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OBJECTIVES:
Mesopotamia
• Sumer
• Babylon
• Assyria
• Persia
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GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCE
MESOS (MIDDLE)
POTAMOS (RIVER)
MESOPOTAMIA
• Not a country
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• No good natural stone deposits in Mesopotamia, Assyria and Babylonia, hence use
of sun-dried bricks. Also lack of timber (imported from Lebanon), hence only limited
use of burned bricks covered by bitumen as outer layer (floods and heavy rains).
Persia: Good stone, much wood, hence use of TIMBER and LIME STONE.
MASSIVENESS
MONUMENTALITY
GRANDEUR
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SEQUENCE OF CIVILIZATION
SUMER
Ancient Near East: PREPARED BY AR. ROY DE GUZMAN
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SUMER
• Earliest known Civilization
• LAGASH
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SUMERIAN ARCHITECTURE
SUMERIAN HOUSES
• The houses were usually
punctuated by narrow
openings that serve as
entrance to houses.
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SUMERIAN ARCHITECTURE
TEMPLES
• Principal Architectural
monuments of Sumerian
cities.
Example:
Oval Temple at Khafaje.
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SUMERIAN ARCHITECTURE
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SUMERIAN ARCHITECTURE
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ZIGGURAT
• Built of mud-bricks.
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ZIGGURAT
• Walls are ornamented on the outside with
alternating buttresses and recesses.
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ZIGGURAT
• Walls are ornamented on the outside with
alternating buttresses and recesses.
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• ARCHAIC ZIGGURAT
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Archaic Ziggurat
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Archaic Ziggurat
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Archaic ziggurat
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Rectangular in plan,
design with several tiers.
Example: Ziggurat of Ur
Ziggurat of Ur
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Rectangular in plan,
design with several tiers.
Example: Ziggurat of Ur
Ziggurat of Ur
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Ziggurat of Ur
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Seven-storey Ziggurat
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Seven-storey Ziggurat
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Seven-storey Ziggurat
1. Black: Saturn
2. Orange: Jupiter
3. Red: Mars
4. Yellow: Sun
5. Green: Venus
6. Blue: Mercury
7. White: Moon
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1792 BC
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BABYLON
Ancient Near East: PREPARED BY AR. ROY DE GUZMAN
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SEQUENCE OF CIVILIZATION
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BABYLON
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BABYLON
The old Babylonian Empire was ruled by
(among others) King Hammurabi
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HAMMURABI
• Famous for his codes of law called the Code of
Hammurabi.
“Eye for an
Eye”!!!
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CODE OF HAMMURABI
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CODE OF HAMMURABI
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1350 BC
The Assyrians conquer Babylon
START OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE
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ASSYRIA
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SEQUENCE OF CIVILIZATION
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
Palaces took precedent over
religious buildings.
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Assyrian buildings- Vaulted & flat strips, buttressed walls with glazed
ornaments.
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Palaces were raised on brick platforms, and their principal entrance ways
were flanked by guardian figures of human headed bulls or lions of stone.
Lamassu:
Stone
Human Lion
headed
winged
bull
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Walls of cities were
strengthened with many
towers serving as
defensive positions.
City of Khorsabad
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
Palace of Sargon II
• The palace was decorated with
relief sculptures and glazed brick
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
Palace of Sargon II
• The palace was decorated with
relief sculptures and glazed brick
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
Palace of Sargon II
• The palace was decorated
with relief sculptures and
glazed brick
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
PALACE OF SARGON
II, KORSABAD (720BC)
• Entrance portals
flanked with
statues of Lamassu
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ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Entrance portals
flanked with statues
of Lamassu.
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IMPORTANT PARTS
A. SERAGLO – PALACE PROPERLY WICH
INCLUDES THE KINGS RESIDENCE, MEN’S
APARTMENT & RECEPTION COURT
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625 BC
ASSYRIANS WERE DEFEATED BY NABOPOLASSAR
START OF BABYLONIAN EMPIRE REVIVAL
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NEO-BABYLONIA
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SEQUENCE OF CIVILIZATION
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NEO-BABYLONIAN ARCHITECTURE
ISHTAR GATE
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NEO-BABYLONIAN ARCHITECTURE
ISHTAR GATE
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NEO-BABYLONIAN ARCHITECTURE
NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S PALACE
• Nebuchadnezzar’s
palace covered a land
area of 900 feet by 600
feet.
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NEO-BABYLONIAN
ARCHITECTURE
SADDAM HUSSEIN’S
PALACE in Babylon
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NEO-BABYLONIAN ARCH.
HANGING GARDENS OF
BABYLON
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NEO-BABYLONIAN ARCH.
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560 BC
CYRUS THE GREAT TAKES OVER BABYLON
START OF PERSIAN EMPIRE
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PERSIA
Ancient Near East: PREPARED BY AR. ROY DE GUZMAN
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SEQUENCE OF CIVILIZATION
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PERSIAN EMPIRE
• Also known as The
Achaemenid Empire
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Persargardae (pa-sar-gard), Paradaisia
(greek) the first world’s majestic garden
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Persargardae (pa-sar-gard), Paradaisia
(greek) the first world’s majestic garden
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
• Constructed as a new capital
for the Persian Empire
• Surrounded by a fortification
wall which encloses three
terraces, remains of the great
palaces of Darius and Xerxes.
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
PROPYLEA (Gateway of Xerxes)
• Entrance hall designed by
xerxes
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
PROPYLEA (Gateway of Xerxes)
• Entrance hall designed by
xerxes
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
PALACE OF DARIUS THE GREAT (521BC)
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
PALACE OF DARIUS THE GREAT (521BC)
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS ENTABLATURE
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
PALACE OF DARIUS THE GREAT
(521BC)
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
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TIMBER FRAMED
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CAPITAL
PERSEPOLIS
BASE
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
PERSEPOLIS
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PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
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CONCLUSION
• Temples and Palaces were the most prominent building types in the
Ancient Near East.
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CONCLUSION
• Temple building declined during the Assyrian period.
• Stone and timber suitable for building was rare in the plains of the
Tigris and Euphrates.
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
PLANS:
BABYLONIAN PALACES AND TEMPLES WERE BUILT
ON ARTIFICIAL PLATFORMS 30DEG. ABOVE THE
PLAIN. ZIGGURAT WHICH GROWS SEVERAL TIERS
HAD THEIR ANGLES TO THE CARDINAL POINTS,
SAME WITH ASSYRIANS
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
WALLS
BABYLONIAN WALLS ARE NORMALLY MADE UP OF
SUN DRIED BRICKS FACED WITH KILN BURNT
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
OPENINGS
BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN DOORS ARE
USUALLY SPANNED BY SEMI CIRCULAR
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
WINDOWS
BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN WINDOWS ARE NOT
IN USE
PERSIAN ARE ALSO SPANDED WITH LINTELS
ROOF
GENERALLY FLAT
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
COLUMNS
Babylonian & assyrians have no columns
Persians with high moulded base, fluted shafts, bracketing system and with
capitals
MOULDINGS
Babylonian & assyrian were of little use
Persians adopted from egyptians
ORNAMENTS
Babylonian mostly flora fauna elements
Assyrian & persian they have monster flanking elements in bricks with colour
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REFERENCES
1. Cruickshank(1996) Sir Fletcher Banister’s A History of
Architecture 20th Edition, Architectural Press, Oxford
2. Ching (1995) A visual Dictionary of Architecture, John
Wiley & Sons, Canada
3. Fazio,Moffett,Wodehouse(2013) A world History of
Architecture 3rd Edition, LaurenceKing Publishing, London
4. Cole(2002) Architectural details: A visual guide to 5000
years of building styles
5. History Chanel(2012) Engineering An Empire: Persia
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REFERENCES
6. Jones, Denna (2014). ARCHITECTURE: The Whole Story.
Thames & Hudson Ltd, High Holborn, London.
7. Reader’s Digest. Knowledge Quest: The Ancient World.
The Reader’s Digest Association Limited, London.
8. S. Lloyd, H.W. Muller (2014). History of World
Architecture: Ancient Architecture. Electa Architecture
Mondadori, Milano.
9. Ching, Jarzombek, Prakash (2011). A Global History of
Architecture, Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
New Jersey.
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REFERENCES
10. J.Pile, J. Gurra (2013). A History of Interior Design Fourth
Edition. Laurence King Publishing, Ltd., London.
11. Irving, Mark (2007). 1001 Buildings You Must See Before
You Die. Octopus Publishing Group Limited, Carmelite
House, London.
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