History of World Architecture Exam 2 (Periods and General Knowledge)

Heinrich Schliemann

The figure who ignited modern archaeological interest in the earlier peoples of the Aegean because of his quest to find the places featured in Homeric legends.

The Cretans (Minoans)

A prosperous, peaceful island culture; their palaces were unfortified and their decorative art was typically pleasant, featuring flora, fauna, and festivals.

The Mycenaeans

A young warring culture on the Peloponnesian Peninsula; their palaces were heavily fortified with cyclopean stone and their decorative art which typically featured war scenes.

The Early Aegean Peoples

Used unique column: wooden, polychrome, downward-tapering, cushion capital. (cushion capital, downward-tapering shaft, and thin disk as a base - made of wood.)

Megaron

The principal hall in a Cretan or Mycenaean house; it is the basis for the later Greek temple.

Mycenaeans Built Style

Construction of large tholos tombs with corbel vaulting.

Archaic Period (Ancient Greece)

Sculpture shares some stylistic similarities with Egyptian sculpture; mythology credits Daedalus for bringing Egyptian influence to Greece.

Archaic

Sculpture often exhibits a strange “_______ smile.”

Archaic Period (Ancient Greece)

The Doric Order was developed, and early temples show experimentation in proportioning of elements.

Archaic Period (Ancient Greece)

The Temple of Hera I in Paestum has a very exaggerated entasis (swelling) of its columns.

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

High point is approximately 480-430 BC, a golden age between two major wars.

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

Emphasis is on the ideal and achieving perfection; rigid following of the rules.

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

Architects utilize many visual adjustments to achieve “perfect”-looking buildings.

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

Pericles rebuilds the Acropolis, the central focus of Athenian life.

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

The Panathenaic Festival occurs every four years; the people process from the agora to the Acropolis. This procession is represented on the Panathenaic Frieze of the Parthenon.

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

The agora is the commercial center of a Greek city. A range of civic buildings and spaces becomes essential for each Greek polis.

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

Vitruvius provides an explanation of how the Greeks developed their three Orders: Doric (based on a man), Ionic (based on a woman), and Corinthian (based on a maiden, with a unique capital designed by Callimachus).

Classical Athens (Ancient Greece)

Lord Elgin removed sculpture from the Acropolis in Athens in 1801-12. The marbles have been on public display in London since 1816. Greece wants them back.

Hellenistic Period (Ancient Greece)

Sculpture is characterized by emotion and theatricality.

Hellenistic Period (Ancient Greece)

Temple architecture introduces axiality, direction, and a sequence of effects.

Hellenistic Period (Ancient Greece)

Greek city planning is influenced by the writings of Hippodamus of Miletus, which promote a gridded plan, zoning, and key buildings near the center of a city.

Persia

A major empire that freely adopts and blends the styles of cultures it conquers (including Hittite, Assyrian, Egyptian, and eastern Mediterranean/Greek).

Persia

The palace at the ceremonial capital of Persepolis contained grad hypostyle audience halls.

Persia

This empire is eventually defeated by Alexander the Great, who burns the palace at Persepolis.

Etruscan

Unsure where this empire originated.

Etruscan

Built large necropolises in permanent materials; they tell us most about this empire’s way of life.

Etruscan

Temple design is different from the Greeks; use impermanent materials to construct.

Etruscan

Vitruvius provides a written description of the design and arrangement of this empire’s temples.

Etruscan

This group of people made early use of true arches.

Roman

______ Republic (509 BC - 27 BC) Roman Empire (27 BC - ca. 490 AD)

Rome

Vitruvius credits Greece and Etruria as major influences on the development of Roman architecture.

Rome

Vitruvian triad: firmitas, utilitas, venustas (firmness, commodity/utility, and delight).

Roman

“Veristic” sculptural portraits reflect ideals of the ______ Republic.

Roman

______ emperors use art and architecture to project power.

Roman

Architecture is used to knit ______ empire together.

Roman

The forum is the central public space in any ______ town or city.

Rome

Principal religious, administrative and commercial buildings surround the forum.

Rome

Recreational architecture (baths, amphitheaters, etc.) fill every major town; occupy the citizenry.

Rome

Innovation of building technology: use of arch barrel and groin vaults, and domes.

Rome

Develops concrete, which can be dated based on the permanent forms: opus incertum, opus reticulatum, and opus testaceum.