the king worshipping before a seated god.
Detail of part of the inscription on the stele of Hamurabi's code
Hammurabi’s Code - 1792 BC
http://library.thinkquest.org/20176/hammurabis_code.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=1023
Hammurabi’s Code 229. If a builder build a house for some one, and
does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.
230. If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder shall be put to death.
231. If it kill a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave for slave to the owner of the house.
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http://www.phillipmartin.info/hammurabi/hammurabi_law201-250.htm
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Mesopotamian Cities
With a relatively steady supply of food, a surplus of goods and human energy allowed the construction of ever larger cities– grain [new] was grown; – surplus was stored in clay pottery vessels [new]; – communal storage of surplus grain required the
development of writing and numbers [new]
PEOPLE from MESOPOTAMIA & PERSIA
http://home.comcast.net/~DiazStudents/whistory_units1.htmhttp://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/32487/ziggurat-mesopotamia/
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The Ancient Near East
Khirokitia
Model of the city of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
http://home.comcast.net/~DiazStudents/whistory_units1.htm
Model of the city of BabylonArtist’s Sketch
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Istar Gate and Processional Way
Ishtar Gate
the Gate was constructed of blue glazed tiles with alternating rows of bas-relief sirrush (dragons) and aurochs.
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Ishtar gate of Babylon built by Nebuchadnezzar II (604 - 562 BC) now in the Staatsmuseum, Museum Berlin, Germany
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Wall of Hanging gardens of Babylon still standing
Marduk’s Dragon
One of the dragons from the gate
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An Auroch above a flower ribbon, missing tiles are replaced
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Building inscription of King Nebuchadnezzar II
Isometric artist's reconstruction of the Temple Oval at Khafajah, Iraq as it may have looked around 2700 B.C.Hamilton D. Darby, Pencil and charcoal on paper1934 P. 24174f/N. 12990/London # 14/S. 4796
The temple is surrounded by sturdily built mud-brick homes which were packed closely together along the narrow, winding city streets.
The thick walls of the houses provided good insulation against the elements, and flat rooftops provided extra living space.
A reconstruction drawing of the citadel of Khorsabad, now in Iraq, as it may have appeared in the time of Sargon II (721–705 BC). Drawing by Charles Altman.
Reconstruction drawing
of the citadel of Sargon II, Dar Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad) Iraq
ca. 720-705 B.C.E.
Winged bull with a human head, guardian figure from the gate of the palace at Dur Sharrukin, near Nineveh; in the Louvre.
Mesopotamia
Assyrian decoration stone figure of humanoid with wings
White Temple and ziggurat
Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq
ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E.mud brick
White Temple and ziggurat
Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq
ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E.mud brick
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Çatal Hüyük, Turkey
Existed from approximately 7500 BCE to 5700 BCE. It is the largest and best preserved Neolithic site found to date. [Discovered 1961]
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Çatal Hüyük, Turkey
Reconstruction
Phases in use & Rebuilding
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Çatal Hüyük, Turkey
Interior Reconstruction
Khirokitia (sometimes spelled Choirokoitia)
A Neolithic walled village occupied from 7000 BCE to 4000 BCE. Between 300 – 600 people lived on subsistence farming and herding. Round buildings between 1.6 and 4.8 m in diameter with domed roofs.
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Babylon 2000 to 600 BCMain buildings and temples raised above
rest of the city allocated to special gods. [Assumption: gods lived on mountains]
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Marduk Temple
BabylonLife for the upper echelon was quite
luxurious: artefacts of gold, silver, lapis lazuli (from India) and shell.
reconstructed hanging gardens
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Think outside the box
Stretch Break!!
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Drawing of the zigurat at Ur: the moon-god Nanna
By 4000 B.C. large temples were being built in Mesopotamian towns on top of mud-brick platforms.
Temples were originally built on platforms. During the third millennium B.C., these were made higher and bigger.
By 4000 B.C. large temples were being built in Mesopotamian towns on top of mud-brick platforms.
Eventually it was decided to build even higher temples on platforms which were stepped. These stepped towers we call ziggurats.
By 4000 B.C. large temples were being built in Mesopotamian towns on top of mud-brick platforms.
By 2000 B.C. mud-brick ziggurats were being constructed in many Sumerian cities. Later, ziggurats were constructed in Babylonian and Assyrian cities.
By 4000 B.C. large temples were being built in Mesopotamian towns on top of mud-brick platforms.
Archaeologists discovered one of the oldest at Eridu. They thought it must have been a temple because they found the remains of burnt fish which had been left as offerings.
By 4000 B.C. large temples were being built in Mesopotamian towns on top of mud-brick platforms.
Over hundreds of years the temple was rebuilt on the remains of previous buildings, and so the platform grew in size.
Ziggurat at Ur
2100 BC
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Ziggurat
at Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar) Iraq
ca. 2,100 B.C.E.mud brick
The north-east side of the ziggurat with the workmen on the stairs.
The south-east corner of the ziggurat after excavation.
Staircase
The Ziggurat of UrAround 2100 B.C. king Ur-Nammu built a ziggurat in honour of the god Sin in the city of Ur. It was called 'Etemennigur', which means 'House whose foundation creates terror'.
Staircase
This staircase runs up the side of the ziggurat. Possibly only priests were allowed to climb these steps to get to the higher stages of the ziggurat.
This staircase runs directly up the front of the ziggurat.
The three staircases on the front of the ziggurat came together at a gate.
Gate
Mud-brickThe core of Ur-Nammu's ziggurat was made of mud-bricks.
This brick was stamped with the name and title of Ur-Nammu, the king who ordered the ziggurat built. Most bricks used to build the ziggurat were stamped. Somebody had the job of stamping the damp bricks.
Each of Ur-Nammu's mud-bricks measured about 25 x 16 x 7 cm and weighed about 4.5 kg. Almost 7,000,000 mud-bricks would have been used to build the first stage of the ziggurat.
After about every sixth layer of mud-brick, a layer of reeds was placed on top of the mud-bricks in a criss-cross pattern.
How were baked bricks made?Clay was pressed into moulds. When the clay was dry, the bricks were turned
out. They were stacked together with gaps between them.
On each level of the ziggurat there was a terrace covered in baked brick.
Terrace
Two vertical drains made of baked brick were built on the sides of the ziggurat. These drains carried rain water away from the ziggurat.
Drains
Weeper holes
Small holes were left in the ziggurat to allow water to evaporate from the core. The archaeologist C. Leonard Woolley called these 'weeper' holes. Each weeper hole was lined with baked bricks.
TempleMany archaeologists believe that there was a temple on the highest terrace of the ziggurat.
This glazed brick was found at Ur. It may have come from the temple which stood on the highest terrace of the ziggurat.
On either side of the main staircase was a buttress.
Buttress
The Ziggurat of Ur todayIn the 1960's and 1970's, the first stage of the ziggurat was reconstructed by the Iraqi Department of Antiquities.
http://home.comcast.net/~DiazStudents/whistory_units1.htm
http://home.comcast.net/~DiazStudents/whistory_units1.htm
Ziggurat at Ur Tablets found with temple hymns, myths and
histories of the temples. Mathematical tablets with square and cube roots. Fountains and water troughs lined with bitumen Bread ovens
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White Temple, Uruk
As it looks today
White Temple and ziggurat
Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq
ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E.mud brick
HattusaHittite capital, 1300 BCMain gateway guarded
by sentinel towers and animal guardians
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Greek Antecedents:
Mycenaeans 1600 BC – 1125 BC,
overrun by Dorians Fortified settlements
on rock plateaus with thick walls of large irregular, fitted stones called cyclopean by the Greeks
Mycenae
Mycenae
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Lions Gate
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Greek Antecedents: Minoans
Crete, the Cyclades islands, Peleponnesus3400 BC to 1400 BCAppeared to have complete control of the sea Built palaces with sophisticated plumbing and
drainage but without defensive walls Wall murals depict religious activities and
festive sports notably vaulting over bulls
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Royal Palace, Knossos, Crete
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Royal Palace Knossos Partial Restorations
North Palace
Royal Apartments
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Royal Palace KnossosPartial Restorations
Architecture in Crete is no more structurally complex than in Mesopotamia or Anatolia
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Knossos Palace:Bull Fresco
Ctesiphon Palace on the TigrisKiln-baked brick in a parabolic vault over
the great hall (or iwan) of the palace
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Persepolis 550 BCGreat flights of steps lead up to
the podium on which the palaces were built. Only the stumps of the columns survive, originally they had unique capitals – the forefront of animals
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...Giving Birth to Great Architecture
Definition of terms
Ziggurats Cuneiform Mud Bricks Weeper Holes Buttress Fertile Crescent Stylus Mosaic Bas Relief