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ARC 110
History of Architecture I
Module 3
Architecture of the Ancient Near East
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Module Outline
Lecture 6 Historical Background
Location and period
Social characteristics and beliefs
Architecture of the Civilization
Sumerian Architecture
Lecture 7 Assyrian architecture
Babylonian Architecture
Persian architecture
Lecture 8 Architectural Characteristics
Buildings and other architectural elements
Building materials, construction and technologies
Architectural Organizing principles
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Learning Outcomes
We should expect to learn the following about
the civilization Evolution of early human society and
civilization, including kingship and empires
Architectural responses to geography and
the need for religious symbols
Architecture of Power and Authority Temple and Palace architecture
Architecture and construction in mud
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Module 3 Lecture 6
Architecture of the Ancient Near East
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Outline of Lecture
Lecture 6
Historical Background Location and period
Social characteristics and beliefs
Architecture of the Civilization
Sumerian Architecture
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Historical Background
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Historical Background
Location Located in and around
the valley of Tigris and
Euphrates rivers inmodern Iraq
Area is also known as
Mesopotamia or landbetween two rivers
The land had poorly
defined edges The land stretches from
Mediterranean to eastern
borders of present Iran
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Historical Background
Location To the south and west, it
fades into the Arabian desert To the north and west, it fades
into the plains of Syria
The Tigris and Euphratesrivers sit in the land asdominant physical feature
The Rivers wereunpredictable, being subjectto alternating flood anddrought
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Historical Background
Period The area witnessed the earliest rise of human civilization
around 4500 BC
Transformation from prehistory, to villages and citiesoccurred there
Civilization there lasted for 5000 years
Cultural development was not homogenous during theperiod
Different cultures established city states and empires atdifferent periods
The cultures include Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian,
Babylonian, and Persian
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Historical Background
Period It has not been possible to trace a neat order ofthe history of the cultures
An acceptable order is presented Sequence of Civilization
4500 to 2000 BC Sumerian culture, peaking in3300 BC
2350 2200 BC Akkadian Period
2000- 1600 BC Babylonian Culture
1600 1717 BC Kessites and Hittites 1350 612 BC Assyrian Culture
612 539 BC Neo Babylonian culture
539 330 BC Persian culture
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Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilization
What do we mean by civilization?
Civilization is usually associated with the culturalpractices of cities and urban living, the presence ofwriting and written law
In Mesopotamia, earliest cities were establishedand urban culture took hold
Between 4000 and 3000 BC, large number ofpeople began living in a small area creating firstcities
Many people began to have jobs that isunrelated to agriculture
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Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs Once established, cities grew and increased power and
importance
As cities grew in power and importance, rivalriesdeveloped between them for military and economiccontrol
The ANE was land without natural defenses Warfare was common throughout its history
The Tigris and Euphrates also suffered from alternate
drought and floods Combination of warfare and frequent drought and flood
made a continuous homogenous civilization impossible
The result is that several cultures flourished and diedout during the ANE period
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Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs Cities in the ANE initially developed withauthority residing in an assembly of male
citizens Short term leaders were selected during wars
When war leaders were retained during peace
time, kingship evolved It was initially elective and later hereditary
As some cities became more powerful, theydefeated weaker ones to create empires andkingdoms
This led to collective rule of city states by asovereign king
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Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs With kingship also came monumental palaces
as place of residence and administration for
the king
Almost all ANE culture worshiped many gods
and goddesses ANE people did not believe in immortality or
eternal life
They believed only gods were immortal
Rather, they believed in divine rewards for
moral conduct
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Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs This reflected the agrarian nature of their
society
As ANE people came together to live in cities,they needed a means of communication andrecord keeping
Around 3500, the Sumerians invented a systemof writing based on pictograph
This was later developed into a simpler writingcalled the cuneiform
Development of written language enabled them
to produce historical records
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Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs Written records also led to the development
of written law as in the code of King
Hummurabi Cities in ancient Mesopotamia were enclosed
by wall fortifications
The fabric of the cities are a blend ofresidential, commercial and industrialbuildings
Houses were one story high and mostly ofmud brick
Rooms were arranged around courtyards
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Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs Houses looked inward
Rooms were narrow with thick walls and flat,
vault or dome roofs Timber and stone were scarce, clay was
abundant and mud brick was most common
building material Buildings were usually raised on platforms to
protect them from the floods
Clay was also used for pottery
Mesopotamians invented astrology, wheeled
vehicle & made advances in science & math
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Architecture of the Civilization
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Architecture of the Civilization
Sequence of Treatment
Sumerian Architecture Assyrian Architecture
Babylonian Architecture
Persian Architecture
S i A hi
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Sumerian Architecture
Introduction The transition from prehistory
was made around 4500 BC
with the rise of the Sumeriancivilization
Sumerians established an
irrigation system that made thecapable of food production to
support urban living
They were also skilled in metalcraft
The Sumerians invented the
cuneiform system of writing
S i A hit t
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Sumerian Architecture
Introduction The Sumerians invented the
cuneiform system of writing
The major cities of theSumerian civilization wereKish, Uruk and Ur
The Sumerian were the firstcivilization to make aconscious attempt ofdesigning public buildings
Mud was their buildingmaterial
Mud was formed into brick,sun dried and built into
massive walls
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Sumerian Architecture
Introduction Mud was their main building material
Mud was formed into brick, sun dried and builtinto massive walls
Walls were thick to compensate the weakness ofmud
They were reinforce with buttresses
Spaces were narrow because of the walling
material
S
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Sumerian Architecture
Introduction Spaces were narrow because of the walling
material
Faade of buildings were whitewashed andpainted to disguise the lack of attraction of the
material Buttresses and recesses also relieve the
monotony of the plastered wall surfaces
Temples was their major building type
We will examine Sumerian house organization
and their temple forms
S i A hit t
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Sumerian Architecture
Introduction The clearest example of
the cities of the ancient
Near East is found in theSumerian city of Ur
Cities were enclosed in
walls with Ziggurattemples and palace ascenters of the city
Fabric of the city is madeup of residences mixedwith commercial andindustrial buildings
S i A hit t
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Sumerian Architecture
Introduction The houses are densely
packed with narrow
streets between them.
Streets were fronted by
courtyard houses of one
story high
The houses streets were
usually punctuated by
narrow openings thatserve as entrance to
houses
S i A hit t
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Sumerian Architecture
Architectural Monument- Temples
Temples were the principal architectural
monuments of Sumerian cities Temples consist of chief and city temples
We will examine two examples of chieftemples- the white temple at Uruk and the
Great Ziggurat at Ur
And we will examine on city temple, the
Oval temple at Khafaje
S i A hit t
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Sumerian Architecture
White Temple Uruk Uruk was a major Sumerian
city by 3300 BC
Uruk is also known as warka
in arabic
The name Iraq is derived
from Uruk
The city covered an area of 2
square kilometer
Had a population of 40,000
people
White temple was located at
Uruk
S i A hit t
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Sumerian Architecture
White Temple Uruk The white temple was built
around 3000 BC
The white temple is an
example of earliest
development of Sumerian
temples and Ziggurat
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
White Temple Uruk The temple is place on agreat mound of earth calledZiggurat, rising more than
12 meters above ground The ziggurat and temple are
built with mud bricks
The temple is rectangular inshape
Temple walls were thick andsupported by buttresses
In the inner part of thetemple was a longsanctuary, that contains an
alter and offering table
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
White Temple Uruk Rooms oblong and in
shape and vaulted
surrounded the long side ofthe sanctuary
The temple had imposing
doorways located at its
either end
Worshippers to the temple
however enter through a
side room
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
White Temple Uruk Series of staircases and
stepped levels lead
worships to the entrance ofthe temple
The temple was plastered
white externally, making it
visible for miles in the
landscape
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Great Ziggurat Ur Ur was a Sumerian city
located near the mouth of
the Euphrates river The city was a thriving
place by 2600 BC
It was considered sacred toNnanna, the moon god
The white temple was builtaround 2113 to 2048 BC by
the ruler Urnammu
It was built on the ruins ofprevious temples and
incorporated their remains
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Great Ziggurat Ur It was constructed of mud
bricks reinforced with thin
layers of matting and cablesof twisted reeds
The Great Ziggurat waslocated as part of a temple
complex The complex comprised ofthe ziggurat and its courtand a secondary court
attached to it called thecourt of Nannar
The king was the chiefpriest of the temple and
lived close to it
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Great Ziggurat Ur The temple sits on a three
multi-tiered Ziggurat
mountain
Access to the temple is
through triple stairways that
converge at the summit ofthe first platform
From this stage, one
passed through a portal
with dome roof to fourth
staircase
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Great Ziggurat Ur The fourth staircase gave
access to the second and
third stages of the zigguratand to the temple
The temple is usually
access only by the priest,where gods are believed to
come down and give
instructions
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Great Ziggurat Ur The ziggurat is believed by
the Sumerians to unit the
heavens and the earth The people believed that
climbing the staircase of theziggurat gives a holyexperience
The chief temple was alsoused as a last line of
defense during times of war Most of what is known
about what exist on top of
the ziggurat is projection
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Oval Temple- Khafaje Oval temple is an example
of second type of Sumerian
temples
It was constructed around
2600 BC
The temple is named ovalbecause of its massive oval
walls surrounding the temple
Located in the city,emphasis in its organization
is on enclosing space within
courtyards
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Oval Temple Khafaje Space is enclosed to create
island of peace from a busy
city
The temple is raised on a
simple platform enclosed
within the oval walls
It had subsidiary chambers
at the ground level
The outer wall was extended
to protect a priestly
residence with its own chapel
Sumerian Architecture
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Sumerian Architecture
Oval Temple Khafaje The inner court had an
offering table and showed
evidence of animal sacrifices
The inner court also had
basins for ablution as well as
workshops and storagerooms
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End of Module 3 Lecture 6
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Module 3 Lecture 6Architecture of the Ancient Near East
O f
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Outline of Lecture 7
Assyrian architecture Introduction
City of Khorsabad
Palace of Sargon at Khorsabad
Babylonian Architecture Introduction
City of Babylon
Architecture in the city of Babylon
Persian architecture Introduction
Palace at Parsepolis
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Assyrian Architecture
Assyrian Architecture
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Assyrian Architecture
Introduction Assyria is the name for a part
of ancient Mesopotamia
located on the upper Tigris The principal cities of Assyria
were Nineveh, Dun,Khorsabad, Nimrud and Assur
The Assyrians were greatwarriors and hunters, and thiswas reflected in their art
They produced violentsculptures and relief carving instone that was used to
ornament their houses
Assyrian Architecture
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y
Introduction During the Assyrian periods,temples lost their importance topalaces
Assyrian kings built walled cities,in which palaces took precedentover religious buildings
Palaces were raised on brickplatforms, and their principalentrance ways were flanked byguardian figures of humanheaded bulls or lions of stone
Their halls and corridors werelined with pictures andinscriptions carved in relief on
stone slabs up to 9 feet high
Assyrian Architecture
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y
Introduction The interiors were richlydecorated and luxurious.
The walls of cities wereusually strengthened bymany towers serving asdefensive positions
The city of Khorsabaddemonstrate the might andauthority of the Assyrian
kings It is also at this place that the
remains of Assyrianarchitecture can be found
Assyrian Architecture
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y
City of Khorsabad Khorsabad was designed as
the royal capital of Assyria
The city was built on a flat landwith an area of about a squaremile and was enclosed by adouble wall with seven citygates
Only a part of the city includingpalaces, temples and
administrative headquarterswas built
The palace was located on the
north west side of the city
Assyrian Architecture
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y
Palace of Sargon The palace is approached at
ground level through a
walled citadel Within the citadel is found
the main palace, two minor
palaces and a templededicated to Nabu
The main palace was set ona platform located on thenorthern side of the citadel
All the buildings within thecitadel were arranged
around courtyards
Assyrian Architecture
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Palace of Sargon The palace was arranged
around two major
courtyards about whichwere grouped smaller
courtyards
The palace consisted oflarge and smaller rooms
with the throne room being
the largest The building was decorated
with relief sculpture and
glazed brick
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Babylonian Architecture
Babylonian Architecture
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Introduction After the fall of Nineveh in
612 BC and the end of the
Assyrian civilization, focusof Mesopotamian civilization
shifted to old Babylon
A new dynasty of kings,including Nebuchadnezzar,
revived old Babylonian
culture to create a Neo-Babylonian civilization
Old Sumerian cities were
rebuilt
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Babylonian Architecture
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City of Babylon The city of Babylon is
shaped in the form of aquadrangle sittingacross and pierced bythe Euphrates[64]
The city wassurrounded by afortification of double
walls These had defensive
towers that project wellabove the walls
Babylonian Architecture
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City of Babylon The walls also had a
large moat in front, which
was also used fornavigation
The length of the wall andmoat is about five and aquarter miles
The city had a palace,Nebuchadnezzars
palace, located on itsnorthern side on the outerwall
Babylonian Architecture
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Ishtar Gate From the palace originated a
procession street that cutsthrough the city raised abovethe ground to the tower ofBabel
The procession street enters
the city through the famousIshtar gate
The Ishtar gate is built acrossthe double walls of the city
fortification The gate had a pair of
projecting towers on each
wall
Babylonian Architecture
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Ishtar Gate All the facades of gates
and adjoining streetswere faced with blueglazed bricks andornamented with figuresof heraldic animals- lions,bulls, and dragons
These were modeled inrelief and glazed in othercolors
None of the buildings ofold Babylon has survivedto the present age
Babylonian Architecture
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Architecture in the city of Babylon Nebuchadnezzars palacecovered a land area of 900 feetby 600 feet
It had administrative offices,barracks, the kings harem,private apartment all arranged
around five courtyards The palace is also praised for its
legendary hanging garden
This is recorded as one of theseven wonders of the ancientworld, but exact knowledge ofthe nature of this garden is notknown
Babylonian Architecture
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Architecture in the city of Babylon Temples and towers werealso prominentarchitectural elements of
Babylon The legendary tower of
Babel located at the end ofprocession street is
mentioned in the Christianbible
There is also no
information about thedesign and construction ofthe tower
Most of what is available
on the tower is hypothetical
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Persian Architecture
Persian Architecture
Introduction
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Introduction The Persian empire started in about 560 BC when
Cyrus the great from the province of Fars swept overthe region with his powerful cavalry
By the end of the century, Cyrus and his successors,Darius 1 and Xerxes had conquered the entire civilizedworld from Indus to Danube River with the exception ofGreece
It was the wish of the Persians to construct greatbuildings
They were to achieve greatness with their architecturalsolutions
The architectural solutions were a synthesis of ideasgathered from almost all parts of their empire and from
the Greeks an Egyptians
Persian Architecture
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Introduction Their materials of construction was also from
different locations
Material included mud-brick from Babylon,
wooden roof beams from Lebanon, precious
material from India and Egypt, Stone columnsquarried and carved by Ionic Greeks
Despite sourcing materials and ideas fromdifferent areas, their architecture was original
and distinctive in style
Persian Architecture
Palace at Perspolis
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Palace at Perspolis Persian architecture achieved
its greatest monumentality atParsepolis
It was constructed as a newcapital for the Persian Empire
The city was started 510 BCand finished in 460 BC
It is set along the face of amountain leveled to create alarge platform 1800 feet by 900
feet It was surrounded by a
fortification wall
The site was more than halfcovered by buildings
Persian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis The palace consisted of
three parts:
An approach ofmonumental staircases,gate ways and avenues
Two great state hallstowards the center of theplatform
The palace of Xerxes, theharem, and other livingquarters at the south endof the site
Persian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis Structurally, the buildings
relied on a hypostylescheme throughout
They used it to achievespaces of varying scale
Some of the spaces werevery big and generallysquare in plan
The spaces were enclosed
by mud brick walls The most impressive aspect
of the palace was the royalaudience hall
Persian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis The Royal audience hall was a
square 250 feet in length
It contained 36 slender columns
widely space & 67 feet high The columns had a lower diameter
of only 5 feet
The centers of the columns werespaced 20 feet or 4 diameters apart
The column was the greatestinvention of the Persians
The columns were fluted and standon inverted bell shaped bases
Their capital combine Greek motifswith Egyptian palm leaf topped byan impost of paired beast
Persian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis Another famous aspect of thepalace at parsepolis was thethrone room
This was also known as hallof a 100 columns
The columns in the roomwere 37 feet high, with a
diameter of only 3 feet They were spaced 20 feet
apart or seven diametersfrom axis to axis
The slim nature of the columncreated room and spaciousfeeling in the room when
compared to the audiencehall
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Assyrian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis The relief structure
addresses different
themes relating to therole of Parsepolis as
the capital of the
Persian Empire
Assyrian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis In some places, the
sculpture shows delegates
from the different parts ofthe Persian bringing giftsand rare animals to theking during celebrations
In some places, royalguards and nobles of theimperial court are shown
Elsewhere, the king is seenin conflict with animals orseated beneath aceremonial umbrella
Assyrian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis The ruins of Parsepolishave survived to thepresent day
Existing ruins howevergive a faulty expressionof the citys original
appearance Some columns
supporting the halls of thegreat halls have survived
The mud brick fabric ofthe palace and itsenclosing walls haveperished completely
Assyrian Architecture
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Palace at Perspolis Only the sculptures
which adorndoorways or windows
and openings and the
relief ornamenting itsentrance way remain
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End of Module 3 Lecture 7
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Module 3 Lecture 8
Architecture of the Ancient Near East
Outline of Lecture
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Lecture 8
Architectural Characteristics Buildings and other architectural elements
Building materials, construction and
technologies Architectural Organizing principles
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Architectural Characteristics
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Buildings & Other ArchElements
Buildings & Other Arch. ElementsBuilding Types
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g y 3 building types examined in ANE; Cities and
houses, temples and palaces
Temples and palaces were the mostoutstanding buildings types in ANE
Significant development in house organization
and city fortification was also witnessed In Sumerian civilization, development in house
organization led to the evolution of the inward
looking courtyard house Houses formed the dominant buildings of the
city with narrow passages to distribute people
Buildings & Other Arch. ElementsBuilding Types
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g yp
Across all the civilizations, cities were usually
walled
The walls were of massive brick material, with
evenly distributed towers serving as buttresses.
Examples of city wall or fortification examined
include City of Khorsabad and Babylon
The chiefs house at precinct of the GreatZiggurat and the Palace at Parsepolis were
also fortified with brick walls.
Buildings & Other Arch. ElementsTemples and Palaces
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p
Importance of temples and palaces variedduring the different periods of the ANE
Temples started during the Sumerian periodand were also common during the Babylonianperiod.
The Sumerian temples were raised onZiggurats, while the character of the Babyloniantemples is not certain because there is no trace
of them The Sumerian temples had chief temples
located outside the city and the city temple
located within the fabric of the city
Buildings & Other Arch. ElementsTemples and Palaces
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p
Neo-Babylonians also built great palaces. The
legendary palace of Nebuchadnezzar with its
hanging garden is widely reported in history
Temple building declined during the Assyrian
period, when palaces took over as theprominent building type
The Palaces at Khorsabad and Parsepolisshows the rise of the palace as the focus of
architectural development over the temple
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Materials, Const. & Tech.
Materials, Construction & Tech.
Materials
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Stone and timber suitable for building was rare
in the plains of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Clay was however in abundance
This was compressed in moulds and dried in
the sun to provide bricks for all buildings
Sun dried brick became the standard building
material It was used across all the cultures of the
ancient Near East
Materials, Construction & Tech.
Materials
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Wood was scarce but was imported fromLebanon
Wood was probably applied mainly for roofingor for producing tools and ornaments
Stone was used by the Assyrians but only for
relieve carving and for columnar support
It was in ancient Persia that extensive use ofstone witnessed
The Babylonians introduce glazed brick, whichwas used in the faade of their gates and
prominent buildings
Materials, Construction & Tech.
Construction
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The abundance of mud brick led to thedevelopment of construction methods
appropriate to its physical properties. Structurally Mud brick is weak when compared
to stone
To compensate, walls were very thick andreinforced with buttresses.
This construction system is evident in the
Sumerian temples.
Vaulting was known and used during theMesopotamian period
Materials, Construction & Tech.Construction
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Rooms were usually roofed with domes orvaults.
Tunnel vaults were used to cover long narrowoblong spaces.
Columnar construction was not very popular inthe ANE
It was used in few instances in the late Assyrianand Neo-babylonian periods.
It was however extensively used by the Persians Persian architecture, was an architecture that
borrowed from other cultures in the region,
including Egypt and Greek sources
Materials, Construction & Tech.
Technology
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Two technologies appear to have beencommonly used in the Ancient Near East;passive cooling and water supply.
The evolution of courtyard in Mesopotamia wasprobably a product of its desert environmentand the need for climate modification.
Courtyards were used for cooling to createlivable environments in houses
The thick walls of houses may also have servedas a thermal storage
They help to mitigate against the wide
fluctuations of temperature
Materials, Construction & Tech.
Technology
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People of the ancient Near East also masteredthe earth of water supply
Channels were used to move water and supplyit to agricultural fields and houses.
Ancient Babylon was said to have an aqueductthat supplied water to the city.
The hanging garden in Nebuchadnezzarspalace would also be impossible without ameans of transporting water from the ground tothe garden
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Principles of Arch.Organization
Principles of Arch. OrganizationPrinciples
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Three principles appear to predominant in
the organization of architectural form andspace
Courtyard organization
Lifting of buildings on artificial mountains
Organic organization of city fabric
Forces Shaping Arch. Organ.Forces
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Three forces account for the prevailing
architectural organizing principlesobserved Geography,
Symbolism and meaning to the people Social factors
Combination of the factors account for the
architectural forms that are witnessed in
all the cultures of the ANE
Forces Shaping Arch. Organ.Geography
A strong factor in shaping spatial organization
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A strong factor in shaping spatial organizationand built form
Limited the availability of construction materialand constrained the development ofconstruction technology
Desert environment also meant t hash climatic
conditions which lead to the evolution of thecourtyard form of building
Prevalence of mud bricks coupled with the use
of courtyard fixed the form of buildings as aregional solution.
Most buildings- whether house or palace, were
of one story multi-courtyard form
Forces Shaping Arch. Organ.Symbolism and Meaning
Organizing principles may also be a factor of
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Organizing principles may also be a factor ofsymbolisms and meaning
The role of symbolism is evident in the Ziggurat
Sumerians think of ziggurat as a ladder to thesky and to god
They believed that God came down to theZiggurat to communicating with the chief priest
Climbing the ziggurat is also associated with a
holy experience. Symbolic meaning of ziggurat provides
motivation for the construction of larger and
more impressive mountains
Forces Shaping Arch. Organ.Symbolism and Meaning
Palaces also symbolize power and authority
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Palaces also symbolize power and authority
In Assyria, architecture expressed the authority
and power of the king The palace at Khorsabad also shows the decline
in the symbolic importance of the temple
compared to the palace of the king, which is thecenter of authority.
At Parsepolis, the palace also expresses the
authority and power of the emperor of thePersian empire
This power is evident in the ability tocommandeer resources from as far as Egypt andLebanon to create a unique palace
Forces Shaping Arch. Organ.Social Concerns
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Social concerns contributed to the evolution of
design principles There was need for defense due to warfare
Led to construction of wall fortifications for cities Also to ziggurat as a place of refuge from attack
Concerns for privacy Courtyard house may have evolved because of
privacy needs
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End of Module 3