The Beauty of Western Architecture (Part 1)

From ancient Egypt to ancient Greece Ancient Egyptian architecture.Ancient Egypt was the cradle of world civilization. Egypt is an ancient civilization in the world, and its ancient architecture can be divided into three periods: the Old Kingdom period (about 27 ~ 22 BC), the Middle Kingdom period (about the middle of 22 ~ 16 BC), and the New Kingdom period (about 16 ~ 11 BC).The Tomb of Mastaba.Pyramids of Giza.Hatshpasu Tomb.The architecture of each period is represented by pyramid, grotto mausoleum, temple, etc.During the New Kingdom, when ancient Egypt was at its most powerful, slaves became the main laborers in construction projects.

Emperor worship and sun God worship combined, emperor’s memorial from the mausoleum completely transformed into the sun temple, they strive to mysterious and powerful atmosphere.

Ancient Greek architecture.

Ancient Greece is the birthplace of European culture, and ancient Greek architecture is the pioneer of European architecture. The development period of ancient Greece was roughly 8 ~ 1 century BC, that is, until Greece was annexed by Rome. The structure of ancient Greek architecture belongs to the beam and column system, and the main buildings in early times were made of stone. Limited to material properties, the span of stone beams is generally 4 ~ 5 meters, but the maximum is 7 ~ 8 meters. The stone columns are made of drum blocks with mortise and tenon joints or metal dowel connections between the blocks. The wall is also made of stone block, the block is smooth and fine, the joint is tight, and the cementing material is not needed. Although there were few changes in the form of ancient Greek architecture and the internal space was closed and simple, many schools of later architects learned from ancient Greek architecture.

Knossos: A Minoan site on the island of Crete, it is believed to be the palace of the legendary King Minoan.

The Minoan civilization.

Crete.

The palace of Knossos.

The first 2100.

Mycenae in the Peloponnese Peninsula of Greece inherited Minoan civilization and became the center of new Aegean civilization, on which the European civilization progressed and developed.

The Mycenaean civilization.

The Peloponnese.

Lion’s Gate on the Acropolis.

1400 BC.

The Acropolis of Athens, c. 400. It is a typical example of the Ionian architecture of the Acropolis.

Erectheon.

temple.

Ioni.

The Parthenon Temple was built on the Acropolis of Athens in the 5th century BC. It is the temple where the goddess Athena was worshipped in ancient Greece. It is the most important surviving building of the classical Greek era and is recognized as the apex of the Doric column development; The square beam and platform of the Parthenon temple are both central uplifting curves, which are corrected by parallax to make the temple more stable, plump and vibrant.

Doric column.

Doric, Ionic and Corinth were invented by the ancient Greeks. Then the Romans added the Tuscan, simpler than the Doric, and the combinatorial, more complicated than the Corinthian.

Doric column.

The characteristics of the Greek Doric column are relatively thick and strong, no column base, the column body has 20 grooves, the capital is not decorated, and the Doric column is also known as the male column. The famous Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens uses Doric columns.

Ionian column.

The Greek Ionian column is characterized by a slender and beautiful, with 24 grooves on the column body and a pair of downward spiral decoration on the capital. Ionian column is also known as the feminine column. Because of its elegant and noble temperament, Ionian columns were widely used in a large number of buildings in ancient Greece, such as the Temple of Victory and the Temple of Erechtheon on the Acropolis of Athens.

Corinthian column.

The Corinthian Order is more slender in proportion than the Ionian Order, and the capital is decorated with Acanthus leaves, which resemble a basket of flowers. The Corinthian column was more decorative than the Ionic column, but it was not widely used in ancient Greece. The Temple of Zeus in Athens used the Corinthian column.

Ancient Roman architecture.

Ancient Roman architecture is a pearl in the treasure house of architectural art. It carries the architectural style of ancient Greek civilization, highlights the characteristics of the Mediterranean region, and is a development of ancient Greek architecture. Rome became a Mediterranean power in the 2nd century BC, at the same time that the Romans began the construction of Rome. By the time the Roman Empire was founded in the 1st century AD, Rome had become a world city as famous as Chang ‘an in the East. Its urban infrastructure construction has been relatively perfect, the city is gradually developing towards the direction of art. Roman architecture is very different from its sculptural art, and is famous for its symmetry and grandeur.

Semicircular arch (Roman bond) is an important feature of ancient Roman architecture, pointed arch is an obvious feature of Gothic architecture, and Islamic architectural arch has pointed, horseshoe, bow, three-leaf, compound leaf and bellmilk shape. Arch structure is ancient Rome’s greatest contribution to European architecture. Arch structure not only has good vertical bearing capacity, but also plays the role of decoration and beautification.

The masonry method of building a span bearing structure by using the lateral pressure between the blocks is called issuing bond. A masonry voucher built on a wall in this way to make a door or window opening; Coupons are built in the shape of a barrel (multiple coupons juxtapose) called arch; If the coupon is in the shape of a sphere, such as half a watermelon shell, it is called a fornix.

The structure of the Pantheon is simple and clear. The main body of the Pantheon is round, and the top is covered by a dome with a diameter of 43.3 meters, which is the largest dome since its construction until 1436. The highest point of the dome is also 43.3 meters, with a large circular hole 8.9 meters in diameter at the top for lighting. This cave is also the only point of light in the Pantheon, so that the light leaks from the top and changes its Angle with the movement of the sun, giving people a sense of sanctity, which suits the nature of religious architecture.

The Pantheon is the supreme example of Roman dome technology.