Ancient Rome

Roman art and design was inspired by Greece's monumental architecture. Rome took it in a new direction and Roman interiors developed an appreciation of luxury to a degree that had not yet been known in Europe.

Architecture
Roman architecture focused on the arch, rather than the column and post-and-lintel construction. They explored it further than any other civilization, creating the barrel vault and dome and building aqueducts and bridges. A new material made this all possible - concrete. 

Interiors
The Roman house, like the Greek, was centered on a courtyard. Most houses also adopted the peristyle with columns that help up the roof. House exteriors did not have as much detail as the interiors. Apartment-like buildings became increasingly popular as the demand for housing was on the rise. Country villas became housing for the more wealthy. They were elaborate houses with platforms, terraces and galleries. In addition to the retail spaces centered in the city forum and urban markets, many residential areas offered spaces on the front perimeter of houses that could be rented out for business. 

Paintings
There were four main Roman painting styles that could be found on the walls of important interiors. The first included mimics of other materials such as marble and stone. The second mimicked architectural construction. Differing from the first, the second style was enhanced with perspective and shading on columns and arches.  The third had an increasing amount of pictorial sophistication. The frescoes showed images of architecture that could never be. It also often included landscapes. The fourth and final style was representational and commonly included large scenes and panoramic vistas. They were full of figures, often in movement. 

Furniture
Even though the general pieces of Greek and Roman furniture were similar, Roman furniture was more elaborate than Greek. The piece of furniture most associated with Rome is the couch. It was quite different than the modern day couch though. It had a horizontal surface with arms at one or both ends and was backless. The Roman cathedra chair was also popular. It was closely related to the Klismos chair in its form. The Romans also enjoyed the use of marble tables and benches. 

Modern Day Examples
These modern day Roman inspired designs include elements such as the couch, arch, and material that are closely related to the ancient Roman times. 

Helpful Videos
Virtual Roman Villa Tour | http://youtu.be/24opWnfv8e4
Roman Architecture Overview | http://youtu.be/B8IcwFwNLr8

Peer Reviews
Paige S. | I liked how Paige focused on the architecture of this time. The specific examples reinforced the points that she made about Roman architecture and really helped me understand it better. 
Katie K. | The pictures that Katie posted of Roman furniture were very helpful in being able to visualize what the Romans were trying to portray. Along with the descriptions, the modern day application pictures that she showed were spot on with the Roman style. 

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is known for the magnificent architecture of the time. Their palaces and temples were the most important structures in the cities. These buildings had many different purposes, including political and religious. Greek mythology is based off of historical figures of this time, which makes the line between history and myth blurry, but emphasizes the importance of the temples and palaces. 

Temples

A temple would include a central hall, the cella or naoes, flanked by two porches on at the entrance and one at the rear. In order to improve the visual perception of Greek architecture the buildings almost always involved defying strict geometries. The Parthenon is a classic example of this. The horizontal lines of the building are slightly convex and the temple platform bulges in the middle. 

Pottery
The Greek culture included a lot of pottery-making. The pottery material was inexpensive and durable and the Greek people decorated their clay pots and vases with pictures. This was very beneficial to historians because it gave them more knowledge of the furniture of this time because very little of it survived past the period. Precise dating from the pottery is possible because of the switch from the black figure to the red figure on the pots and vases. The black figure refers to the method of painting black glaze on red clay with details incised with a sharp instrument in order to reveal the red clay underneath. The red figure is the exact opposite in both technique and result. 

Furniture
The signature piece of Greek furniture is the Kilsmos Chair. This chair was presented on thousands of vase paintings, which shows that it was very popular and used often. The features of this chair include splayed legs and a seat with caning or leather straps, sometimes with a cushion placed on top of it. The top rail of the chair back curves and conforms to the sitter's back and shoulders. It is very elegant and light, making it both aesthetically and functionally pleasing. The first picture below shows a red figure painting of a Kilsmos chair on an ancient Greek vase

Modern Examples
The Kilsmos style chair is very widely used today. There are many different variations of the chair, some which can be seen below. 

Helpful Videos
Greek Studies: Vase Paintings | http://youtu.be/Lh_ZUXMdOf0
Greek Temples | http://youtu.be/F59pH4UJjz4

Peer Reviews
Sammy | I really appreciated how in-depth Sammy went while describing each of the components of Ancient Greece. Her explanation of columns and furniture was very informative and helpful. 
Shannon | I found the video that Shannon posted about the Parthenon very interesting. It was eye-opening to see how much work went into the building. Her summary of the common types of chairs was also very helpful.

Ancient Egypt

Through the dynasties and pharaohs that ruled Ancient Egypt, many impressive monuments and artistic achievements were made.The people of this time lived in small villages where items such as flint blades, grain storage pits, and animals bones were found. Egypt was on the Nile and had access to a lot of stone. Slaves and laborers worked in fields and crafted the magnificent monuments. Egyptian religion was focused on death and afterlife. Because of this, the architecture and material culture of this time focused on mediating between the ruling elite and gods, Earth, and heaven.

Monuments & Pyramids

The first monumental use of stone was with scaled columns. These columns were based on natural forms, such as bundles of reeds and open lotus blossoms. This creative approach would have an influence on many later periods as well. The elite perfected the practice of entombing the dead in pyramids. This custom included items to serve in the afterlife, so we have the oldest surviving pieces of furniture, including wooden furniture. Our knowledge of the Ancient Egyptians comes a great deal from the art and artifacts found in the tombs.

Art
Egyptian art was very conventional and conservative, meaning that changes came slowly, over the course of centuries. The art reflected a boxlike conception of the world, an idealized view of nature. For example, the human figure was often painted so each body part is shown in the way that shows it best. The body and eyes would be painted frontally and the face and feet would be in profile view. 

Furniture 
The furniture found from this time seems to revolve around two systems: the importance of simple geometry and a sensitivity to the shape of the human figure. There was a huge reliance on geometry; many pieces incorporated cubic and grid-like designs. Along with the overall composition would show an initial reliance on a grid, there was often a curved seat. This provided added comfort to the body and would eventually become characteristic of most furniture from this time. 

Modern Examples
Below, you can see some examples of Ancient Egyptian inspired interiors. These designs can be distinguished as Ancient Egyptian because of the use of metals and geometric patterns.

Helpful Videos
The Style of Ancient Egyptian Art | http://youtu.be/rOUjDIX37o4
World History Crash Course: Ancient Egypt | http://youtu.be/Z3Wvw6BivVI
Tombs of Ancient Egypt | http://youtu.be/CcnWUgc7xGo

Peer Reviews
Haley | I enjoyed how Haley explained the different orders of status that a person might have at this period and how this affected the way that they lived. That really helped to be able to imagine what life would have looked like at this time. The pictures that she posted were also very helpful. I especially liked the modern home that was shaped as a pyramid. It was interesting how they incorporated the contemporary style without losing the main shape of the pyramid. 
Nichole | I liked how Nichole went into more detail about the monuments that were built during this time. The video she posted was also very helpful in imagining what they look like. Since the monuments built at this time period were such a big part of the Ancient Civilization life, understanding them allows you to get a further glimpse into what influenced daily life at that time. 

Pre-Historic

The more recent the time period, the more remains we have. Since the Pre-Historic Period dates all the way back to 2,500,000 B.C.E there are still many unknowns about the people of these times. Even with the limited information available, researchers have been able to form conclusions that are able to give us a glimpse into what life might have looked like.

The Pre-Historic Period can be broken down into three main sections.

Paleolithic (2,500,000 - 9,000 B.C.E).

As some of the earliest inhabitants to live on this earth, people from this time period made do with existing natural items. For example, they would have taken advantage of ready-made structures like caves for shelter and used objects like stones and logs to sit on. Lascaux cave paintings are an ancient example of creating meaning in a space by decoration. 

Neolithic (9,000 - 2,000 B.C.E.)

During this time, people became less nomadic and started to settle into more permanent dwellings. The use of giant stones to create menhirs and dolmens became common. Menhirs were stones lifted upright and made into monuments. Dolmens relied on post and lintel construction (a horizontal piece on top of two vertical supports) to create an interior space.Stonehenge is a classic example of this phenomenon.

The Bronze Age (4,000 - 1,000 B.C.E.) 

Like its name suggests, people of this time started using materials other than stone such as metals to make objects. This shows that technological progress and aesthetics were now a part of their decision-making processes.Mohenjo-Daro was the premier city of this time. With a large population, this city was one of the first to have many civic amenities (like a street drainage system) and to be laid out on a grid.  

Modern Day Examples 
Post-and-lintel construction examples...

 

Helpful Videos
Lascaux Cave Virtual Tour | http://youtu.be/UnSq0c7jM-A
Stonehenge Virtual Tour | htt://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psEFrHt2wN7mY
Mahonjo-Daro Virtual Tour | http://youtu.be/uasE8pum8g8

Peer Reviews

Stephanie | While reading Stephanie's blog post I really enjoyed the picture she shared of the modern sandstone cave home in Missouri. It was really interesting how they incorporated the contemporary design of the exterior of the home with the natural surroundings.

Karri | I enjoyed the pictures that Karri shared of the Temple at Tarxien in Malta. The spiral designs and patterns that were carved into the stone were very beautiful!