📘 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)
📘 Midterm Comparison Outline (Skeleton Guide)
Prehistory
City – Mostly organic, small settlements (e.g., Çatalhöyük = proto-urban, no streets, houses clustered together).
Structural elements – Post-and-lintel, megaliths (menhirs, dolmens), timber huts.
Typologies – Dwellings, ritual/ceremonial spaces (e.g., caves, Stonehenge).
Gardens – N/A.
Significant buildings – Lascaux caves (ritual/identity), Stonehenge (astronomical + religious function).
Early Antiquity (Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt)
City – Planned + organic mix. Mesopotamia = orthogonal layouts, walls, ziggurat at center (e.g., Ur). Egypt = centralized around temples and Nile.
Structural elements – Mudbrick, post-and-lintel, columns (Egypt), monumental stone.
Typologies – Temples (ziggurat, Karnak), palaces, tombs (pyramids), walls, irrigation works.
Gardens – Formal, walled gardens (Persian paradise gardens).
Significant buildings – Ziggurat of Ur, Pyramids of Giza, Temple of Karnak (religious/political authority).
Aegean & Ancient Greece
City – Early Aegean = palatial complexes (Knossos, Mycenae). Later Greek polis = planned orthogonal grids (Hippodamian plan, e.g., Miletus).
Structural elements – Post-and-lintel, Greek orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian), theaters (stone seating).
Typologies – Temples, theaters, agoras, houses, stoas, stadiums.
Gardens – Modest/private courtyards; not central.
Significant buildings – Parthenon (religious + civic pride), Theater of Epidaurus, Akropolis of Athens (religious, political identity).
Ancient Rome
City – Highly planned grids, forums, monumental axes. Infrastructure networks (roads, aqueducts).
Structural elements – Arches, vaults, domes, concrete. Colonnades and basilicas.
Typologies – Forums, basilicas, amphitheaters, baths, aqueducts, temples, triumphal arches.
Gardens – Villas with formal peristyle gardens, imperial parks.
Significant buildings – Colosseum, Pantheon, Roman Forum, aqueducts (political propaganda + public utility).
Middle Ages
City – Often organic growth (walled towns, narrow streets), sometimes planned monastic/fortified towns.
Structural elements – Romanesque (round arches, thick walls, barrel vaults), Gothic (pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses).
Typologies – Churches, cathedrals, monasteries, castles, town halls, guild halls.
Gardens – Cloister gardens, monastery orchards/herbal gardens.
Significant buildings – Cluny Abbey, Chartres Cathedral, Hagia Sophia (Byzantine), St. Denis (birth of Gothic).
📘 Midterm Prep Breakdown by Module
Module 1: Prehistory & Early Antiquity
Core skills: define, identify, recognize
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Cultural Norms & Constructive Aspects
Greek: Balance, proportion, humanism, rational order.
Roman: Engineering, spectacle, imperial ideology.
Shared: religion + politics fused in space (temples, forums).
Module 3: Medieval Environments (1st–14th Century CE)
Architecture vs. Landscape Architecture
Architecture included churches, cathedrals, monasteries, castles, and civic buildings.
Landscape architecture included cloisters, monastic gardens, fortified town layouts, and pilgrimage routes.
Key Developments in the Built Environment
Early Christian adaptation of the Roman basilica into church design.
Growth of monastic complexes (Cluny, Cistercians).
Romanesque architecture: thick walls, rounded arches, barrel vaults.
Gothic architecture: pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, stained glass.
Cathedrals as the civic, cultural, and religious heart of medieval cities.
Castles and fortified towns as reflections of feudalism and military needs.
Keywords & Concepts
Basilica plan
Pilgrimage church
Relics and pilgrimage routes
Romanesque vs. Gothic
Monastic life and cloisters
Cathedral as community center
Cultural Norms & Influences
Christianity dominated all aspects of architecture and urban life.
Pilgrimage and relics influenced the design of churches.
Monasteries shaped intellectual, agricultural, and spiritual life.
Architecture used as teaching tools (sculpture, stained glass, portals).
Cathedrals symbolized faith, identity, and communal pride.
Castles and city walls represented feudal power and defense.
Module 1: Prehistory & Early Antiquity
A key distinction between architecture and landscape architecture is that architecture refers primarily to the design and construction of buildings and enclosed spaces, while landscape architecture focuses on the design of outdoor environments, including gardens, courtyards, irrigation systems, and the overall layout of settlements. Architecture emphasizes structures that provide shelter, serve ritual functions, or symbolize authority, while landscape architecture organizes the land to create functional or symbolic relationships between those structures and the natural environment.
In Prehistory, architectural and landscape developments were strongly influenced by ritual, social identity, and community life. For example, cave sanctuaries such as Lascaux illustrate the use of space for symbolic and ritual purposes, while megalithic structures like Stonehenge reveal an interest in astronomy, ritual practice, and communal gathering. The settlement of Çatalhöyük demonstrates early urban density, with houses clustered together without streets, suggesting a proto-urban approach to settlement.
In Mesopotamia, the development of the city-state brought with it monumental religious and political structures such as the ziggurat, which functioned simultaneously as a religious temple and as a symbol of political authority. In Egypt, architecture reflected religious beliefs in the afterlife and the divine authority of the pharaoh, most notably in the construction of the pyramids and large temple complexes such as Karnak. In Persia, gardens took on symbolic significance in the form of the paradise garden, which reflected cosmic order and political authority.The cultural norms of Prehistory and Early Antiquity emphasize community, ritual, and authority. Monumental structures such as ziggurats, pyramids, and megaliths were not simply practical buildings, but symbols of religious devotion, political legitimacy, and social cohesion. Constructive aspects varied according to available materials: mudbrick was common in Mesopotamia due to the scarcity of stone, while Egypt used large-scale stone construction to emphasize permanence and divine power.
Module 2: The Greco-Roman World
When applied to the Greco-Roman world, the distinction between architecture and landscape architecture can be seen clearly. In Greece, architecture is exemplified by structures such as temples, theaters, and stoas, while landscape architecture is visible in the planning of the agora as a civic and religious center, the acropolis as a symbolic elevated site, and the use of orthogonal street plans in cities such as Miletus. In Rome, architecture included monumental structures such as the basilica, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon, while landscape architecture encompassed the design of forums, imperial gardens, planned city grids, and infrastructural systems such as aqueducts that shaped the urban environment.
Key ideas in the Greek world include the centrality of the polis as a civic, religious, and political unit, and the development of rational city planning through orthogonal layouts. Greek architecture also emphasized harmony, proportion, and the expression of humanism, particularly in the development of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. The Hellenistic period introduced new building typologies such as libraries, palaces, and larger theaters, reflecting the cultural expansion that followed the conquests of Alexander the Great.
In Rome, architecture and city planning were directly tied to the political and social needs of the empire. The widespread use of concrete, combined with structural innovations such as the arch, vault, and dome, enabled the construction of large-scale public works. Buildings such as baths, amphitheaters, and forums reflected Roman ideals of spectacle, social cohesion, and imperial propaganda. Infrastructure such as aqueducts and roads emphasized Rome’s engineering prowess and helped maintain imperial unity.The cultural norms of Greece and Rome are reflected in their architecture. The Greeks emphasized balance, rationality, and proportion, which were seen as extensions of their philosophical and democratic ideals. Religious structures such as the Parthenon were simultaneously religious and civic symbols, expressing both devotion to the gods and pride in the polis. The Romans, by contrast, emphasized spectacle, engineering achievement, and imperial authority. Structures like the Colosseum were designed to provide mass entertainment and reinforce the power of the state, while the Pantheon symbolized both religious devotion and the grandeur of Roman engineering. Both civilizations, however, integrated religion and politics into their built environments, demonstrating the close ties between social order and architectural form.
Module 3: Medieval Environments (1st–14th Century CE)
The definitions and concepts learned in Modules 1 and 2, such as the distinction between architecture and landscape architecture, as well as the relationship between built form and cultural values, can be directly applied to the analysis of medieval environments. From the Early Christian basilicas of the 4th century to the Gothic cathedrals of the 13th century, architecture and landscape reflected both continuity with the Greco-Roman past and new developments shaped by Christianity, feudalism, and emerging national identities.
Between the 1st and 14th centuries CE, key developments in the built environment include the adaptation of the Roman basilica into a Christian church form, the creation of monastic complexes such as Cluny and Cistercian abbeys, and the rise of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Important keywords and concepts include the basilical plan, the pilgrimage church, Romanesque features such as thick walls and rounded arches, Gothic innovations such as pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, and the role of the cathedral as both the religious and civic center of medieval cities.
The cultural norms of this period reflect the dominance of Christianity, the growth of monastic life, and the importance of pilgrimage and relics in shaping the built environment. Constructive aspects include the use of stone vaulting for durability and fireproofing, the development of increasingly sophisticated structural systems to achieve greater height and light, and the use of architectural ornament, sculpture, and stained glass to communicate religious teachings. The cathedral, in particular, symbolized the unity of community, faith, and civic identity, while castles and fortified towns reflected the political and military structures of feudal society.