Week Two- Ancient Civilizations

 Ancient Civilizations

There are three main ancient civilizations that in history have been connected to each other; Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Nubia. All three regions depended on the rivers as their lifeblood. 

Ishtar Gate

    Mesopotamia depended on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to supply the land with sufficient water. With a network of villages, Mesopotamia became the most productive grain region. They would use clay to imprint some of the earliest writing on tablets. A basic home of this region would have been composed of mud, timber, and reeds. Mud bricks were a popular material of Assyrian structures. Stone and wood were available, however, were scares and would have been expensive, so it was used sparingly in architecture. Mesopotamia urban areas were the sites of religious activity. One thing I found interesting was the use of glazed blue bricks used on the exterior of the cities' entryways. The blue bricked wall a designated sign of the city was also a use of defense and control from the outside. The most famous example would be the Ishtar Gate. I find the Ishtar Gate so intriguing, from just the rich color it used simple aspects of design but executed it perfectly. In this time period there were many significant architectural monuments created such as the White Temple at Warka and the Ziggurat at Ur. Some would also use skim-coated med bricks, these would have had an additional layer of mud or plaster. In the interior it would be common for the walls to be painted. 

Furniture Element

    The sphinxes would have been experienced frontally; this would have defined the entrance.  They stood at fifteen feet tall, these are so monumental because of their size, form, and material. Many rooms were polychromatic, paint used as an outline and background, blended together elements of stone, plaster, wood, and mud. This made them into the consistent and powerful decorative program. The ceilings would have likely been made of timber beams and joists. In the book it states, "the latitudinal width of the throne room was determined by the length of timbers available." Assyrian furniture normally was made of wood. It would have consisted of chairs made from maple and boxwood, tables of ivory with inlay, silver, gold, lead, copper, and iron. Thier style was known as the Assyrian Empire Style chairs, beds, and tables would have rested on conical feet whose form derived from either inverted pinecones or dare spathes. With wood as the main source of material some other pieces were adorned with bronze plates attached with small nails. With the occasional stone used to make things like tables. 

Chair from Tutankhamen's Tomb  

    Egypt was centered on the Nile; this river was vital to the survival of this civilization. Egypt had a large source of stone which helped them become vital in the growth of architecture. Egyptian culture was focused on death or the afterlife. The great pyramid at Giza is an example of the architectural growth. The architect of Giza was named Zoser, this would have been one of the first written names of an architect because Mesopotamia didn't have any names survive. Egyptian design would have involved one of the most monumental uses of stone and scaled columns. The new kingdom consisted of many new architectural achievements, some of the greatest work would have been the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak.  The Egyptians designed lots of curvature in their furniture, the legs and seat form an approximate square, the legs are straight. But the seat and arms are curved. Their work shows their importance of craft. Made of wood, grass, or a bundle of reeds would be used at support. 

    Nubia is the land south of Egypt. The most substantial material that Nubia had was metals. I found it interesting that the book was stating how one of the most researched spots, Egypt lies next to one of the least researched locations. The most common items created in this region were baskets, mats, simple pieces of furniture, and ceramics. These would have also been items up for trade to receive other items as well. Their pots would have been used for many reasons and were painted with a glaze.

    There are many examples of these ancient civilizations designs in our everyday lives. One being the Louvre pyramid in France, it was built and gives the slick replication of the pyramids in Egypt.  I also wanted to pull the idea of the curved wood yes, the chair pictured is way more modern and developed but the art of curving the wood did come from these first people, developing how we live. I also found the Ziggurat home interesting; it kept the key components like the shape but almost just flipped it upside down. Giving it its new life as a new design. 

Curved Wooden Chair 

Louvre Pyramid

    Overall, the three civilizations were different from each other but shared common ideas that built the world of architecture and interior design. This was a time surrounded of growth and discovery. 

Ziggurat House