Classical Civilization: Rome

Rome today is an amazing blend of old and new. On one corner is a place that has been there since ancient times, on another something from the Renaissance, and a little farther down the block you can find a modern retail store. After living there for 4 months while studying abroad I truly appreciate the uniqueness of this city. It is so baffling to me that people drive by the Colosseum on their way to work every day and have probably found its presence and age so commonplace. Whereas when we go and see it today it is an amazing place that has stood the test of time and witnessed so much history take place within it and around it.

This week I found it really interesting when we discussed how the Colosseum has been used as a model for sports stadiums since ancient time. It is amazing how little the structure has even changed through the years. Especially on the interior, sports stadiums continue to closely resemble the layout of the Colosseum.

I also really enjoyed learning more about the Pantheon. It is an amazing structure and the inside is awe-inspiring. All of the different colors, materials, images, and the different niches throughout are almost overwhelming when you first walk in. And it takes multiple visits to even begin to comprehend the intricacies it took to build that structure and the ingeniousness of the architect to make a structure that can support that concrete dome.

Modern Day 

Mosaics are still widely used today. These images are from bathrooms, but you can see mosaic tiles in kitchens, spas, lobbies, and numerous other places too. In the bottom example you can even see how ancient sculpture still plays a role in modern design as well. 

The Colosseum inspired this modern courthouse. Columns have been used and the architect also mimicked what the Colosseum looks to visitors from the outside. Modern materials have been used but a clear correlation can be seen between this structure and the structure from Ancient Rome.

Ancient Greece Reflections

Today I looked at Dana and Emily N's blogs.

I thought that Dana's comment about art coming with opinion was very insightful. She discussed how a lot of what we have to look at from Ancient Greece are pieces of art and that when looking at art it can be perceived in different ways based on people's opinions. I had never considered that before and think that is a very valid point. Scholars can only look at art and come up with what they think it means based on certain known facts, etc, but can anyone really know for 100% certainty that what those scholars say is actually what the Ancient Greeks intended their artwork to say about them?

I also looked at Emily N's blog and I thought that a lot of the points she made were similar to mine. She really emphasized the classical orders: doric, ionic, and corinthian, which was a very important aspect of what we learned because these orders become a cornerstone of design throughout many time periods. She had a picture of the Washington Monument on her page which shows that the use of the orders has spread to our country so many years later.

Ancient Greece

This week we really focused on the classical orders, which include doric, ionic, and corinthian columns. During Ancient Greece we see an extensive use of columns, which will continue on until the present day. We also looked at the influence their culture had on society, government, education, and much more. The Greeks seemed to be somewhat before their time in studying philosophy and a complex civilization that utilized democracy in their government.

The Parthenon is an incredible example of Ancient Greek architecture. Here we see how important it was in their society to please the gods, and as a result, the Parthenon is a massive structure with great detail. In general in Ancient Greece public buildings, as well as influential homes, detail was highly important. They created mosaic flooring, paintings on the walls, and architectural elements such as columns and coffers.

Many Ancient Greek motifs are still used today. In modern design the greek key is used extensively and can be seen in furniture as well as textiles. Coffers on the ceiling are also very common. Furniture has also been adapted from ancient Greek models to be used in modern settings today.

An example of Ancient Greek interior, including a marine motif you can see in the dolphins above the doorway.

Greek Key

An example of columns being used in a modern residential setting.

Greek Key

Ancient Egypt Blog Reflections

The first blog entry I read this week was Emily's. I really liked the connection she made between the Egyptian structures and residential homes. In many instances modern day homes have a cellar, or basement, and until very recently when open floor plans became popular, houses were separated into multiple rooms for different functions.  I also thought that the pictures she chose to include of modern day applications were really good and showed really well how aspects of Ancient Egyptian culture are used today.

I also read Katie's blog this week. I thought it was great that she focused on how the Egyptian's drew on their natural environment. They based art on their surroundings, as well as architecture and building which was greatly influenced by the natural materials they had available. In some cases they would use the Nile to transport materials for use in their buildings.

Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Egypt has always been fascinating to me. The fact that huge structures, like the Great Pyramids, could have been built by hand in such primitive times is amazing.  Add in the fact that those structures have stood the test of time and survived in what can be considered pristine condition given their age is very impressive. Ancient Egypt also ushers us into a time period where daily artifacts were preserved as well as built structures. Because people were buried in tombs where everyday items were buried with them to take into the afterlife, a lot can be learned about their furniture, home life, society, and much more. For basically the first time, scholars can discern what daily life was probably like in this ancient time period.

This time period is also the start of architecture being focused around the temple. Religion played a huge role in Egyptian society and because of this temples became structures with great detail and fascinating architectural elements. To think that all the statues and engravings were made by hand and the time that must have taken is incredible. Certain aspects of building from ancient civilization are still widely used today, such as mortise and tenon joints and dovetail joints. There are many buildings and furniture that plainly show this technique. Furniture has also been influenced by Ancient Egypt, beds have evolved from Egyptian prototypes as well as end tables, stools, and so much more.

Here is a great example of dovetail joints, originally used during Ancient Egyptian Civilization, being used in a very modern piece of furniture.

If you look at the coffee table in this room closely you will see that it resembles folding chair design of Ancient Egypt. The crossed legs imitate the crossed legs of the chair. 

Prehistoric 

Unlike many other periods of the past not much remains from the prehistoric period. We don't have many artifacts to study and learn specific details about life, however, from the few things that do remain researchers have been able to discern quite a bit about what basic structures and life were like in the distant past.  Large examples such as Stonehenge and Skara Brae village in Scotland remain and a lot can be learned from these structures alone.

Even though this time period was so long ago, the basic architectural elements still remain.  Today the post and lintel technique is still widely used and homes today still have the basic elements that can be found in the primitive Skara Brae homes.  Through technology the building techniques and home luxuries have been improved but the basic components still remain to this day.

In prehistoric time color, pattern, and design all had a specific meaning that signified a tribe, society, etc. Today color and pattern may not always have a certain meaning but in some instances we can still see color and pattern having a very important part in design.  Colors have a great deal to do with branding in companies, such as McDonald's being known for is bright reds and yellows in its restaurants and the classic yellow arch. 

Similar to the village in Skara Brae this is an early example of a prehistoric home.

In modern day design, you can see that post and lintel construction and architectural elements are still used in a variety of ways.