The Origins; 5.000.000 years ago
The first hominids were the Australopithecus (4 – 2 Ma), they appeared in central Africa in the equatorial zone where the climate was warm. They moved in a bipedal manner. They didn’t need shelter and didn’t know fire yet. They moved northwards and evolved into the Homo Habilis (1,9 – 1,6 Ma).
The Palaeolithic; 1,600,000 to 200,000 BC
During that period, Homo erectus appeared (1,9 Ma – 117,000 BCE) moving from central Africa to the north. He learnt how to obtain fire and invented the first home that puted fireplace at the center. We can find the first European settlers in Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) that dated from 1,200,000 – 800,000 BCE. Moreover, the first artificial dwelling were discovered in Terra Amata (Nice, France): 400,000 – 300,000 BCE. These were the beginnings of architecture. We can there find spring camps for groups of hunters. They had a central fireplace which suggested group congregations in a living environment.
Homo neanderthalensis (230.000 – 28.000 BCE) inhabits in caverns in the North of Africa, in Europe and at the East that were community oriented. After the founds of some graves in Iraq that where surrounded by flowers and branches, alignments according to the movement of the sun, we could consider they thought in symbolic terms and they contemplate the belief about continuity of life after death. They also took part of complex social structures.
Around 315.000 BCE, Homo Sapiens appeared. Unlike his precedors, he had intellectual capacity that were manifested by the sculptures and cave paintings found in caves and shelters. His successor is the modern man the Homo sapiens sapiens, that means ‘wise human’. They lived in Eastern european huts of circular plant and domed form with frame that was covered possibly with skins of animals. There are remains of
huts from 44,000 and 12,000 years ago, reinforced with bones and skulls of mammoths in Ukraine near the dniester river. These dwellings must have housed large family groups because they reached large diameters.
The Neolithic period; 8,000 – 4,000 BC
The evolution of agriculture and sedentary lifestyle encouraged permanent housing and construction. The complex social organization caused the apparition of many different types of buildings. The first great Neolithic city was Catal Hujuk in Turkey (6,500 BCE) where there weren’t any streets. A fire destroy the city but thanks to it, the material of the houses became cooked and they become actual bricks that maintain themselves to nowadays.
Prehistory is finished, History starts with Mesopotamia 4.000 – 3.000 B.C.
There are several large cities like Babilonia that were inhabited permanently. At the same time, writing and domestic pottery appears. These activities generated much more prosperity. Then, urban architecture was made in brick and adobe. Ziggurats were temples built on top of natural or artificial platforms with ascending stairs imitating the dwellings of the gods. They were constructed in sun-dried adobe brick high resistance. There aim was moved by religion. The oldest temple was built in Uruk structure ressembles to egypt pyramids.
Egypt civilisation 3.500 B.C.
To understand egypt architecture it is necesary to consider the Nile River as the main center of its civilisation. This civilasation survive over 3000 years. They characterised by a peaceful and high quality life. The river and the sun were considered the most relevant elements of their world.
Their architecture was constructed for the gods. Temples were the most important public building. They After crossing a pillar it had an entrance courtyard. It represented the architecture of permanence and immutability. Its purpose was continuity and order. Large masses and monotonous regularity expressed solidity as a symbol of durability.
Pyramids
Egyptians were obsessed with life and cult of dead. Therfore they tend to conceive eternal constructions. The invention of the stepped stone pyramid present a change in funerary architecture. This was invented by Imhotep, the first architect we know, for Zoser around 2.650. He transformed the mastaba into a stepped pyramid bringing the concept of elevation, he replaces adobe brick and tree trunks with limestone masonry. The city of Lahum was founded in 1.895 with great social division with straigth streets and neighbourhoods.
Ancient Greece 1.200 – 146 B.C.
The ancient greeks learned from egyptians architecture and sculpture. They evolved on their own, creating a value system based on the exaltation of human capabilities that has served as the foundation for western culture.
Their architecture expresses the search for equilibrium between vertical and horizontal loadbearing elements. The first idea of the city was conceived as the Polis. It included the city and surrounding farms. These cities envompassed the community, political, cultural, moral and economic, buildings are organized by zones by their functions. They grew up around fortifications named Acropolis on high ground on hills. The Agora was the center of the Greek community life. This space was dedicated for the Polis discussion on matters of assembly of the citiziens. They were configurated by Stoas, large and elongated buildings that encourage meetings. Religious building temples were the most important building because of its dedication to divinities. The facade deserverd maximum artistic attention. Great technical perfection was reached, as optical resources to achieve harmony of the whole. The parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena, is a doric temple octastyle, 8 columns, and peripteral, the colums surrounding the whole building creating the space. The interior was very simple and not accessible to the public.
largest open-air buildings
important for the culture
excellent acoustics and great capacity
HOUSES: similar to the Roman period
close to the outside because there were no windows due to the danger that someone could get in- open air inside the building- a central courtyard
Public buildings: Theatre and Stadium
very important for the culture education.. stadiums entraintement but also sportive events
theatres located on the slopes of a hill, easier and you could see the landscape of the polis. harmonious proportions with excellent acoustics with great capacity
Private buildings: houses
simple central courtyard or peristyle around which where located the rooms , constructive tradition that remain in roman architecture
Romans 1.100 -476
they spread throughout the mediterranean basin and much of europe, control extended to unthinkable limits. roman archiutecture was universal embodying the essence of the romanitas . The discovery of concrete imply romans created new forms of interior spaces that werent important before, with attention to light shadow and ventilation. Arches, vaults and domes were finded on the coverage of large public spaces — technical advance. They follow stability functionality magnificence– scale
romans used greek orders with freedom subjecting modifications. — doric, ionic and corinthian , they added tuscan and composite
they placed their temples on high podium
Roman also experiments with circular plans and took elements from other etruscan villages, arch and vault. The pantheon of rome is the religious building the best represents the achievements of Rome. Temple dedicated to all gods icluiding the Emperor Augustus.
Civil works.. aqueducts, roads, bridges, walls, sewage networks.
Romans also designed commemorative buildings: triumphal arches and commemorative colums used for military victory for ex.