College of Environmental Design
Department of Architecture, UC Berkeley
Architecture Slide Library
Fall 1995 James Study Aid 2
I. Rise of urban culture as people gather together in the fertile floodplains of the Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus Rivers. Urbanization supports agricultural irrigation and growth of technology and trade. Produces more specialized, and eventually more stratified, cultures, as well as substantial architectural opportunities. Birth of written languages.
II. Neolithic towns in the Middle East:
wall
and tower.
"White Temple"
set atop an artificial mound. mountain-like place of worship that would bring people closer to their gods. Bent-axis route into sanctuary. The god him- or herself dwelt within the cult image housed in the sanctuary.
urban fabric
c1950 BCE. differentiation of urban and architectural form: streets and squares, markets and schools. largest houses two stories high and arranged around courtyards.
Citadel
eclipses spiraling Ziggurat (similar to
Temple of Babylon). Low relief sculpture in stone supplements region's traditional reliance upon baked and unbaked brick, and adds to the awe-inspiring effect.
Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan): gridded city with citadel. engineering for the public good: highly developed infra-structure for sanitation and possibly religious purposes: elaborate drains and Great Bath.
Casto Edward Vocal Jr.
World Wide Web Authorer.
Department of Architecture, Slide Library
University of California, Berkeley
Send comments on page design to:
castojr@ced.berkeley.edu
This site last revised on May 8, 2007