1. Ancient and Egyptian Architecture
Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp

2. Topics
Mesopotamia
Sumer
Babylon
Ancient Israel
Crete
Mycenae

3. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia
Coexists with same time period as the Egyptians
Centered around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Modern day Iraq
Signs of civilization begin to appear around 4500 B.C.
Peak of civilization is around 3300 B.C.

4. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia - Sumer
Great kingdom located in Mesopotamia
Building materials were scarce
Timber was completely absent and stone was very scarce
Mud was used to create bricks
Highly soluble in water
Most structures have been destroyed due to rain and time

5. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia - Sumer
Architectural characteristics include:
Heavy walls made of mud bricks
Great massings of earth
Tombs were very rare
Temples of interest:
Temple VIII at Eridu
White Temple at Uruk

6. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia - Sumer
Temple VIII at Eridu
Ancient site near Ur
Thick walls of mud bricks
Set atop a primitive mud-brick platform
Featured stairs leading up to an entrance on the long side of the temple
Photo: Sullivan

7. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia - Sumer
White Temple at Uruk
3500 – 3000 B.C.
Placed upon a huge mass of earth called a ziggurat
Photo: Sullivan

8. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia - Babylon
Neo-Babylonian Revival
Culture was revived in 612 B.C.
Many new temples and palaces were built
Thick walls surrounded the city with a distance of some 11 miles
Key locations:
Ishtar Gate
Tower of Babel
Palace of Nebuchadnezzar

9. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia – Babylon
Ishtar Gate
Most impressive remnant of the great city
Dominated the wide processional avenue and led to the inner city
Partly reconstructed in the State Museum, Berlin , Germany
Photo: Sullivan

10. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia – Babylon
Tower of Babel
Most famous of all the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia
Has been restored many times throughout the centuries
No one really knows how it actually looked
Photo: Sullivan

11. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia - Babylon
Palace of Nebuchadnezzar
The most grandiose palace in Babylon
Featured the Hanging Gardens
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Approximately 900 by 600 ft. in size
Has been praised by many historians for its many splendid features

12. Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia - Babylon
Photo: Sullivan

13. Ancient Near East: Ancient Israel
King Solomon’s Temple
Built around the 10th century B.C.
Located atop Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem
Rectangular structure surrounded by open courtyards
Rebuilt two times due to invaders
The third temple is associated with the Christian New Testament
Destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans

14. Ancient Near East: Ancient Israel
Photo: Sullivan

15. Ancient Near East: Ancient Israel
Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is believed to be the last remnants of Solomon’s third temple
Photo: Sullivan

16. Ancient Near East: Crete
Key locations:
City of Troy
Was thought to be a mythical location until the 1870’s A.D.
Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann
Palace at Knossos
c – 1400 B.C.
Possibly built for King Midas
Only the ground floor has survived the centuries

17. Ancient Near East: Crete
Photo: Sullivan

18. Ancient Near East: Crete
Photo: Sullivan

19. Ancient Near East: Mycenae
Modern day Greece
A great society of warriors
More interested architecturally in citadels rather than pleasure palaces
Recognized the importance of geometry and proportions in architecture

20. Ancient Near East: Mycenae
Two important structures:
Citadel at Tyrins
Best preserved citadel of Mycenae
Up to 36 ft. thick walls
Lined with galleries that featured massive corbelled ceilings
Treasury of Atreus
Large dome shaped tomb dating back to 1300 B.C.
Photo: Sullivan

21. Ancient Near East: Mycenae
Photo: Sullivan

22. Ancient Near East: Mycenae
Photo: Sullivan

23. References Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/
Trachtenburg/Hyman; Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity
Wodehouse/Moffett; A History of Western Architecture

24. Ancient and Egyptian Architecture
Architectural History
ACT 322
Doris Kemp