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SECTION 1.
The Division of the Eras
The adjustment of the various eras of style in ancient and modern Architecture has given rise to great differences of opinion ; but in the limited space of this summary, it would be in vain to attempt their detailed consideration. It will be sufficient for our present purpose, to give them the following divisions, adopted from excellent authority.
From the building of Babel, A.C. 2247, to the foundation of Athens by Cecrops, A.C. 1556.
From the foundation of Athens, to the age of Pericles, A.C. 436.
From the age of Pericles, to that of the Emperor Augustus, A.C. 4.
From the age of Augustus, to that of Constantine the Great, who transferred the seat of empire from Rome to Byzantium, called after him Constantinople, A.D. 306.
From the age of Constantine the Great, to the present time.
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SECTION II
Principal Antiquities in Asia and Africa
Babylon, the most celebrated city of antiquity, was supposed by some, to have been built by Nimrod, or Belus; by others, its erection is attributed to Semiramis,
The Temple of Belus, in the centre of the city, (originally thought to be the same as the Tower of Babel, which was raised shortly after the deluge, A.C. 2247,) may be considered as the most ancient structure of the kind. It consisted (according to Strabo) of eight square towers, one above the other, gradually decreasing in breadth, with winding steps from the bottom to the top outside; in the uppermost tower, an apartment was fitted up for astronomical purposes. It was improved by Nebuchadnezzar, to whom is also attributed the construction of the hanging gardens formed round the palace, on the western bank of the river Euphrates.
There was also a bridge over the river Euphrates, at each extremity of which was erected a palace, and a communication formed between them by means of a subterraneous vault under the channel of the river.
The quays were likewise celebrated, as also the walls of the city, which were built in a square form, of an immense thickness, surrounded by a ditch, and flanked with towers, and from them one hundred gates of brass led to the city in various directions.
Nineveh was also a city of immense extent and splendour; it was surrounded by thick massive walls, one hundred feet in height, on the top of which three chariots could be driven abreast. These walls were defended by many lofty towers, and the whole city was said to have rivalled Babylon in the magnificence of its buildings.
Syria
Heliopolis, now Balbec, famous for a Temple of the Sun, and Palmyra, or Thadmor, situated in the midst of a wide extended desert, still present ruins which sufficiently prove their ancient extent and magnificence.
The foundation of this latter city has been attributed to King Solomon, who also built the magnificent temple at Jerusalem, on the Mount Moriah, A.C. 1000.
Asia Minor
Ephesus, a celebrated city of Ionia, was famous for an Ionic Temple of Diana, built by Ctesiphon of Greece. At Miletus, another city of Ionia, was a celebrated Ionic temple, dedicated to Apollo Didymæus.
Halicarnassus, in Caria, was famous for the monument of Mausolus, king of Caria, erected to him by his widow, Artemisia; this edifice was called a mausoleum, and from it all other magnificent tombs have received the same appellation. At Teos was an Ionic temple dedicated to Bacchus. At Priene was also an Ionic temple dedicated to Minerva Polias. Cyzicus, a town in Mysia, was celebrated for its ancient splendour; the inhabitants were called Cyziceni; this name was also given to a species of large and splendid halls among the Greeks, superbly decorated with architectural ornaments and sculpture, and which were nearly imitated by the Romans in their coenacula, or supper rooms. At Samos, an island in the Ægean Sea, on the coast of Asia Minor, was an Ionic temple dedicated to Juno.
Persia
Ecbatana and Susa contained magnificent royal palaces: the former was the summer, and the latter the winter residence of the kings of Persia. The grandeur of the ruins Of Persepolis prove also the vast extent and splendour of that capital. According to Adams, the Persians erected neither temples, statues, nor altars to their deities; considering it absurd to confine within walls that principle, whose dwelling is the universe.
India
The Indian style principally consisted of vast excavations, with temples formed in them. All buildings, of whatever kind, consecrated to the offices of religion, are called Pagodas. The most ancient of these is thought to have been in the island of Elephanta; it is an immense excavation hewn out of a solid rock, and formed into a spacious area. Other similar excavations exist in the island of Salsette, Canarah, and Ellora: splendid temples were afterwards raised, as those at Seringham and Chillambrum. Benares, the ancient seat of Braminical learning, was famous for a temple, a column of which, still preserved, stands pre-eminent in eastern art for its richness and variety of composition.
Egypt
Memphis, one of the principal cities in Middle Egypt, was built by Menes, or Misraim, the founder of the Egyptian monarchy, A.C. 2188, who is said to have invented the art of cutting and hewing stones. Near this city stood the famous Pyramids, (supposed to have been the burial places of the ancient kings of Egypt,) the largest of which covered 435,600 square feet at its base; the side being 660 feet in length, and 550 feet in perpendicular height. Near one of the Pyramids stood the enormous Sphinx of Ghiza. Not far from this figure were the mummy pits, or subterraneous vaults, with niches in their side walls to contain the embalmed bodies of the Egyptians.
In the vicinity of the City of Arsinoe, was the immense Lake of Moeris, dug by the command of the king of that name, in order to contain the waters of the Nile when they rose to an unusual height; it communicated with the river by means of several canals. Near this was constructed the famous labyrinth, (the work of twelve joint kings); it consisted, according to Herodotus, of twelve palaces, and three thousand houses, built of marble, all under ground, or covered over, communicating with each other by innumerable winding passages ; the intricacies of which gave rise to its appellation. This labyrinth was imitated by Daedalus at Crete, and it is considered as one of the most famous in classical history.
The inhabitants of Arsinoe, which city was situated on the western shore of the Nile, (according to Strabo,) paid the highest veneration to the crocodile. They nourished these animals while living, and after death embalmed their bodies, and buried them in the subterraneous cells of the great labyrinth.
The palace, or burial place, of Osymandias, was also eminent, being said to contain the most ancient library; it was situated at Thebes, one of the principal cities in Upper Egypt, famous for its hundred gates, and four magnificent temples; near which city, Thebes, stood another superb temple at Tentyra.
At Sais, one of the principal cities in Lower Egypt, were many temples, built by King Amasis; in one of them, dedicated to Minerva, was a room of a single stone, twenty-one cubits long, fourteen broad, and eight high, brought by water along the river Nile from the Island of Elephanta.
Near the City of Alexandria stood two obelisks, which received the apellation of Cleopatra's Needles. Pompey's pillar, of red granite, having a capital adorned with palm leaves, deserves also the notice of the student; nor must we omit to mention the Watch-Tower of Pharos, four hundred feet in height. In the city stood the celebrated library collected by the Ptolemies.
Sesostris is said to have erected many temples and columns, in commemoration of his victories, in various parts of Egypt; two great obelisks, supposed to have been built by him, were understood to have been taken to Rome in the time of the emperors.
The Oasis of Sieva, in the western desert, is generally imagined to have been the spot on which stood the famous temple of Jupiter Ammon.
The sacred edifices and other structures of Egypt, were usually built with very thick walls, composed of large massive stones, and the roofs formed of immense blocks of the same material in single layers; the decorative parts of their temples presented a great number of columns, with narrow inter-columniations of various figures on the plan; they were mostly without bases, the shafts frequently fluted, the capitals sometimes consisting only of a simple abacus; in other instances shaped like a bell reversed, and often embellished with the leaves of the palm and lotus; the entablatures were formed of a few simple, bold, projecting members, and the whole order generally assumed a heavy appearance. The entrance doors were of large proportions, their sides were not always vertical, but usually decreasing in breadth towards the top. The ascent to the temples was formed by several small flights of steps, with spacious landings between them, so that the whole approach occupied a considerable space before the building; it was often enclosed on the sides with a low balustrade, but more commonly with rows of sphinxes, of a gigantic size; as at the approach to the great temple at Carnak, and in several other instances.
The sacred edifices and other structures of Egypt, were usually built with very thick walls, composed of large massive stones, and the roofs formed of immense blocks of the same material in single layers; the decorative parts of their temples presented a great number of columns, with narrow inter-columniations of various figures on the plan; they were mostly without bases, the shafts frequently fluted, the capitals sometimes consisting only of a simple abacus; in other instances shaped like a bell reversed, and often embellished with the leaves of the palm and lotus; the entablatures were formed of a few simple, bold, projecting members, and the whole order generally assumed a heavy appearance. The entrance doors were of large proportions, their sides were not always vertical, but usually decreasing in breadth towards the top. The ascent to the temples was formed by several small flights of steps, with spacious landings between them, so that the whole approach occupied a considerable space before the building; it was often enclosed on the sides with a low balustrade, but more commonly with rows of sphinxes, of a gigantic size; as at the approach to the great temple at Carnak, and in several other instances.
Wonders of the World
The following works were considered so great among the ancients, that seven in particular, were by them called, the wonders of the world:
1. The Colossus at Rhodes.
2. The Sepulchre of Mausolus, king of Caria.
3. The Egyptian Labyrinth.
4. The Pyramids of Egypt.
5. The Temple of Diana at Ephesus.
6. The Statue of Jupiter at Olympia, seventy-five feet high, formed in gold and ivory by the celebrated Phidias.
7. The walls and hanging gardens of the city of Babylon.
To these are sometimes added the Temple of Solomon, the Palace of Cyrus, and the Watch-Tower of Pharos, all of which were of great size, and possessed much beauty and magnificence.
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