📘 Midterm Prep Breakdown by Module ⸻ Module 1: Prehistory & Early Antiquity Core skills: define, identify, recognize 1. Architecture vs. Landscape Architecture • Architecture: Design of buildings/spaces for shelter, ritual, politics, religion. • Landscape Architecture: Shaping land + open spaces (gardens, courtyards, irrigation, urban layout). • Difference = building-focused vs. environment/land-focused. 2. Key Developments (political, social, religious, etc.) • Prehistory: Ritual (caves, megaliths), communal identity, proto-urban settlements (Çatalhöyük). • Mesopotamia: City-states, ziggurat = religious + political center. • Egypt: Pharaoh divine kingship → pyramids, temples aligned with afterlife beliefs. • Persia: Paradise gardens = political power + cosmology. 3. Cultural Norms & Constructive Aspects • Collective ritual identity (Stonehenge, Lascaux). • Monumentality as a sign of authority (ziggurats, pyramids). • Use of available materials (mudbrick in Mesopotamia, stone in Egypt). ⸻ Module 2: Greco-Roman World Core skills: apply, identify, recognize 1. Apply definitions (Arch. vs. Landscape Arch.) • Greek: Architecture = temples, theaters, stoas. Landscape = agoras, acropoleis, orthogonal plans. • Roman: Architecture = basilicas, baths, Colosseum, Pantheon. Landscape = forums, imperial gardens, urban grids, aqueduct networks. 2. Key Developments • Greek: Polis as civic/religious/political unit. Rational planning (Miletus). Development of orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian). Democracy + temples as civic identity. • Hellenistic: New typologies (libraries, palaces, theaters). • Roman: Empire → infrastructure + propaganda. Concrete, arches, domes → new scale. Baths + arenas = social cohesion. 3. Cultural Norms & Constructive Aspects • Greek: Balance, proportion, humanism, rational order. • Roman: Engineering, spectacle, imperial ideology. • Shared: religion + politics fused in space (temples, forums)

Architecture

The design of buildings and enclosed spaces for shelter, ritual, politics, and religion.

Landscape Architecture

The design of outdoor environments, including gardens, courtyards, irrigation systems, and urban layouts.

Prehistory

A period characterized by the absence of written records, often associated with communal identity and ritual use of space.

Ziggurat

A monumental structure in ancient Mesopotamia serving as a temple and symbol of political authority.

Stonehenge

A prehistoric monument in England, consisting of a ring of standing stones, used for ritual and astronomical purposes.

Pyramids of Giza

Monumental tombs in ancient Egypt reflecting the divine kingship of pharaohs and afterlife beliefs.

Romanesque Architecture

A style of architecture characterized by round arches, thick walls, and barrel vaults commonly seen in the Middle Ages.

Gothic Architecture

An architectural style that emerged in the Middle Ages, featuring pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.

Agora

A public space used in ancient Greece for assemblies and markets, serving both civic and religious functions.

Pantheon

A former Roman temple in Rome, exemplifying the use of concrete and domes, symbolizing both religious and civic authority.

Cloister Garden

A garden located in a monastery, often used for contemplative purposes and cultivation of medicinal herbs.

Pilgrimage Church

A church built to accommodate pilgrims visiting sacred sites, often containing relics of saints.

Colosseum

An ancient amphitheater in Rome known for hosting gladiatorial contests and public spectacles.

Feudalism

A social system in medieval Europe where land was held by lords and worked by serfs in exchange for protection.

Paradise Gardens

Gardens in Persian culture that reflect cosmological and political significance, often related to ideals of paradise.

Hippodamian Plan

An urban planning system developed in ancient Greece characterized by a grid layout.

Significant Buildings

Key structures in a civilization that exemplify its architectural style, cultural values, and societal beliefs.

Monumentality

The quality of being monumental, embodying authority and permanence, often seen in large public buildings.