Arch. History 1: Exam 1

Qualities of Pont Du Gard

• 3 tiers of arches over an aqueduct

• Emperor kept citizens happy by giving them nice things (fresh water)

• Demonstrated Rome’s ability to control nature

Skylight Hole

• The Octagon Room

• The Pantheon

Amphitheater of Nîmes, France, 70 CE

Pont du Gard, near Nîmes, France, 40-60 CE

The Temple of Gaius and Lucius (aka the Maison Carrée (Square House)), Nîmes, c. 2 CE

Nemausus (present-day Nîmes) around the 2nd century CE

Castrum= camp

Cardo and Decumanus= principal cross streets

Nemausus (present-day Nîmes) around the 2nd century CE

Castrum= camp

Cardo and Decumanus= principal cross streets

Nemausus (present-day Nîmes) around the 2nd century CE

The Basilica of Constantine, Rome, 312-315 CE

Spolia

an architectural fragment which is taken out of original context and reused in a different context

Sculptural Program

the collection of sculptures that embellish a structure. Together they usually form a narrative (ex. Arch of Constantine)

Triumphal Arch

a freestanding monumental gateway, often embellished with sculptures, erected for important festive occasions. Can be temporary or permanent. (ex. Arch of Constantine)

The Arch of Constantine, Rome, 315 CE

The Baths of Caracalla, Rome, 212-216 CE

The Baths of Caracalla, Rome, 212-216 CE

Coffering

decoration of a ceiling or vault consisting of sunken square or polygonal panels

Relieving Arch

An arch placed in a wall above an arch or any opening to support the wall’s weight and bolster it against the downward force of gravity

The Pantheon, Marcus Agrippa; Rome, 110-125 CE

The “Taberna” Shop– Apollodorus of Damascus, Markets of Trajan, Forum of Trajan, Rome 11

Apollodorus of Damascus, Markets of Trajan, Forum of Trajan, Rome, 113 CE

Apollodorus of Damascus, The Column of Trajan, Rome, 113 CE

Basilica

A colonnaded hall for public use. Characterized by an oblong plan with aisles and galleries with an apse usually opposite the entrance

Apollodorus of Damascus, Forum of Trajan, Rome, 107-117 CE.

Superimposition of the Orders

in classical architecture the stacking of the orders on top of each other, usually on the facade of a building (bottom to top: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Attic level)

The Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater), Rome, 70-80 CE

Octagon Room, Domus Aurea, Rome, 64-68 CE

Domus Aurea (The Golden House of Nero) Rome, 64-68 CE

Opus Caementicium

Latin for cement work- construction material used in ancient Rome, an aggregate consisting of rock, tile, and brick rubble combined with binders like quicklime and gympsum mixed with a volcanic ash called pozzolana. Often faced with brick or stone.

Insula of Diana, Ostia Antica, 150 CE

Insula of Diana, Ostia Antica, 150 CE

Insula

Latin for Island– in ancient Rome, a multi-story apartment house or tenement block

Domus of the Vettii, Pompeii, 79 CE. Ixion Room.

Domus of the Vettii, Pompeii, 79 CE. Ixion Room.

Domus of the Vettii, Pompeii, 79 CE. Atrium

Domus of the Vettii, Pompeii, 79 CE.

Thermopolium of Asellina, Pomepii, c. 1st century CE

Domus– typical Roman house

Domus

Latin for house– in ancient Rome, an urban dwelling for a single well-to-do family

Tomb of the Leopards, Monterozzi Necropolis, 5th century BCE

Monterozzi Necropolis, 7th century BCE

Banditaccia Necropolis, 7th century BCE. Tumuli

Monterozzi Necropolis, 7th century BCE

Necropolis

complex of one or more tombs placed within a single complex that often extends over a large area

The Apollo of Veii, 6th century BCE

Statues on roof: Temple of Minera; Estruscan City of Veii, 6th century BCE

Temple of Minera; Estruscan City of Veii, 6th century BCE

Temple of Minera; Estruscan City of Veii, 6th century BCE

True Arch

a kind of arch composed of wedge-shaped blocks (typically of a durable stone), called voussoirs, with a key stone in the center holding them into place. In a true arch, weight is transferred from one voussoir down to the next, from the top of the arch to ground level, creating a sturdy structure that works with the forces of gravity.

Diagram of a true arch showing the distribution of force

• Porta Augusta, present-day Perugia, 200-100 BCE

  • Ashlar masonry

  • Etruscan City (Rome)

• Plan of the Etruscan city of Volterra, c. 8th century BCE

• Etruscan City = Roman Empire; Central Italy

Shrine of Asklepios, south slope of the Acropolis, 418-419 BCE

Ictinus, Parthenon, 447-423 BCE

Plan of Erechtheion, 421-406 BCE

Caryatid

a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head

Caryatid Porch, Erechtheion, 421-406 BCE

Erechtheion, 421-406 BCE

Acropolis showing the Panathenaic Procession passing through the Propylaea 437-432 BCE

Plan of the Acropolis, c. 400 BCE

Athens in the 2nd century CE with a view of the Panathenaic Way

Acropolis as rebuilt by Pericles in the 5th century BCE

Temple of Hera II, Paestum, Italy, c. 460 BCE

Peristyle

a space surrounded by a row of columns

Entasis

Slight swelling of the column shafts

The city of Paestum, Italy. Originally a Greek settlement called “Poseidonia”. Founded c. 600 BCE

Corinthian

Ionic

Doric

Clerestory

the upper stage of a structure’s main wall, usually pierced by windows for the purpose of providing light and ventilation

Hypostyle Hall

a hall or other large space over which the roof is supported by rows of columns like a forest

Senenmut, Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple, c. 1450 BCE

Corbeling

a structural system where a projected block, usually of stone, supports a beam or other horizontal member. A series, each one projecting beyond the one below, can be used in constructing an arch or vault.

Pyramid of King Khufu (The Great Pyramid), Giza, Egypt, ca. 2601-2515 BCE

Engaged Column

a column attached to, or partly sunk into, a wall, usually non load-bearing. AKA applied or attached column

Imhotep, Step Pyramid of King Djoser, c. 2650 BCE, Blue Faience Chambers

Mimesis

representation of imitation of the real world in art and literature

Imhotep, Step Pyramid of King Djoser, c. 2650. Blue Faience Chambers

Mastaba

from Arabic meaning “stone or earthen bench,” type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks.

Step Pyramid

a tapering, stepped, or terraced structure with stories of decreasing size

Imhotep, Step Pyramid of King Djoser, c. 2650 BCE

Imhotep, Step Pyramid of King Djoser, c. 2650 BCE

Hierarchy of Scales

a technique used in art, mostly in sculpture and painting, in which the artist uses unnatural proportions or scale to depict the relative importance of the figures in the artwork.

Palette of King Narmer, ca. 3000 BCE

Processional way looking toward the Ishtar Gate, Babylon, c. 575 BCE

Ishtar Gate, Babylon, c. 575 BCE (Currently in Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany)

Babylon, founded 3rd millennium BCE

Babylon, founded 3rd millennium BCE

Low Relief

a type of sculpture where forms project only slightly from the surface and there is little or no undercutting. (Royal Lion Hunt of Ashburbanipal)

Royal Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal, Northern Palace, Nineveh, c. 646 BCE

High Relief

a type of sculpture in which at least half of the circumference of the modeled form projects out from the surface. You can generally grasp the forms with your hand.

Ashlar

A type of dressed (cut) stone that has been shaped into a square. The term can also be used to describe buildings made of such stones

Stele of Naram Sin, c. 2250-2220 BCE

Stele

a stone or wooden slab generally taller than it is wide, erected as a monument or boundary marker

A dark temple with a long, empty hallway for offerings

The White Temple, Uruk

The White Temple, Uruk, late 4th millennium BCE

Ziggurat

A rectangular temple-tower in the form of a truncated pyramid built in diminishing stages, each staged being accessed by ramps

Uruk, founded 4th millennium BCE

Uruk, founded 4th millennium BCE

Writing on tablets

Sumerians, Terracotta Tablets & The Epic of Gilgamesh- Neo-Assyrian tablet

Embellishment of interior space

• Room of Catalhoyuk, Modern-day Turkey

  • Decorated with skulls to help segregate the space