Ancient Rome

History:

Rome served as a catalyst in the sense of spreading art and civilization. It was the greatest power west of China during its time and also had complete control of commerce in the Mediterranean. Its rule extended from the Persian Gulf to Spain and North Africa to Britain. It assimilated cultures through its enhancement of buildings, transportation, and decoration. They had mastered the design of roads, improved the construction of the Greek lintel and post structure, and the varying styles of columns. One of the most important discoveries made by the Romans was concrete.

There was a major development of the arch, barrel, vault, and dome designs which were commonly displayed through many different architectural structures. They had religious structures such as tombs and temples; commerce and law buildings called basilicas; entertainment buildings like sporting events, concerts, circuses, and plays; as well as memorial structures to celebrate past victories.

One of the most well known Roman architectural designs was the Coliseum which was completed in 80 A.D. The prototype sports arena had the ability to seat as many as 50,000 attendants. It was built of primarily stone and concrete. It used arch and barrel vault in its design along with the use of the three different orders.

Another one of the most well known structures was the Parthenon in 126 A.D. The project was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa and later rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. It had a prominent round temple with a dome. It was Roman portico. One of the most amazing things about it, is the fact that is is the largest un-reinforced concrete structure in the world. The Oculus is 142 ft in diameter and 142 ft high.

The Romans had two different types of dwellings: the insula for the lower class and the domus for the middle to upper class. The insula were some of the first apartment like structures. They were five to six stories above the first floor. The first floor was the predominant area for market shops. These dwellings were poorly built, there was no plumbing, poor lighting, and abundant heat from the stoves. The higher one lived in the complex the worse the settings. Landlords also typically added additional floors but constructed them in wood, making them firetraps. The Domus on the other hand were homes with a blank wall or an exterior with shops. They commonly contained a one room atrium, a tablinum, peristyle, and several private rooms.

 The interiors were commonly decorated with mosaics, stucco, and frescoes. There was a strong obsession with ornamentation. Patterns on the floors were also very popular. The most prominent colors used consisted of black, gilt, and red colors. Ceiling were vaulted or flat. The walls were also decorated with illusionistic paintings called Trompe l'oiel.

Current Applications:

Peer Reviews:

Paige S: I I reviewed Paige's blog and I really like how she primarily focused on the major different architectural forms in Rome by comparing them and their style. I also loved her example of the arch and barrel vault living design. The colors really depict the era.
Maggie: I also reviewed Maggie's Rome blog and she decided to focus more on the different styles of seat that were popular during this time period. I thought it was a good idea to compare it to the common applications today in order to show the evolution.

Additional Links!

Ancient Greece

History:

Greek civilization was the beginning of western ideas and culture; in other words focus shifted to the worth of the individual and democracy. They were masters of philosophy, science, fine arts, medicine, legal systems, and astronomy. During the Golden Age between 480 B.C. and 400 B.C., there were many great strives in architecture and interior design. The most important surviving building of Classical Greece, the Parthenon, was constructed in 438 B.C. This structure is generally considered the culmination of the Doric order. Other buildings also displayed the variety of classic orders of architecture.

The systems of columns and details were a key characteristics in Greek design. The columns contained multiple different pieces. There was the base, shaft, capital, and entablature. The entablature was made up of the architrave, frieze, and cornice. The columns were also the Greeks way of developing a sense of balance. One of the common misconceptions about the columns, is that they were uniformly shaped from top to bottom but this is not true. The entablature bowed in the center and the columns incline inward. The shafts tapered and heavier columns were placed on the corners. The distance between the columns was also not the exact same throughout. The three main styles of columns and entablatures were the doric, ionic, and corinthian.

Compared to the grand design that was known to be applied to  public buildings, domestic structures were far less impressive. These homes were usually constructed with mud brick on a wooden frame and topped off with terracotta roof tiles. The house was centralized around an inner courtyard. There were few high placed windows in order to prevent the immense heat from the sun and air as well as a security precaution. The rooms found without a home in ancient Greece were normally given specific purpose just like those of the modern home today.

One of the most distinct traits of a Greek home was their process of collecting drinking water. There was an opening in the roof referred to as the compluvium. This allowed water from when it rained to come into the home and be collected in a basin referred to as the cistern or impluvium. 

The interiors of most Greek buildings had varying characteristics. The floors would either be plastered then painted or decorated with mosaic techniques. The walls were either unplastered mud bricks then painted with symbolic frescoes to tell stories. Motifs were very prominent in Greek design. They ranged from floral to marine, egg and dart, and Greek fret or key. Common paint applications included divisions: the walls were red, the dados were white, and they were separated by a yellow line.

Furniture was a defining factor in Greek design. Their specialty was seated furniture. The most well known and influential styles of seating were the thronos, klismos, diphros, and kline. The thronos, is the typically thought of throne, or formal chair of honor. The klismos was the most graceful and influential piece of Greek furniture simply because its beauty comes from its form. It was crafted out of wood and had splayed legs with a curved back. The diphros was a stool without arms or a back that was usually made out of wood. The more expensive versions were commonly made of ebony and the legs were dipped in silver. The finally piece, the kline, was abed that functioned as a modern day sofa and was also used for dining purposes. They typically had sweeping curbed headboards and the mattresses were stuffed with wool or feathers. 

Current Applications:

Peer Reviews:

Allysia: I reviewed her blog and unlike others I have reviewed she decided to use more pictures to depict the different design techniques instead of writing. I thought it was very smart to use political buildings like our modern day Capital to show how Greek influenced architecture throughout history.
Tara: Next I reviewed Tara's blog and she explained in detail how they were obsessed with visually pleasing designs which she later supported with a variety of images ranging from motifs to seating.

Additional Links!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhPEdr1ax0

Ancient Egypt

History:

Around 4,000 B.C., larger towns and cities began to appear all over. With the confidence of secured food and shelter, humans were finally able to apply their energy to more complex inventions and the arts. One of the first places with this higher level of complexity was Egypt. Located in the heart of the Nile River Valley, architecture took on a completely new meaning. Instead of the basic structures to simply provide shelter, it now helped distinguish different classes of people, portray power and intimidation, and provide religious purposes.

Being located along the Nile River, the civilization was exposed to intense sunlight, minimal rainfall, and little variation in temperatures. This climate highly influenced the design aspects of the Egyptian architecture, like the flat roofs, outdoor spaces, window placements, and roof ventilation systems. 

There was a limited availability of local timber, so woods like, ash, yew, ebony, and boxwood, were transported from Lebanon in addition to the scarce acacia, palm, and sycamore. Wood and stone were used in combination to create post and beams as mud to construct walls or brick. The vegetation of the Nile River was inspiration for decorative schemes and symbolic connotations. The materials typically represented were lotus blossoms, palm, and open papyrus plants. The carving of these natural elements provided a spiritual and aesthetic decoration.

All aspects of Egyptian life and style were heavily influenced by natural elements and religious beliefs. Ceilings displayed patterns of plant and wildlife while furniture was more generally based upon religion. Colors ranged depending on the area in which they were being applied. Floors were typically about much more subdued than those applied to the walls. Walls were painted with intense hues such as dado yellow and black and accentuated with religious figures. A common style that was also applied to walls were fresco paintings.

Some common architecture techniques found in Egyptian style were the house arrangements. Lower classes in the hierarchy were found to be living in a Craftsman's Residence which consisted of a reception, bedroom, and kitchen. Persons of higher status were most likely reside in a Country Villa. These homes contained the same basics as the Craftsman's Residence but with living rooms, bathrooms, store rooms, vestibules, and porches.

Current Applications:

Peer Reviews:

Additional Links!

Prehistoric Period

History:

The Prehistoric Period of design describes the period in time before written accounts were used to document history and the main form of passing on culture and knowledge was prominently verbal. This causes historians to focus primarily upon artifacts to make educated guesses and assumptions. Most of these areas are documented as far back at 5,000 BC. Some are even further!

There were many apparent differences in the influences that primitive culture ranging from geographic location to available materials. In Arctic regions, inhabitants used their abundance of ice to construct primitive igloos to shield themselves from the bitter winds, while the Matmata people in the Sahara Desert carved out homes deep into the earth to protect them from the harsh, sweltering surroundings. Other types of dwellings ranged from caves to huts made out of branches and wood. The materials used to construct these shelters only survived prehistoric time if they were made from more durable materials such as stone.

An important thing to note is that patterns and imagery that were found in these sites were rarely strictly ornamental. Items such as baskets, rugs, weaved blankets, and clothing all had purposeful meanings. These meaning could be indicated whether it was through color, patterns, religious symbols, tribal loyalties, or design-societies. Furniture was also a rarity in prehistoric design.The furniture that has been scavenged was primarily constructed of wood and stone materials.

Some of the most famous prehistoric dwellings have all been discovered within the past hundred years. Laxcaux, discovered in 19040 in France, was a Paleolithic Cave around 17,000 BC. It was the first known human shelter. It was an early example of creating meaning in a space through decoration. There is over 2,000 figures inscribed onto the walls that range from animals, humans, and abstract signs.

Another famous area was Stonehenge. This was a creation during the Neolithic Period which ranged from 3200-1600 BC in Wiltshire, England. It is believed that is was a place for religious rituals, burial services, and monumental purposes. There are over 400 burial sites on the grounds. This is one of the first examples of postal and lintel construction being executed.

Current Applications:

Peer Reviews:
One of the first blogs that I reviewed was Mackenzie's. I really like how she did a small introduction to the prehistoric period then focus on Stonehenge and Skara Brae. The pieces of prehistoric furniture that she found were all very cool, especially because no one else really took that route in their blogs, by focusing on furniture
The other blog that I reviewed was Micah's. I thought the current applications of the prehistoric style of the cave influenced bedroom and the home erected between two large boulders was absolutely incredible and tasteful.  

Additional Links!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de4kOrOaNyI
This video gives a more in depth view on the discovery and history of Skara Brae.