The Americas

The Americas was a period that began 2000 B.C - 1521 A.D and took place in central America,  Mexico, and Peru. Practices for religion included human sacrifices to the gods and ceremonial centers were the main location for Mesoamerican settlement. The temples provided spacial orientation for the town and the pyramids stood out to represent the gods and the powers of the region. The Olmecs was the first civilization in Mexico in 2000-300 B.C and it came to a sudden end that is unexplainable today. This civilization developed the writing known as hieroglyphic writing. The jaguar was their symbol for their chief deity. La Venta is the first example of a temple that was designed as a city and their ceremony center was composed of the great pyramid of earth, ball court, smaller pyramids surrounding, burial grounds and stone heads. The olmec stone head was carved out of stone and weighed about 50 tons. Other art work of the olmecs included mural paintings and pottery and carvings made from jade and rock crystal. There were three different distinctions between the people with the elites being on top with highly decorated homes and they wore elegant jewelry and clothing. Next were the commoners who lived in homes made of stick and mud and food sources relied on them. Last were the shamans and these people believed they had direct contact to a deity and gave advice about agriculture and rain to the leaders. Below is an example of the Olmec stone head:

Another city during this period is known as the Teotihuacan and it ran about 2 miles in length and consisted of the temple of the feathered serpent and the pyramid of the sun/of the moon. The central spine of this city was considered the "road of the dead". This city was abruptly abandoned with unknown reasoning. Below is a picture of the road of the dead.

The Mayas is considered to be another city during this time and could be found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and part of Mexico. The famous ceremonial site was known as Chichen Itza and below is a picture:

The Aztecs had pyramids made of stone and brick and the Templo Mayor was considered to be two temples: God of war and god of agriculture. This was eventually destroyed by the spanish. This was when art was expressed through the thoughts on life and the architecture expressed thoughts and beliefs.

Templo Mayor:

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This video below shows many of the maya architecture and presents stone carvings outside the pyramids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxQwWP9UkC8

Gothic Period

The Gothic period of renaissance arose from the Romanesque style in 1140-1500 with Paris being the center of attraction. During this time was when the Romanesque style of the rounded arches transformed into the Gothic style of pointed arches. This new architecture of design in churches included taller ceilings, which also allowed natural light to enter the building from above. Stained glass windows in the cathedrals gave it the appearance of weightlessness. The rose shaped, stained glass window was a significant piece of design in the cathedrals during this time and an example of a well-known cathedral is the Notre Dame at Chartres in Paris (1145-1220).

Another cathedral during this time is known as the Wells Cathedral of 1174-1425.

Current Applications:

Peer Review:

Tara mentioned how the Gothic period evolved from the Romanesque style and she explained how the design is different. She also provided good examples of current applications.

Alexandra focused mainly on the architecture of this time and explained how the significance of the pointed arches. I also enjoyed her two videos regarding the gothic period along with her photos.

Peer Review Romanesque:
I thought that Cally provided a lot of detailed information regarding the Romanesque period including its religion and style of architecture. She also provided many pictures showing the architecture of the new formation of vaults during this period.

Micah's post on the Romanesque period provided great detail about the revolution of architecture and also explained how Charlemagne's crowning impacted this period of style.

Peer Review Islamic:
Stephanie explained how the Islamic style was spread throughout many regions including Africa, Europe, and Asia, which I thought was important information to include. She also included one of the main features of this style, which was the horseshoe shaped arch.

Karri also provided plenty of helpful information on the Islamic period including the architecture of the dome. She also explained the importance of the water feature in the islamic architecture.

Romanesque Period

The Romanesque period was a style of architecture that was formed from Roman and Greek applications in England during 800 A.D. It was characterized by the rounded arches and vaults in the aesthetic design of buildings and cathedrals. In Italy, cathedrals were built with brick and faced with marble and the flooring was designed with patterned tile. The homes during this time were made mainly of mud, twigs, wood and dirt floors. They consisted of very little privacy and warmth. The lower area of the houses were used for commercial space and was open to the public. There was very little furniture that was recognized during this time but one thing that was common is the chests. They were built with planks and iron carvings of animals or human figures. The lifestyle of this period revolved around architecture and art.

This would be an example of a cathedral of St. Foy in France and it was known for its carved façade

This is an example of the iron carved chests that were used for sitting, storage, and dining. Usually kept off the cold ground to keep warm.

Current applications of the Romanesque style can include the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Early Christian Design

Since christianity was a religion that demanded initiation to participate in religious practices, Christian architecture put greater emphasis on the interior. Christianity was a growing mystery religion in the cities of Rome in the early fourth century. Christianity was recognized as a valid religion by the emperor Constantine in 313 C.E. Sant' Applinare In Classe- Ravenna is an example of architecture during this time.

During this time, two different types of styles developed and they were known as basilica and a centralized church.

The most important pieces of furniture during this time was something made for storage. This would include chests. Furniture during this time would follow the roman style decorated with carvings and jewels.

Current Applications include:

Peer Review Rome:
I thought that Paige S did a good job with listing all the importances of ancient Rome including the residential dwellings and the type of furniture used. I also enjoyed looking at the photos she chose.

Nichole Kopsias also included much useful information on the classical civilization of Rome and included several interesting pictures. She also included the use of past structures were used for knowledge in creating architectural structures.

Peer Review Greece:
Mackenzie listed the importance of the famous buildings in Greece known as the Parthenon and Acropolis. She also showed a couple pictures of these buildings which I thought was pretty helpful.

Alex R gave personal opinions on this period and included several information on the design of the columns and how they were inverted and distinctive to civilization.