Ancient Architecture

   You may think that you know everything about ancient architecture, but do you really? Do you know when Egyptian architecture was around from? Do you know what Georgian architecture looked like? If you would like to know, just simply read on...                          

      Around the year 4000 BC (yes, that's before your parents were born), Egyptian architecture came to be. If you lived there at that time, your house would probably have been made out of clay and mud bricks. Columns on Egyptian buildings at that time were made out of reeds, probably because the great Nile River was close at hand. This architectural period lasted until around the year 300 AD.  

As you probably know, pyramids were also quite popular in Egypt at  that time. pyramids are the world's oldest stone built monuments. Wow! The oldest of these is called the step pyramid. Since this building is so ancient, we do not know much about it.  

   Ancient Greek and Roman architecture is gorgeous, especially to anyone who likes marble. This type of architecture was around from 1700- 1400 BC, and began with the Aegean civilization. As I said before, there was tons of marble used in those days. This type of architecture was very high. In gateways and fancy palaces, you would find columns. 

    The Colosseum is one of the most famous buildings from that period. It still stands in the middle of Rome today. The Colloseum was completed in AD 96, and people think that if it is ever destroyed, Rome will be destroyed too. This huge building is 57 meters high, and, at its widest point, 188 metes across. Around the outside of the building, it is about 527 meters. That's about 1/3 of a mile. You would get quite a workout running around it!  

    The Parthenon is a Greek temple in Athens, Greece that was dedicated to the goddess Athena, who was supposed to be very smart. In A.D. 500, it became a Christian church. Many people damaged the Parthenon, such as the Ottomans. They stored gunpowder there, which was very stupid. It exploded and messed up the central part of the building. The Venetians also ruined the temple when they tried to conquer Athens. This was in 1687.        

    Byzantine Architecture was popular back in the fourth century, when Constantine I moved the capital of the Byzantine empire from Rome to Byzantine, which explains the name of this type of architecture. To picture where this was, think of where Turkey is. This type of architecture  Churches are the biggest type of architecture in that period that still survive today. these were very plain on the outside, but beautifully decorated on the inside- don't judge a book by its cover!          

    Norman Architecture is from Normandy, which is in Northwest France. Its highest development time was in England, and in the the late 1000's. This was also popular after the Norman conquest in 1066, and also in the 1100's. this style had six- part vault ceilings and many patterns. 

    Gothic cathedrals  were built in the 1100's and 1200's. During this time, most of England was Christian. Therefore, it only made sense to have these huge churches. These grand buildings involved a ton of work. Gothic cathedrals had beautiful windows. These stained-glass windows took lots of time to make. Many people had to donate their money for the making of these windows.      

    While King George I, II, III, and IV of England reigned from 1714- 1830, Georgian Architecture was quite common. It included simple, symmetric designs, and used classic details. The architecture was influenced by classical Roman Architecture. This type of architecture influenced the American colonies in the 1700's and early 1800's.   

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