Early Christian

Early Christianity was first recognized in 330-800 C.E. It began with the death of Christ in ancient Judea, an eastern outpost of the Roman empire. Constantine declared Christianity an official religion with all rights and privileges of other state religions. This also is the first time Christians could have houses of worship and display holy artifacts. The need for new facilities for worship became necessary, due to the rising number of believers.
A popular place to worship was the Basilica, which below is a plan of what one would look like.

A few examples are Old St. Peter's Cathedral Rome and Sant' Apollinare in Classe-Ravenna

Furniture

Very few examples  of Early Christian furniture exist but the ones that do are very elaborate and decorated with caving and jewels. Storage was the most important furniture object, but stools and chairs existed as well. Examples below are what furniture looked like back then and what we may see today. 

NOW

THEN

NOW

THEN

Discussion:

I viewed Emily's blog for the Early Christian era and I learned a little history of where people used to worship. I liked how she added that information into her blog. I also enjoyed her modernized church picture. It was interesting to compare and see how the layout of churches has changed. Jessica's blog caught my eye as well with her current applications of the Early Christian time period. I didn't know a living room/kitchen that looked like her top picture is considered Early Christian. I loved it! 

Classical Civilization: Rome

Ancient Rome carried on several traits from Greece during this era. They used post and lintel construction along with decorative and structural columns. However, the Romans created concrete in which they were able to create larger and extravagent structures. For example the Colosseum, which was the largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire.  It was built of concrete and stone and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. I had the opportunity to visit the Colosseum for myself this summer. Pictures do no justice after seeing this structure in person. I definitely recommend taking a trip to Italy to see the ancient architecture for your own eyes.

Another example is the Pantheon, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. It is the world's largest unreinforced concrete domes of the world reaching 142 feet in diameter and 142 feet high. The Pantheon was also a structure I visited in Rome. It appears way larger in person then it does in the pictures. I wasn't able to go inside because of a mass that was going on, but from the quick glance I got the details to this building blew my mind. 

                               

The dome structure is now used for many different uses today. Below is a picture of a greenhouse in a bubble building. It is called Dome of Visions located in Copenhagen Harbor. 

A Domus is a private townhouse of the wealthy. Today a domus reminds me of this picture below. It is a very wealthy looking townhouse.

A Insula is a block of buildings surrounded by streets. Today, a insula reminds me of large shopping buildings that are outside next to streets with apartments on top. 

Discussion:

Yo's blog caught my interest because she visited Rome this summer as well. We both got see the beauty of the Pantheon and how large it actually is. I also enjoyed reading her section on arches and how they applied the Greek elements to create a dome from arches. Margaret's post on Rome was another one I found interesting. I really enjoyed her fact on Rome about concrete. I had no idea that people stopped using concrete for centuries until the 1800's. Also, I thought she went into great detail and found accurate pictures on the Insula, Domus, and Country Villas. 

Classical Civilization Greece

Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC. This classical period had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and the foundations of the Western Civilization. Greek civilization contributed to modern architecture with classic orders. The used post and lintel architecture which is the oldest system. However, the greeks developed decorative systems. These included the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. 

Doric is the oldest, most simple and they are very large in mass. The greeks thought about human perception with the doric.

Ionic order was more feminine, its taller and thinner. They have scroll like shapes called velvets.

The corinthian order is the most decorative and complex. You see leaf like shapes, bases, and these are normally taller then the doric.

Furniture

The Greeks made their furniture mostly from leather, cords, gold, ivory, gems, copper, bronze, iron, marble, and wood. Their seats often had round shaped legs. Also, they used tables that were small, portable, and lightweight. Storage pieces for clothing, jewelry, and household items. Beds/couches for sleeping and eating. 

They invented Klismos chair for women. It was crafted out of wood and had splayed legs. 

Modern Day Applications

After reviewing Megan Drendel's blog I agree that the Greek civilization created amazing architectural pieces. The three classic orders you mentioned, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian are all used in modern architecture. I have seen all three of these types used in new construction around the world. I agree that they are pleasing to the eye and can make a building look totally different. Also, I see motifs from the Greek culture everywhere in todays culture. From notebooks to phone cases to wallpaper in homes. The Greeks made a big impact in design and I love how we still find it attractive today. Margaret's blog caught my eye with her todays application of the Klismos chair. The chair she found is in a very common dining room and it replicas the Klismos chair very well. Also, I loved that she found a replica of the actual Parthenon very close to us in Tennessee! I would really like to go visit there when I am in Tennessee next. 

Ancient Civilization

Egyptian civilization came together around 3150 BC. The history of ancient Egypt occurred in a series known as the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom.The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley. The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks. Major advances in architecture, art, and technology were made during the Old Kingdom. One of their major achievements were the Giza Pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza. 

Great Sphinx of Giza

Giza Pyramids

Furniture: 

Furniture was rare, but was made to use mostly in travel. Furniture ranged between tables, storage pieces, beds and decorative artifacts. They was influenced by religion, from familiar objects, and they used material and construction techniques such as leather. It is interesting to compare Egyptian furniture to what we have today. A foldable wooden bed would be like a roll away bed that are found in many hotels today. 

Then

Now

The ancient Egyptians also contributed loggia into modern architecture. In ancient Egyptian architecture the loggia was usually on the roof top or an interior loggia facing an inner courtyard. It is a room, hall, gallery or porch open to the air on at least one side. Today, we might consider a loggia as a screened in porch or patio. 

Now

Then

After reviewing Sammy's blog I found it interesting comparing the way they built homes back then and now. We still sometimes use the same materials but when comparing your photos above, I realized how nowadays it looks way more visual appealing. The bricks sometimes create a pattern and there are a variety of sizes to make it more interesting. I think it is very cool though that materials used thousands of years ago to build homes, are still used today. Our world is changing and evolving so fast, that it's hard to believe we use ancient civilization ideas in our homes today. For example the loggias. I didn't know porches were created from the idea of loggias. It's very clear that having knowledge about the history of art is important, especially for design students. Justine's blog caught my interest with her picture of an Egyptian bedroom from back then and what one would look like today. They both have lots of furniture but it isn't your normal bedroom furniture. All the pieces are very detailed and use the color gold. The furniture back then I would consider more elaborate but I can still see the similarities in todays picture.