Lecture 5 Classical Architecture, Proportions, and Spatial Systems

Flashcards covering classical Greek and Roman urban planning, orders, optical refinements, and proportional systems from Renaissance, Mayan, Chinese, and Japanese traditions.

Princeps

Meaning "first citizen", this title was granted to Octavian by the Roman Senate when he was appointed with imperium command.

Imperium

Absolute command granted to Octavian by the Roman Senate, making him the supreme ruler and head of the army.

Augustus

Meaning "venerable" or "majestic", the title assumed by Octavian upon establishing order and ruling as Emperor of Rome from $27\text{ BCE}$ to $14\text{ CE}$.

Lex Romana and Pax Romana

"Roman Law and Roman Peace", referring to periods of civil stability under imperial rule during which monumental Roman architecture flourished.

Doric order

The oldest and sturdiest Classical Greek column order (originating in the 6th Century BCE), designed according to male body proportions.

Ionic order

A Classical Greek column order originating in the 5th Century BCE, characterized as lighter and based on female body proportions.

Corinthian order

The most slender Classical column order from the Hellenistic Age, featuring an ornate capital decorated with acanthus plant leaves and based on proportions of a young maiden.

Theater of Marcellus

An early Roman theater featuring a semi-circular plan built on flat ground, accommodating around $11,000$ seats across $3$ tiers facing a rectangular stage.

Logos

Classical Greek concept translating to reason, representing a natural, rational order opposite of chaos.

Summetria

Classical Greek concept translating to "having a like measure", expressing the ideal of balance, symmetry, and visual harmony.

Temple of Apollo at Didyma

A massive Hellenistic Greek temple near Miletos (~$330\text{ BCE}$) that remained unfinished, known for its tall Ionic columns and full-scale architectural "blueprints" etched directly into its interior stone walls.

Kallos

Ancient Greek term for "beautiful", which encompasses aesthetic and ethical qualities including "good", "noble", "excellent", and "virtuous".

Parthenon

Classical Greek temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos on the Athens Acropolis (~$490\text{--}438\text{ BCE}$, rebuilt ~$447\text{--}438\text{ BCE}$) designed by Phidias, Iktinos, and Kallikrates using strict modular proportional ratios.

Alexemata

Optical perspective adjustments made to the Parthenon, such as curving the stylobate platform, swelling column shafts (entasis), thickening corner columns, and leaning columns inward to achieve visual perfection.

Tempietto del Bramante

High Renaissance circular martyrium designed by Donato Bramante (~$1502$) in Rome, reviving Classical antiquity through strict geometric order and rational proportions.

Lo Shu Magic Square

Traditional Chinese $3 \times 3$ grid system utilized in Feng Shui, where numbers $1$ through $9$ correlate with cardinal directions, seasons, and natural elements.

Cai

The standard timber bracket cross-section unit in traditional Chinese architecture, defined by a standard height-to-width ratio of $15:10$.

Fen

A unit equal to one-fifteenth ($\frac{1}{15}$) of a single cai, used as a finer subdivision to size timber components in traditional Chinese construction.

Jian

Traditional Chinese spatial module measuring approximately $10\,\text{ft} \times 15\,\text{ft}$, serving as the standard bays or structural spatial units in plan layouts.

Tatami

Standardized traditional Japanese woven straw floor mats used as modular spatial units to plan and determine room sizes.

Zashiki

Traditional Japanese term for rooms floored with tatami mats, translating to "rooms spread out for sitting."

Yoshimura House

One of the oldest surviving traditional Japanese minka houses ($1620\text{ CE}$ near Osaka), featuring an earthen floor area for cooking/livestock, raised wooden tatami floors, and a thatched gable roof.