https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB-8JUBAZLk

Ancient Maya : Documentary on Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire

The Americas

The American period I will be discussing today lasted from 2000 BC to 1521 AD. The cultural structure consisted on nobles and commoners, there was hereditary leadership, a divine right, different farming techniques and sporting events. There were four main groups in the Americas at this time: the Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas.

The Olmec period lasted from 2000 BC to 200 BC. They were the first major civilization in Mexico. Their people came to a sudden, violent, unknown end as with many of these civilizations. They were referred to as the people of the rubber country because they used rubber as a material in many things. They had a hieroglyphic style of language and developed the first calender in the western hemisphere. The jaguar was the symbol of the chief deity, as with most of these civilizations. They used a lot of jade in their art work which was very realistic. For fun they played a ballgame, that the other cultures also played, with a ball and a stone hoop. La Venta was the first example of a temple focused city. It was in a linear shape and composed of the Great Pyramid of Earth, a ball court, smaller pyramids, and giant stone heads that represented their leaders. There weighed 40-50 tons each. Food sources for these people were reliable even for commoners, and also diverse. The people also had Shamans who were believed to be in contact with gods and they would predict things from farming to rulers. The people of this time period were polytheistic and believed they became closer with their gods through bloodletting and human sacrifice. Teotihuacan was a city that lasted from 250 BC to 900 AD and was abruptly deserted. The city was laid out on a grid and had no city walls. 

The Mayans lasted from 300 BC to 1521 AD and flourished in that time. They were destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors as with many of these cultures. They were situated in what is now Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and parts of Mexico. Chichen Itza was a ceremonial site in Mexico and lasted from 900 AD to the arrival of the Spanish. The site consists of 4 sided pyramids and a Jaguar throne.

The Aztecs lasted from 1150-1520 AD. Tenochtitlan was the center capital of the empire, it is current day Mexico City. It consists of a Pyramid of the Sun and Moon as well as floating gardens. This civilization rivaled that of Rome. The populations soared from 500,000 to over 3 million. Their raised gardening beds may have been the most productive agricultural design ever developed; they were able to get up to 7 harvests per year from a single bed. 

The Incas lasted from 1200 to 1572 CE. They were the largest empire in pre-Colombian America. The are known for their architecture and are located on the Pacific Ocean and in the mountains. The capital of the empire was Cuzco. They were masters of stone cutting and use a trapezoid shaped door. Machu Picchu is located in present day Peru in a very seismically unstable area and it is surprising it has lasted so long due to the fact that no mortar was used in its construction. It was the royal estate of the emperor Pachacuti. This site was never discovered by the Spanish and therefor not destroyed. It was discovered by a American professor in 1911. This city had fountains and pools and alters. over 200 stone structures. There is no written carvings. The Incas are known for their good roads and it is surprising how much they flourished in only their 100 years of ruling. The characteristics of this time include; isolated empires, deep connections to the metaphysical world, concept of open space and relationships to buildings, and generally ended at the hand of the Spanish. 

Classic examples

La Venta stone head

Chichen Itza

Tenochtitlan

Machu Picchu

Modern examples

Trapezoid opening 

Step Pyramid design 

Modern floating garden

Peer Review:

Jackson: I liked how she went into detail about each of the groups and had great pictures after all of them to really explain the culture.

Sammy: I liked how she went into detail about how the civilizations shared similar religious beliefs and i liked her current applications. 

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/gothic-sculpture-and-stained-glass-windows-characteristics-style.html

Gothic Sculpture and Stained Glass Windows: Characteristics & Style

Short lecture that goes into detail about Gothic style sculptures and stained-glass windows.

Gothic

The Gothic period lasted from 1140-1500 and was during the time of the Middle Ages. This period was the bridge between the Romanesque and the Renaissance. Paris was the center of the Gothic world and churches the center of city life. During this time, there was a lot of competition in the construction of cathedrals. The black plague also happened during this time, killing 75 million people, nearly 1/3 of the population of Europe. Religious expression was the heart of design during this period. The Pope and the church had immense power and wealth. Because of the larger number of worshipers, this lead to larger spaces for them in churches. There was also advances in architecture during this time, including the use of pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses. The goal of a cathedral was to appear weightless with its tall walls and stained-glass windows. There were variations in the look of cathedrals in different places in Europe. English cathedrals were lower and longer, German cathedrals had larger towers, Spanish cathedrals were wider and more complex.

Classic examples
   
Norte Dame at Paris


Wells Cathedral, England

Wells Cathedral, England

Regensburg Cathedral, Germany

Barcelona Cathedral, Spain

Modern examples

Stanford Building at Duke University

Pointed arch table

Tracery

Peer review

Paige: I liked how she went into some history of Abbot Suger, including his death, also how she went into detail about the entry ways. Her pictures were spot on as well.

Alecia: I liked how she went into further detail about each part of the Gothic cathedrals that made them unique and her pictures really helped illustrate her points.

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The history channel's page with a list of videos and pictures of the Taj Mahal.

http://www.history.com/topics/taj-mahal/videos

Romanesque Architecture and Sculpture

Romanesque Architecture and Sculpture-Kenny Mencher

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGIOuLh6axs

A short course on the architecture and sculpture of the Romanesque period.

Islamic Design

The profit Muhammad is the main figurehead of the Islamic religion and therefore Islamic design. He lived from 570-632 CE. Islamic religion is the foundation of this design period. It has applications in Africa, Europe and Asia. There is great variety in the design according to the region the religion was practiced in. The mosque is the central facility for prayer and worship. The first mosque was Muhammad's farm and was a prototype for all mosques to come. The mosque features a perimeter wall, and covered hall of columns and a courtyard. Persian architecture in Istanbul, Turkey/ Constantinople is home of the "Blue Mosque." This mosque features an a large main dome, six minarets, and 8 secondary domes. Geometric patterns (nonrepresentational motifs) can be found in the architecture of the time including in this particular mosque. Indian Architecture- Muslim capital in Delhi, India in the 12th century. The Mughal rule is significant in the building initiatives including residential and secular buildings. The Taj Mahal was built in 1632-1648 CE as a monument to the wife of a Mughal emperor, who died suddenly. He was so upset by this that he built this tomb in her honor. This is one of the first instances we see water features used in the designing of architecture. Islamic Spain- fusion on European and Islamic design can be seen throughout Islamic Spain. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all thrived there. A main features of all Islamic architecture is the use of the horseshoe and ogival arches, the muquarnas, and the marquanas dome. 

Classical Examples

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the "Blue Mosque"

Taj Mahal

Alhambra 

Modern Examples

Peer Review

Katie K: I liked how she went into good detail about the domes and arches and her pictures really helped capture what she was explaining.

Nicole: I liked how she went into some detail about the actual religion which helps to understand the reasoning behind some of the architecture. 

Romanesque

Charles the Great, or Charlemagne was emperor of the Roman Empire in 800 AD. He encouraged learning and  arts, he encouraged the preservation of Roman Literature, established schools and monasteries,and encouraged buildings using the technology of Roman Structures. With the rise of Christianity, more and more churches were built. 1,587 churches were built between 1000 and 1100 AD. The churches of the time had typical features such as semicircular arches and vaults, basilica plans with the addition of a side chapel and well as monasteries attached to them. There were additions of multiple aisles to accommodate larger gatherings as well as better lighting. Choirs were more prominent at this time as well. Roofs were constructed of masonry instead of wood and walls were painted rich colors and rich tapestries were hung from them. The use of ornamentation in the churches included stone carvings and depictions of stories than could teach illiterate people the ways of the Christian faith. The lower class homes of the time were primitive compared to the elegant churches. They were made of wood and mug and twigs. The nobility of the period lived in large castles of stone. They were drafty and dark with a center fire in the great hall.

Classic Examples

Fontenay Abby, Burgundy, France.

Pisa Baptistery, Pisa, Italy

Cluny Abby, Burgundy, France

Current Applications




Modern Castle, Dallas, Texas.

Peer Review

Micah: She went into some great detail about the churches and homes of the time and her pictures were great examples.

Allysia: I liked how her blog was short and concise but still did a good of summing up the period.

History of Saint Peter's Basilica

http://www.history.com/videos/history-of-saint-peters-basilica#history-of-saint-peters-basilica

This is the History Channels special on the history of Old St, Peter's Cathedral.

How the Byzantine Empire was Built

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

This documentary goes into detail about the rise of the Byzantine Empire.

Byzantine

The Byzantine Empire is the longest political entity in European history. It lasted from 330-1453 CE. The main city was Constantinople named after Emperor Constantine. They were influenced by the Greeks and the Orient. Emperor Justinian came to power in 527 CE. Under his rule, the Basilica changed over to the more centralized church style. The use of Pendenture architecture was developed. It is a combination of domes on a square base. Hagia Sophia and a great example of this type of architecture. The current church on the site is the 4th to be there. It is a centralized plan and has many windows to let lots of light in the give the sense of being heavenly and divine. The main dome collapsed 2-3 times during the construction of it. The Byzantine fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 and it was converted into a mosque. Almost all things that would be recognized as Christian have been removed, including the motifs and the artifacts. Today, Hagia Sophia is a museum. Some main features of Byzantine architecture include vaulted ceilings, impost blocks on columns, and divided interiors. The Byzantine people had the same basic furniture as the Romans.

Byzantine examples

Hagia Sophia interior

Hagia Sophia exterior

Throne

Emperor Justinian and his Attendants

Modern implications


A lot of modern implications can be found more in fashion.

Extensive golden mosaics

Peer Review

Mackenzie: I liked how her overview was brief and concise. She also found way more pictures than I could to help give a idea of the time period and they were all high quality.

Katie K: Her blog was a little short with not a lot of information but her pictures do a good job to supplement it.

Early Christian

The Early Christian period lasted from 330-800 CE. 300 years after the death of Jesus Christ, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Christ died in ancient Judea and that was the beginning of Christianity. Rome tolerated most religions but to them Christianity posed a threat. Although they were prosecuted, Christianity prospered. Before Christianity was legal, those who followed the religion had to practice in hiding. Due to this hiding, there are not many Early Christian examples of architecture or furniture. People practiced within their homes or in the Catacombs. in 313 CE Emperor Constantine validated Christianity as a religion and the Christians came out of hiding. Now they needed real places of worship so they started constructing churches. They adopted the Basilica style church at first which was very linear which included an narthex and the beginning, a nave in the middle and an apse at the end. Soon after that, transepts were added to either side to make the building look more like a cross. As time went of they decided to start building more centralized churches. The furniture examples of this time period are few and in between. The throne, stool, and storage were important pieces. There was much decoration in the churches with paintings of Christ and his followers. There were many motifs of the cross, dove, and fish.

Early examples:

Old St. Peters Cathedral

Sant'Apollinare In Classe

Chest for storage

Modern implications

Barcelona stool

Clive Christian kitchen

Modern Basilica style church:Notre-Dame de la Trinité, located in Blois, France

Peer Review

Cally: I liked how she went into detail about the building with the types, orientation, floor plans, etc. Her pictures were also very good examples.

Paige S: I liked how she had an overview of the time period and went into more detail with her picture examples and really explained them and why they are important.