Egypt, Greek, Rome Summary

1.       Egypt: The afterlife was the focal point in Egyptian culture. The pyramids were built as a gateway to the afterlife for the Pharaohs. The task of building these was the organizational motivation for the culture. It is only fitting that each piece of architecture takes on its own symbolism of the afterlife.  The symbolism was not connected in any uniform manner other than structure. The geographical region was also of importance in determining the structure material and firmness. Artifacts were designed for purpose but with latent meaning. Yet the design was so intricate that Egypt became the foundation of architectural design for the surrounding civilizations.

2.       Greece: The Greeks adapted their architectural design from the Egyptians. Using large scale columns and buildings to have meaning of the afterlife. However the symbolism was not the same. The Greek structure was unified in meaning, having a colonnade to define hierarchy as a pedestal for the gods. Each aedicule had a woven connective purpose. The Greeks also improved the architecture with entasis, a way of highlighting a buildings large scale.

3.       Rome: The Romans adapted their architecture from the great mass of colonies they annexed. Most of all they incorporated Greek architecture. Rome developed great engineering accomplishments. Roads and basilica shaped aqueducts led every region of the empire back to the heart in Rome. The Roman aedicule was even more defined than that of the Greeks. The temples were built on specific axis designated by the priests. Then these were decorated with Greek architectural details.