1 FROM THE BEGINNINGS TO THE 18 CENTURY TH EARLY TIMES The of civilization cradle The history of architecture had its real beginnings in two regions: the Nile Valley in Egypt and the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Babylonia and Assyria. In , the first buildings were made of , 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 . From about 1,800 BC to 1,200 BC, the Egyptians cut their tombs into huge stone along the Nile Valley. They also built , such as those at Karnak and Luxor. Egypt reeds 1 cliffs large stone temples In , little wood or stone was available. People built with oval, circular or curved roofs. Later they mixed clay and to make sun-dried bricks. Before 3,000 BC, builders learned to make brick arches and vaults. The Assyrians and Babylonians honoured their gods with tall temples called . Each was built in layers that gradually grew smaller toward the top. Babylonia and Assyria clay huts straw ziggurats ziggurat India, China and Japan The people of developed very different architectural styles. In India, architecture took a definite form when Buddhism became the official religion. Three kinds of buildings became important: temples, monasteries and (where sacred 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 columns and richly- roofs. India, China and Japan stupas relics carved domed Mosques and minarets After they had conquered India, the introduced new architectural forms. Their temples, called , have high domes and tall towers called , as in the Taj Mahal at Agra (India). The Chinese built wooden temples and palaces with spacious courts leading to halls. Their houses had roofs gently curving upwards. The Japanese adopted many architectural forms from India and China. They built one-floor high houses surrounded by gardens with bamboo . Sliding paper separated the rooms and the wooden floor was covered by straw . Muslims mosques minarets high-roofed fences screens mats Have you ever seen any examples of very ancient buildings? Which ones exactly? WARM UP Can you match the buildings with the places where they were constructed? pyramids ( ) zyggurats ( ) stupas ( ) mosques ( ) a. India, China and Japan b. Muslim regions c. Egypt d. Babylonia and Assyria DO Have you ever seen any examples of very ancient buildings? Which ones exactly? 1 MORE Imohtep, one of the first architects known by name, designed the Step Pyramid in about 2,700 B.C. 1