§1 Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
Key Concepts:
1. The three characteristics of The Neolithic revolution (8000 B.C.E. - 5000 B.C.E.)
!. Permanent settlement and cities
#. Humans were transformed to be shapers on landscape
$. People acquire the power to control the nature
2. The Hammurabi Code and its significance
!. Concept of land “ownership”. Develop a property right
!. Rulers can give land to inters etc.
3. Key reasons why the Nile river was of utmost importance to ancient Egypt's development.
!. Transportation
#. Make soil fertile
$. Critical for life sustainment, provides irrigation
4. What are "Universal Influences" on design (there are three)?
!. Geography
#. Climate
$. Religion
5. Understand orthogonal development.
!. N/S component —> Flow of Neil, E/W component —> Flow of Sun.
6. The four Egyptian design responses:
!. Enclosed eases —> Reaction to harsh environment
#. Durable —> Lack of building material
$. megalithic mass —> Response to religion
%. Orthogonal Development —> Interpreted as axis
7. Relate the above elements to the design of Queen Hatshepsut's mortuary temple:
!. The Garden
!. Walls —> Enclosed eases
#. Entire Garden —> Orthognal to the Neil River
$. From entrance to the Garden to Office there is a bilateral symmetry
#. The mortuary temple
!. Located 3 miles away the Neil —> Avoid periodic flooding
#. Still orthogonal to neil
$. Appear to be emerging from the mountain and looks like part of the mountain —> They want it to last forever
%. Axis used to arrange spaces
g. Queen sent servants to bring trees from distant land and plant them around the temple —> enclosed eases
8. The characteristics of the Mesopotamian park:
!. Birth to the notion of private park
#. At beginning, park is used for the king to hunt animals
$. Appear similar to what we saw in Egypt
%. Intentional made, artificial plants etc.
!. (Before)
!. Intercontinental migration, Slow(500,000) environmental adaptation
#. Human deplete available food supply, and move to more ecological areas, and begin planting
$. population increase
Universal influences on design:
!. Geography
!. Egypt
!. Command the Nile River
#. Temples locate along the river
$. Decide the building material
!. Stones for important temples
#. Mud brick for normal buildings
#. Climate
!. Without nile the egypt will be really dry
#. Regular neil flood provides fertile soil, provide crops in areas with little rain
$. Religion
!. Each Person’s life is a representation of nature process
#. Physical world is a replica