Byzantine 330 - 1453 CE

History:

The Byzantine Empire was the longest political entity in Europe, standing from 330-1453 CE. The designs were still highly influenced by religion and secular leadership, but unlike Early Christian designs, it became more incorporated with Eastern Europe cultures than Western. There were also splashes of Greek and Orient characteristics found throughout Byzantine architecture and interiors. The sudden increase in popularity was due to when Emperor Justinian came to power. In order to follow in his successor's past achievements, Justinian began building series of churches all over the Empire in order to unify the empire. The basilica style church become more centralized and the architectural phenomenon of the pendentive was introduced.

The shining example of the Byzantine Empire was the Hagia Sophia Cathedral. Also known as the "Church of Holy Wisdom," was the fourth church on the exact site due to previous riot fires and demolitions. The Geometricians, Anthemis of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus, were the brilliant minds behind the architectural design. There was a centralized plan with a pendentive that supported a massive circular with its square base. This dome was meant to give a sense of dominance from the exterior. In the dome there was a series of windows circling around the border. Encasing the windows were hollow tiles which made up a majority of the dome.

The Byzantine architecture of the time was an influential base for future styles such as Romanesque, Islamic, and Gothic. Flooring was often decorated in geometric designs with marble. The surfaces on the walls and the ceilings were typically ornamented with marbles, frescoes, mosaics, and alabaster. There was a sense of movement in the structures due to the materials that they used. These designs also created a sense of mystery, spirituality, and power. Another common technique was iconoclasm, or the lack of imagery and statutes in their design. This was meant to prevent the actions of idolizing anyone or anything other than God and Christ.

Furniture during this time period fell into two distinct categories: The common people's and that of the palaces and churches. The common peoples' furniture was typically light in weight and fold-able so that it could be easily transported and stored because of the very cramped environments that were lived in. On the other hand, palace and church furniture was usually built to occupy a specific space. The materials used were heavy timbers and woods. These pieces of furniture were meant to last. The most popular pieces of furniture were thrones and foldable stools. They also constructed tables with worktops and bed. Beds ranged in complexity from being strung on chords, fold-able, or simple mattress on the ground.

Current Applications:

Peer Reviews:
Paige S: I really enjoyed reading Paige's blog because I like how she honed in the structure of the pendentive. I thought her current application takes on the pendentive like the homes in the desert.
Stephanie: The geometric application of the bathroon tile design in her modern day application was very interesting espeically cause it goes for a much cleaner look than that of the typical Byzantine style. As well as the small windows that reflect the desire for natural daylight, like that displayed in Hagia Sophia.
Additional Links!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWhGeDUSu-s
This link gives a more in depth look into the architectural marvels of the Byzantine Empire.

Early Christian 330-800 CE

History:

As a result of the death of Christ in Judea, Christianity was established as a religion. While Rome tolerated most religions, the emperor felt threatened by the presence of this religion and therefore many early Christians were persecuted. Even with the threat of persecution, there was a huge support for the religion and it began to flourish underground. Many adherents of the religion were of a lower class since it allowed a direct access to God through Jesus Christ. This belief heightened levels of hope in these people.

In order to protect themselves from the Roman empire, the monotheistic followers hid their religion within the safety of their homes and underground in what would become the Roman Catacombs. The Catacombs were a series of underground passageways and burials for the Christian's people. They stretched an impressive sixty to ninety miles. There were even multiple levels, some of which were as deep as five levels.

Through the Edict of Milan, emperor Constantine declared Christianity an official religion, with all rights and privileges of other state religions in 313 CE. Previous emperor's had not supported the concept of being "divine" but since Constantine believed he had received a vision from God he became a full supporter of the Christina church. Before going in the battle of Milvian Bridge he had envisioned a shield with the Christian cross upon it.

Before the legal establishment, most religious services had been held in people's so there was suddenly an immediate need for a new place of worship, especially with the rapidly growing number of Christian believers. The solution to this need was the creation of the Roman basilica. They were centrally planned buildings with separate baptisteries.  There was also a separation of a of interior churches into nave and flanking aisles. The entrance of the church was opposite of the apse with clerestory windows and towers flanking exonarthex. The sole purpose of the design was to glorify God.Some of the most exemplary models of these structures were Old St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome built in 330 CE and Sant' Apllinare in Classe in Ravenne from 535-538 CE.

Another popular style of the Christian church was the centralized design. An exceptional example of this was St. Vitale in Rome. Unlike the basilica structure, the ambulatories and seats circled around the nave of the church where sermons were held.

There are very few examples of Early Christian furniture that actually exist today. Storage was a very important aspect of furniture of this age though. Pieces that remain though are very richly and elaborated decorated with jewels and carvings. The decorative arts of this age were also religiously oriented. The paintings, murals, and frescoes typically depicted images of Christ, the good Shepard apostles, and Mary. Motifs also contained references like the dove, cross, fish, grapevine, and lamb.

Current Applications:

Peer Reviews:
Alex R: I read Alex's blog and I really like her current day applications of church designs. The influence of the basilica and style is very apparent throughout all of them. I also found it interesting how she able to connect this style to a real life situation by comparing her previous church when she had school mass in every week.

Katie: I also read Katie's blog and were really drawn into her second two examples of current day applications because they varied so greatly when compared to one another but had the same influence. The video she posted was also very insightful, especially because it began to compare and contrast future architectural styles like Romanesque and Gothic to the early Christian basilica and centralize church plans.


Additional Links!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1HVlFQ-t3M
This link looks into the design of early Christian basilica style churches.

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