Ancient Greek, Roman, Islamic, Renaissance, Baroque & Modern Architecture Key Concepts

polis

City-state

naos

Inner chamber of a temple housing the cult statue

pronaos

Front porch or entrance to a temple

peristylon

Rows of columns surrounding a temple or courtyard

pediment

Triangular space above the columns, often decorated with sculpture

frieze

Horizontal band above columns, often decorated with relief sculpture

Doric Order

The frieze consists of alternating triglyphs and metopes

Corinthian Order

The capital has acanthus leaves

Ionic Order

Features a capital with twin volutes

Doric

Described as strong, simple, grave, unadorned, masculine

Corinthian

Described as light, delicate, fanciful, elegant, feminine

acropolis

"High city," a fortified hill containing temples

Persians

Destroyed the Acropolis of Athens in 480 B.C.E.

Golden Age of Athens

~480-404 BCE

Themes behind Acropolis construction

Display of wealth, power, devotion to gods, civic pride

climax of the Greater Panathenaic Festival

Procession presenting a new robe (peplos) to Athena

Parthenon

Built to appear mathematically perfect

name 'Parthenon'

Derived from 'Parthenos' (virgin) → Temple of Athena Parthenos

Parthenon description

Rectangular temple with Doric columns, sculpted frieze, pediments, ideal proportions

Athena

Greco-Roman deity of war and wisdom who sprang from Zeus' head

Etruscans

Developed the arch and vault system, adopted by Romans

Aqueducts

Constructed by Romans to supply water

Arch of Titus

Relief depicting menorah from Jerusalem

Barrel vault

Described as a series of arches behind one another

Groin vault

Described as intersection of two barrel vaults, resting on four piers

Colosseum

Roman amphitheater that seated 50,000 (Flavian Amphitheater)

Pantheon

Roman temple bringing gods to earth via oculus

Kaaba, Mecca

Structure rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael for sacred black stone.

Mosque

Term for a Muslim place of worship.

Hajji

Title for a Muslim who has undertaken the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

Muslim structure where Muhammad ascended to heaven.

Taj Mahal

Structure built by Shah Jahan for his wife.

Filippo Brunelleschi

Architect who solved Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore's problem.

Florence Cathedral

Santa Maria del Fiore is more formally known as.

Dome construction unsolved

Why unfinished in 1418.

Michelangelo

Who designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Vatican City

St. Peter's Basilica is part of which nation.

Peter (the Apostle)

To whom did Jesus say, "Thou art ... upon this rock I will build my church"?

Bernini's Piazza San Pietro

Primary message is church embraces the faithful, welcoming and unifying.

St. Peter's Basilica

Largest Christian church in world for several centuries.

St. Paul's Cathedral, London

Second largest Christian church in Europe representing Baroque.

Columns, pediments, dome

Classical Greco-Roman features in St. Paul's.

Sir Christopher Wren

Builder of London, epitaph references him.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Church with Whispering Gallery.

1666

Year of Great Fire of London.

Gothic

English people preferred which style?

Eiffel Tower

France's centerpiece for 1889 World's Fair.

Crystal Palace, London (1851)

First structural deployment of cast iron in Western Europe.

Steel

Material that reduced weight/mass for skyscrapers.

Elevator safety brake

Invention by Elisha Otis that enabled taller buildings.

Empire State Building

1931 building 1,454 feet tall, world's tallest for 40 years.

Cantilevering / modern structural engineering techniques

Modern technique illustrated in Fallingwater & Sydney Opera House.