HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

School of Engineering & Architecture

Architecture Program

HISTORY OF
ARCHITECTURE 1
Ancient near east
Architectural manifestation of thoughts
from the beginning of civilization
to the Byzantine Period
Historical Timeline of Architecture

Pre-Historic

Near East
 Ancient Near East Architecture

The Historical
Timeline of Architecture
PRE-HISTORIC
NEAR EAST
EGYPTIAN
GREEK
ROMAN
EARLY CHRISTIAN
BYZANTINE
ROMANESQUE
GOTHIC
RENAISSANCE
18TH-19TH C REVIVAL
20TH C MODERN

ISLAMIC
INDIAN
CHINESE & JAPANESE
FILIPINO

PERIODS
Sequence of Civilization
4500 to 2000 BC Sumerian Culture (peak in 3300 BC)
2350 to 2200 BC Akkadian Period
2000 to 1600 BC Babylonian Culture References:
1600 to 1717 BC Kessites and Hittites
1350 to 612 BC Assyrian Culture 1. Fletcher, Bannister, A History of Architecture 20th Ed.
612 to 539 BC Neo-Babylonian Culture 2. Ching, Francis D.K., A Visual Dictionary of Architecture
539 to 330 BC Persian Culture 3. Espinosa, Kevin, History of Architecture
 INFLUENCES
GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCE
Ancient Near East Architecture flourished &
developed in the Twin Rivers “Tigris & Euphrates”
also known as “ Mesopotamia” it refers to Persia,
Assyria & Babylon.
Greek word: “Mesos” =middle + “potamos” – river”

Fertile Crescent: often called “cradle of civilization,”

 Why Fertile Crescent?

Irrigated by canals from river to river
The Region has a Crescent Shape
Fertile soil found near these rivers
GEOLOGICAL
 Chaldea or Lower Mesopotamia (Babylonia) –
alluvial district of thick mud and clay deposited by the
two great rivers. Such soil, where no stone was found
and no trees would grow, was suitable for the making of
bricks, which thus became the usual building material
in Babylonia – walls were made from crude, sun-dried
brick faced with kiln-burnt and glazed bricks of
different colors.

 Assyria –plenty of stone in the mountains but followed

Babylonians in the use of brick. Did not use glazed
bricks for internal & external walls, but used alabaster
or limestone slabs carved with low bas-reliefs and
inscriptions

Persia – Hard colored limestone were used in the

building of Susa and Persepolis, and roof timbers were
obtained from Elam on the west. Persian tiles have always
been world famous for their beauty of texture and color.
HISTORY
The development of the their settled way of life took
place around the Fertile crescent.
Started as villages on the flat land between Tigris

and Euphrates rivers - “Mesopotamia”

 Turned into city-states with populations of thousands

 Each city-state surrounded by a wall and dominated

by a large temple
 Society of kings, craftsmen, soldiers, farmers, priests

 Fought and traded with each other

 Sometimes would conquer each other and form an

empire
CLIMATIC
Chaldea (Babylon )
region of swamps and floods
rain fell for weeks at a time
Long summer by unhealthy, miasmic exhalations
Swarms of aggressive and venomous insects
Assyria
Had similar climate (as Babylon)
Fewer swamps, less miasma (unhealthy smell)
Persia
Dry, hot climate
Country of sunshine, gardens and deserts
Extreme of heat and cold
RELIGION
Babylonia and Assyria

Polytheism
Chief gods
Anu –sky god
Elil – earth god
Ea – god of water
Marduk and Ashure – National god of Assyria and Babylonia
Shamash – sun god
Sin – moon god
Ishtar – goddess of passion and war; worship of heavenly bodies,
divisions of the universe and local deities
Persia

Monotheism: did not follow the influence of Babylon
Incorporated the religion of Zoroaster
Belief in the triumph of good
SOCIAL-POLITICAL
Babylonia

They were traders, employed slaves, for the building of
palaces and their platforms, but also for building that wonderful
system of irrigation.
CUNEIFORM
The “Code of Laws” of Hammurabi

Assyria

Irrigation and agriculture also occupied the Assyrians
Built palaces on raised platforms by the work of captive slaves
They were carpenters, masons, smiths, makers of musical
instruments, engineers, scientists, mathematicians, poets and
musicians.
Persia

The erection of royal palaces gave ample opportunity for the
development of Persian architecture and decorative art.
ANE STRUCTURES
 ZIGGURATS - artificial mountains
made up of tiered rectangular
stages from one to seven) angles
were oriented to the cardinal points
Most important structure to the
Babylonians
Three types of Ziggurats:
1.Archaic Ziggurat - usually have

one flat top rectangular mound

carrying the upper temple.
2.Two or more stages Ziggurat -
rectangular in plan, design w/
several tiers or stages.
3.Seven stages square base
ziggurat
The White Temple
It may be said to illustrate the origin of the ziggurat or temple tower.
corner served by a long flight of lazy steps

circuitous ramp led off from an intermediate landing

originally white washed

had an end to end hall spanning 45 m, flanked on both sides by a series of smaller
rooms, three of which contained stairway leading to the roof
Ziggurat and Precinct of Ur
 solid core of mud brick
covered with a skin of

burnt brick work (2.4m

thick), laid in Bitumen and
with layers of matting at
intervals to improve
cohesion
built 2100 BC for Su’en,

the moon-god
measured 700ft around

the base
triple staircase climbed
80ft to the summit
 ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE

Polychrome ornamental bricks are introduced by the Assyrians

high plinths or great stone slabs (usually with low relief sculpture)
Temples both with or without ziggurats were built
The capital was the City of Ashur

A plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or
structure rests
* low relief (or bas-relief), whereby the motifs are only slightly raised above the
surface
CITY OF KHORSABAD
Contains the important buildings in Assyria
Built by Sargon II

With a defensive perimeter & covered nearly one square mile

Two gateways in each tower except north-west where there is extensive citadel
enclosure

PORTAL IN S.E. CITY, GATEWAYS 3, KHORSABAD

 PALACE OF SARGON

The most splendid structure in the City of Khorsabad

A complex of large & small courts, corridors & rooms, covering 23 acres

Divided into 3 parts:

Left wing: 6 temples

Right wing: service rooms & administrative offices
Opposite: residential apartments followed by state chambers
BABYLONIAN ARCHITECTURE

Babylonian Architecture descended mainly from the earlier centuries of Mesopotamia

Babylon – “Gateway of God” ; Bab= Gate + Ili = god

Ziggurats is their most important structures

 CITY OF BABYLON

The City of Babylon was rebuilt by

Nebuchadnezzar II
It largely used burnt bricks
It had an inner & outer part which are both
heavily fortified
(The inner town is contains the principal
buildings & the Euphrates River is on the west)
The principle sites lined the river front behind is a
grand processional way
Closed on the North by the Ishtar gate -
patterned by horned dragons; yellow & white
bulls on a blue background
 HANGING GARDENS OF
BABYLON
 Built by Nebuchadnezzar for his home-sick Persian wife
 Occupied an area of 275m x 183m situated near the
Euphrates river
 The terraced gardens planted with flowers and trees,
with the beautiful fountains were 25m to 100m above
the ground
 Water was restored in the reservoir & supplied
through pipes
 One of the seven wonders of the Ancient World

 It appears to have been one combining triple stairway

approach & massive lower tier customary in Early
Mesopotamia with upper stages in arranged spirally.
 The plan was square of 90m with 7 stages in all & the
summit temple decorated with blue glazed bricks
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
 PERSIAN PERIOD
 In about 1000 B.C . Aryans from Caucasus regions settled in Medes & Persia
The founder of this Empire, Cyrus the Great captured the Medians & Assyrians
After conquering the Greek colonies, his son, Cambyses II extended the kingdom up to the

borders of Egypt. In his reign, Persian Architecture was largely influenced by Egyptian Architecture
that is located at Thebes
He was succeeded by Darius I
He founded two new capitals: Susa & Persepolis “gateway of all nations”
He constructed many arterial roads & planned to connect Red Sea & Nile
It was used to showcase the political
grandeur of Darius I empire
It was also executed by Xerxes and
The Palace of PERSEPOLIS
completed by ArtaXerxes
The entire building stood on a
rectangular plan of 467 x 275m
over a rising terrace 15m above
ground
The approach was provided at the
North-West by magnificent steps of
6.7m wide & shallow enough for the
horses to ascend
The Palace of Darius is small located
near the west terrace wall
The gateways were flanked with imposing
towers & guarded by man-headed winged
bulls
The gateway on the south leads to the

Apadana or Grand Audience Hall, 76.2 sq.m

with 36 slender columns (20m high, 1.5 m
diameter, 6m column to column)
The stairway to Apadana has bas-relief
showing nobles, delegates, nobles advancing
in dignified procession

Darius arranged his palaces in loose fashion

& his son, Xerxes added his building in
between
Xerxes added his palace connected with
“Harem” or women’s quarters
The Throne hall or Imperial Hall – the famous

“Hall of the Hundred columns” , 68.6 sq.m in

plan with columns 11.3m high supporting a flat
cedar roof
The Tomb of Darius, Naksh-
i-Rustan
It is located 13km (8miles North of Persepolis)
It is one of the four rock-hewn sepulchres of the
great Achaemenian kings.
Its façade, 18.3m wide appears to reproduce the
south front of Darius’ palace at Persepolis with 4
columns of double bull type, central doorway with
Egyptian-like cornice & upper compartment in
which an elaborate throne, 2.7m high supported
by two stone figures
 PLANS

City of Khorsabad

ASSYRIANS AND BABYLONIANS

•Temples and palaces on artificial platforms reached
by flights of steps, 30-50 ft. above the plain, for
defense
•Ziggurats rose tower-like in diminishing terraces to
the temple observatory at the top, had their angles
to the cardinal point, thus differing from Egyptian
pyramids whose sided were so placed.
•Assyrian buildings were designed for both internal
and external effect.
City of Babylon
 PLANS
PERSIANS
•Like the Assyrians, placed
their palaces on lofty
platforms, often partly rock-cut
and partly built-up, but the
style of palaces at Susa and
Persepolis was influenced by
that of Egyptian temples, and
the vast halls had widely
spaced columns which suggest
timber roofs, in contrast to the
corridor-like, vaulted
apartments of Assyrian
palaces.

City of Persepolis
 PLANS

City of
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Materials:
- abundance of clay: compressed in moulds, either dried in the sun or kiln fired,
bricks for most structures except towered fortifications
-Timber, copper, tin, lead gold, silver imported

 Persian Architecture:
•Double Mud Brick Walls - for stability as at
Persepolis
•may have allowed small windows just below
ceiling level
•Columnar and Trabeated with flat timber
roof sometimes domed

 Mesopotamian Architecture (Assyrian &

Babylonian):
•The Architecture is Arcuated, the true arch with

radiating voussiors having been known by 3rd

millenium B.C
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
 DECORATION/ Babylonians
Colossal winged-bulls guarding chief portals
 Polychrome glazed bricks in blue, white, yellow, green

 Murals of decorative continuous stone

 WALLS
ASSYRIANS
•Walls were composite structure
of sun-dried bricks faced with
kiln-dried bricks, which contrast
with the massive stone walls of
the Egyptians and the solid
marble walls of the Greeks.
•Palace walls were frequently
sheathed internally with
alabaster bas-reliefs which
record military and sporting
exploits.
•External walls plainly treated,
sometimes with alternating
vertical projections and recesses
and the top was often finished
with battlemented cresting.

BAS RELIEFS
 WALLS
PERSIANS
•Built their walls of brick like
the highly glazed and multi-
colored brickwork found at
Susa and Persepolis

Glazed multi-colored
brickwork
 OPENINGS
ASSYRIANS
•Doorways were spanned by
semicircular arches, here first
met with as ornamental
feature, suitable to the nature
of brick construction
•At palace entrances the
arched were enhanced by
decorative archivolts of
colored bricks.
•Windows were not used but
light was admitted through
doors and probably through
pipe-holes in walls and vaults.
 OPENINGS
PERSIANS
•Used horizontal stone lintels
for doors and windows, in
contrast to the arches of the
Assyrians, and some may still
be seen among the ruins at
Persepolis where large
doorways are surmounted by
cornices similar to the Egyptian
gorge.
 COLUMNS
ASSYRIANS/BABYLONIANS
•Could not have used columns, in all excavations no columns or even bases have been
found; indeed in Assyrian Architecture the brick-built tower is the outstanding feature,
and not the column.

PERSIANS
•On the contrary used columns, widely spaced and comparatively slender as they only
supported the weight of timber and clay roofs, instead of stone slabs.
•Invented a most distinct type of column, probably founded on those they had seen in
Thebes, but with high moulded bases, fluted shafts, and capitals or recurring vertical scrolls,
perhaps derived from Asiatic Greek buildings, such as the Temple of Artemis.
•Sometimes these columns capped with twin bulls, unicorns, horses or griffins, on the
backs of which were placed on the cross-beams of the roof, This peculiar and somewhat
grotesque treatment has been supposed to have had timber origin which was the simplest
type of bracket capitals
COLUMNS
 MOULDINGS
ASSYRIANS/BABYLONIANS
Like Egyptians, had no general use for mouldings, as their architecture was on too vast a
scale for such treatment, and moreover the glazed tiles and marble slabs which protected the
perishable brick walls were sufficient decoration without mouldings.

PERSIANS
Copied from both Egyptian and Greek models, and allowed themselves much latitude in
adapting and combining various motifs. There is at Persepolis a curious mélange attributable to
this dual source in which carved bases, moulded capitals, and Ionic-like volutes are combined
with the Egyptian “gorge” cornice over doorways
 ORNAMENTS
ASSYRIANS/BABYLONIANS
Used as their chief architectural ornament chiseled alabaster slabs which show an
extraordinary refinement of line and detail far superior to Egyptian Carvings, and these, both
in treatment and coloring.

PERSIANS
Continued the use of flanking monsters to doorways, as in the Propylea at Persepolis, and of
carved dadoes to stairway walls
The outstanding feature of ornament as developed by the Persians is their mastery in the
preparation and application of pure color to glazed bricks, as in the “Archer” and “Lion”
friezes from Susa, or as in the bas reliefs from Persepolis.