Unit Summary: Foundations unit

            The foundations unit did just as it says.  It set the foundation of architecture.  In this unit we discussed different ways that people found to build things, such as the post and lintel type of construction from Stonehenge.  This idea was carried all the way up through to the Greeks and the Romans.  Stonehenge provided us with the mystery of how this ancient civilization was able to lift these huge rocks up so that they sit on top of two others.  Another civilization that provided us with a mystery was that of the Ancient Egyptians.  They brought about the idea of building massive columns.  The question was once again how had they been able to achieve this?  When looking at the surroundings of ancient Egypt, we saw that there was mostly sand.  This meant that they would build up the sand around a column as it was being built and then dig it out once they had reached the top of the column.  Something else we saw happening was the similarity of ideas and structures who’s people had no contact.  An example of this is the similarity in shape of the Great Wall of China and the snake-shaped burial mound of the Hopewell Native Americans.  Both have a curved structure, however they have different uses.  One is used for protection, while the other is used for burial.  Two other civilizations that share similarities in structures are the Aztecs of Teotihuacán and the people of Mesopotamia.  The both built stacked pyramids.  Another concept that was discussed in the foundations unit was the sharing and the passing down of idea.  The Romans developed the idea of columns.  This was borrowed by the ancient Greeks and became a major part of Greek architecture.  The Greeks developed the idea further.  They developed the concept of the orders.  There were four orders: Doric, ionic, Corinthian, and composite.  Theses orders were used to define hierarchy, especially on the Acropolis.  The Parthenon has ionic columns, while the buildings around it have Doric.  This helps show that the Parthenon is the most important building on the Acropolis.  With the rise of the Roman empire, the idea of columns was once again borrowed.  This time, the columns were used not for structure, but for decoration.  The Colosseum has columns of on three of its levels.  On the first is the Doric order, ionic is on the second, and Corinthian is on the top.  These columns are used to show decoration and hierarchy within the Colosseum.  The Romans developed a new concept of structure; one that was stronger and would be able to stand for a longer period.  They developed the arch.  The arch is actually the structural element in the Colosseum, instead of the columns.  The Romans also developed the idea of using a dome roof.  This is seen on the Pantheon in Rome.  It has a circular base with a dome sitting on top.  In the center of this large dome is a hole, which is called the oculus.  The foundations unit was where new ideas were brought into being.  This unit set the framework for what is to come with the cathedrals and other architectural pieces.