FROM THE BEGINNINGS TO THE 18TH CENTURY 1 EARLY TIMES Answer these questions. a. Have you ever seen any examples of very ancient buildings? What exactly? b. From your History studies, what do you remember about the architecture of the Romans and the Greeks? c. Of what architectural style are most of the churches in the town/city where you live? Ziggurat of Ur, Southern Iraq clay: argilla carved: inciso, intagliato cliff: promontorio, scogliera domed: a cupola fence: recinzione, cinta high-roofed: dall alto tetto hut: capanno mat: tappeto reed: canna relic: reliquia rush: giunco screen: parete divisoria, tramezzo shrine: simulacro straw: paglia 248 Module 8 The history of architecture had its real beginnings in two Karnak-Temple regions: the Nile Valley in Egypt and the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Babylonia and Assyria. In Egypt the first buildings were made of reeds, rushes, wood and sun-dried bricks. Later, the Egyptians imitated in stone the shapes of these early buildings. During the Old Kingdom (2,700 BC to 2,200 BC), workmen built great stone pyramids to serve as royal tombs. Imohtep, one of the first architects known by name, designed the first step pyramid in about 2,700 BC. From about 1,800 BC to 1,200 BC, the Egyptians cut their tombs into huge stone cliffs along the Nile Valley. They also built large stone temples, such as those at Karnak and Luxor. In Babylonia and Assyria, little wood or stone was available. People built clay huts with oval, circular or curved roofs. Later they mixed clay and straw to make sun-dried bricks. Before 3,000 BC, builders learnt to make brick arches and vaults. The Assyrians and Babylonians honoured their gods with tall temples called ziggurats. Each ziggurat was built in layers that gradually grew smaller toward the top where the shrine of the god was placed. The people of India, China and Japan developed very different architectural styles. In India architecture began to take a definite form when Buddhism became the official religion. Three kinds of buildings became important: temples, monasteries and stupas (where sacred relics of Buddha were housed). Some of the temples were cut out of solid rock. Hinduism was the other religion of India: Hindu temples have rows of sculptured stone columns and richly-carved domed roofs. After they conquered India, the Muslims introduced new architectural forms. Their temples, called mosques, have high domes and tall towers called minarets. The most famous Islamic building in India is the Taj Mahal at Agra. The Chinese built wooden temples and palaces, most of them following similar plans, with a spacious court leading to a high-roofed hall. Their houses were mostly built around courtyards, with graceful roofs gently curving upwards. The Japanese adopted many architectural forms from India and China. Their houses were only one storey high and were surrounded by gardens enclosed by bamboo fences. Sliding paper screens separated the rooms and the wooden floor was covered by straw mats. Taj-Mahal, Agra, India Ancient japanese house