Module 2: Ancient Architecture of the Fertile Crescent

Ra

The sun god; the most important god int he Egyptian pantheon

Ka

The spirit/soul

Cuneiform

The first form of writing; developed by the Sumerians

Typology

Taxonomic classification of buildings according to function and form

Pantheon

All the gods of a religion

Mastaba

The superstructure over an Ancient Egyptian tomb, the tomb chamber being deep underground

Clerestory

The upper stage of the main walls of a church above the aisle roofs, pierced by windows

Engaged Columns

A structural column attached to, or partly sunk into, a wall

Necropolis

An ancient burial ground in or near a town

Ziggurat

A rectangular temple- tower in the form of a truncated pyramid built in diminishing stages, each being reached by ramps, erected by the Sumerians and their successors

Tementos

The ground surrounding or adjacent to an Ancient Greek temple or sanctuary

Ziggurat of Ur

Mortuary Complex of Zoser

Pyramid of Khufu

Enil

the Sumerian god of wind and storms; the chief god in the Sumerian pantheon

Nanna

the mood god to whom the temple at Ur is decided

Zoser

Pharaoh of Egypt (2691-2625 BCE)

Imhotep

The first architect recorded in history; Contemporary of Zoser

“Mesopotamia” can be translated as:

Land between the rivers

At Ur, to what points were the corners of the ziggurat (and the temenos) oriented to?

The cardinal points (north, south, east, west)

True/False: The Nile River is extremely predictable and floods regularly

True

Who was the first architect we have record?

Imohotep

Explain the purpose of the mortuary complex of Zoser

It was a royal burial site

True/False: Egyptian art was meant to be as naturalistic as possible

False