R3aDinG C()mp II

`[1] Hersey describes a grammar for Greek architectural elements based on the idea of sacrifice.
SPECULATE about the validity of his argument based on what you know about Greek design and the
evidence (both visual and written) he provides. (5 points)

Hersey gives the point that the Greek architectural forms and elements depict daily life and ritual, Aas well as paying homage to Nature and the Gods.
The first temples where “trees” as Carl Boetticher speculated. It has been discovered that long before there were temples, the Greeks worshiped their Gods in sacred groves or fields.
This is an enormous element in the Greek idea’s of design. They base most of their designs on asymmetrical forms. This is because they believe in the harmonious bond with nature.
Gods and Goddesses have their own foliage or tree which is dedicated and worshiped in honor of them. These sacred trees are often seen in Greek art.
It is amazing to realize the foundations and reasons behind early Greek design. Nature, Ritualistic traditions and daily life structure the form and elements of Greek design. Which is the reason for why these temples were built in the first place. To pay homage, to have a place to worship and sacrifice.
Greek sacrifice involved the deconstruction and reconstruction of the victims body. They build in the image of the body. The names for the different elements of a temple’s architectural order bear this out. Columns’ relate to the human stature. The base represents the feet and so on. This tells us that what is sacrificed is the very elements that structure the temple and that the temple it self tells a story of their sacrificial rituals.

[2] Meant in jest, Macaulay shapes a world of the future in which the main character claims meanings for
archeological evidence uncovered at the Motel of the Mysteries. EXTRACT what you believe to be the
lesson of mis-interpreting evidence and link that lesson to the real world phenomenon of the internet. In
other words, EXPLAIN how you might avoid such a blunder as mis-reading evidence when you use the
web as your major information source. (5 points)

Macaulay was a humorous reading but it told us a lot about sources and the importance of the access to technology that we are privileged to have in this day in age.
I realized that without sources…academic sources that things of this world can be easily misinterpreted. It is the equivalent to the idea that we interpret people who inhabited this earth hundreds of years before us. Even though Carson had physical evidence, without text or pictures, which depict previous life forms, we have no clue what these artifacts did or what their use was for them. We depend on pictures, carvings, sacred text and stories to help guide us into an understanding of what life was like before us. In this time period, we have learned to record our history, as well as safely store history, which we have uncovered from the past that is accessible via Internet and other technological sources. To avoid Carson’s way, I would not solely depend on my opinion or one opinion of another. I would check academic sources, reference art and make sure I gather from more than one source, ensuring that I do not create a biased opinion or belief.

[3] The funerary temple design of Queen Hatshepsut speaks a very different design language than the
pyramidal forms for other pharaohs. From your readings and the ideas addressed in class, RECOUNT
possible reasons why Queen Hatshepsut used this building form. (5 points)

The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is not a traditional burial resting place. Even though she died before it was completed I am sure that she had a large influence in the designing of this temple. In my personal opinion I believe that Hatshepsut not only designed with her mind but her influence as a person, as a great ruler determine the design.
She will always be remembered as the great unifier. After several years, decades It took a woman to unite three nations. Besides the fact that she is female and all the previous rulers were male, the fact that she made peace between nations sets her apart. She brought a new out look on past traditions which is most likely the reason for such a new and non traditional design.
Her burial place was not only a tomb but it was a temple. It was a stacked monument which has horizontal lines… a totally different concept then those burial places of the male rulers. A pyramid is symbolic of the ruler which it was built for. It is firm, stable and is built at a large scale. It harmoniously works with its surroundings, blending in, in terms of color and material but standing out in size, showing power. It is seen from mile away, out into the distance for purposes to say, I was here, am here and will always be, in terms of the ruler.
But when it comes to analyzing the temple of Hatshepsut, it was purposely built in a place where it was hidden, mainly for purposes of tomb robbers. It was open, built in a way that you were supposed to enter. It was not only meant for the use of the dead but it was a place to worship Gods. This idea that it was open reflects her personality. As a ruler she seemed open to new things, willing to walk among the people, sharing their experience, which is why her tomb was left open to share. Even though it was built large in scale.. it is rather small in comparison to the pyramids of Giza. The flatness of her temple reflected the idea that she was leveled, she grounded the people and united the nations. It also has a sense of femininity, something which the traditional pyramids lack. When it was built hundreds of years ago, it was built surrounded by gardens. This element brought beauty and the elegance of a woman

[4] Although some evidence suggests links between the Egyptian and Greek civilizations, and some
building forms and details provide support for that linkage, the two societies produced design responses
in great contrast to one another. Select a building type (house, tomb, or temple) from each culture and
ELUCIDATE similarities and differences in the two forms over time. Provide an annotated illustration for
each selected type. (5 points)

The Egyptians have always been considered the pioneers of design. Their existence of life is solely based on the nile it self. The seasons of the nile are expected, which ties in with their beliefs in continuos life. "Life doesn't end after death." And because of this belief they spend their entire lives preparing for the after life. Because of this continuous cycle they have a secure civilization, they live securely off of the geographical location.. the safety of the dessert.
Their whole society, traditions and rituals are reflections of their belief in life and death, hence the polar sides of the nile: The east; where the sun rises contains the cities of the living. The west; where the sun sets contains the cities of the dead.
These elements of their ways of life reflect and are built into their architectural designs.
For example the Hypostyle Hall is a temple in Karnak in homage on has naturalistic motifs built into the columns, such as the papyrus inspired capitals. They manipulate the navigation of space, creating an atmosphere with light that causes a religious and spiritual experience. The scale of the building was built in a way to make you feel small. This one temple has the perfect elements to reflect the Egyptian societies in the sense of religion, life and death, rituals, traditions, sacredness and the importance of nature and the nile. These elements are all built into the principles of design such as contrast, balance, proportion, unity, repetition and harmony


The Grecians have taken and refined Egyptian design, matching it to their own cultures and beliefs. Just as the Egyptians design from the inspiration of nature, Gods, religion and traditions, the Grecians do the same. In this Geographical context, the Grecians are surrounded by water rather than sand. In the Grecian culture they were always willing to change. They were an exploratory culture, always striving to find perfect form. Rather than just building from nature it self they design in our own image or in homage of their Gods. Their main approach as a design society is to grasp concepts and inspiration from other geographic locations and made it their own. Like the Egyptians they focus on elements such as balance, material and spiritual experience.. just to name a few.
These similar elements can be found in the Palace of Knososs in Crete. The difference between the two structures that I have chosen is that one is a burial place and the other is used for dwelling and business matters for the King. Also, instead of it having a religious design basis like most Egyptian structures, this Grecian Palace was secular and light hearted. It contrasts the heavy earth toned stone material of the pyramids(or in this case the Hypostyle Hall) with its use of colors, bright reds, gold and black as well as with the aid of oceanic motifs.

Both The Grecians and the Egyptians were protected by their surroundings due to their geographic location. The egyptians were protected by the dessert and the Grecians by the sea. Due to this fact both the Hypostyle Hall and Knososs was created in a way where it was completely open in a sense but, closed in by a forest of columns. They both had systematical axial plans and told stories with motifs and carvings on the walls of the structures.

It is easy to pull out both similarities and differences between the two because they are so close in similar beliefs but differ in traditions and religions.




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[5] Harwood shows examples of Egyptian furniture on pp. 60-61. HYPOTHESIZE about the lightweight
nature of Egyptian furniture when compared to tomb architecture, as at the Pyramids of Giza, which
many characterize as massive and heavy. (5 points)

I see the difference between Egyptian furniture and Egyptian tombs just as I see the juxtaposition between their beliefs in life and death.
In a sense, the Egyptian Furniture symbolizes life. It is temporary, just as life is. Portable, functional, accessible and just a simple component which makes up a home.
But a Tomb symbolizes death. It is permanent, sacred, private, conceptual and is the main component rather than an element which adds to it.

Egyptian furniture is used for every day purposes, when a Tomb is used for the dead.
In my mind, I see the furniture as a symbol. It is a symbolic vice to the ritual of death. The furniture represents the organs of the main body... the body being the home. They inhabit this body and are used every day in life. It spends its life cycle in the home and once the user is deceased the organs (the furniture) is removed and placed inside the tomb to rest for eternity.


[6] Based on a careful reading of the visual evidence in these two images, DRAW OUT an explanation of
design and gender roles as you see both depicted. As this language of urns represents essentially one
of the main ways we know about Grecian culture, COMMENT on the validity of such a practice of
reading evidence. (5 points)

The language of the Urns speak in the sense of dominance and status. Particularly male dominance, the male is the head of society. There is a crow foliage leaf that raps around the neck of the Urn showing importance, and power in the form of status due to the crown often used by Grecian rulers. The Urn is a symbol of a religious sacrifice to the dead and depicts the story of sacrifice and servitude to the male in the center of the urn. The placement of the pictures have an importance as well because not only does the art depict status ( the women are standing, the man is siting in a high back chair indicating status) but the foliage is at the top and and the male is at the center.