“Who, What, Where, When, Why, How” Notes Table
Who
What
Where
When
Why
How
Cathedrals
Europe
1100 A.D.-started
Stone tools,
dirty,
difficult
work by hand
Romanesque –
thick walls,
small windows.
“Low” roofs.
Cathedral St
Denis
1144 A.D.—
First Gothic
Cathedral
To hoist
heavy stones,
used Roman
wheel that
acts as a
pulley:
Squirrel
wheel
Mortar –
burnt
limestone
and sand.
(Did they not
know about
Roman
concrete –
ash,
limestone,
sand, and
stones?)
Flying
buttresses
push in on
the arches or
on the walls
to keep the
walls
standing.
Ribbed
arches that
cross like an
“X” allow
the roof to be
build yet
higher.
Gothic
cathedrals –
named after the
French tribe, the
Goths. Tall,
walls filled with
stained glass
windows,
Gothic Windows
and Doors
Pointed;
Romanesque—
rounded
Who
What
Where
When
Why
How
Name: Brianna Cardillo
Date: 2/27/12
Medieval Cathedrals: Fill-in-the-blank Caption
Based on Video “Building the Great Cathedrals”
The great engineering marvels of the Stone Age were flaked stones, arrow heads, and
spears or spear throwers. The breakthrough inventions of the Neolithic and Early
Agriculture periods were the wheels (used on carts), the plow, and domesticated plants
(including wheat) and animals. During Ancient Mesopotamia and Sumer, the great
engineering achievement was the water-delivery system of irrigation canals, which made
possible an economy based on agriculture, also known as farming. In Ancient Egypt, the
great pyramids were, quite literally, a towering achievement. In Ancient Greece, the
Temple to Athena on the Acropolis, called the Parthenon, reflects keen mathematical
knowledge and improved building techniques. In Ancient Rome, the perfection of the
raised water aqueduct, which move water great distances, made possible Rome’s
expansion into an immense empire. In addition, the Colosseum—a huge stadiums where
gladiators fought to the death
--reflected the advances Rome had made in arch design, building, and the invention of
waterproof cement.
In the Middle Ages, the chief technological achievements were the great cathedrals. The
first cathedrals were built around 1,000 years ago. These early cathedrals had low roofs,
very thick walls, and small and narrow windows. They were called Romanesque. One of
the inventions used to hoist heavy stones was playfully called the Squirrel Cage. It looks
like an enormous wooden hamster wheel. It is a large wheel run by manpower that is
connected to a smaller wheel, or cog, that is attached to a rope and pulley. Medieval
cathedrals did not use cement. A simple type of mortar was placed between the stones. It
was made of burnt limestone and sand. But basically, it is gravity, or the downward force
of the stones on top of one another, that keeps the cathedral walls from falling in or out.
Later cathedrals were built much taller, with thinner walls, and immense, stained-glass
windows. These cathedrals were called Gothic, named after the French tribe that had
occupied the area in France where these cathedrals were first built. The first such
cathedral was St. Denis; built just outside of Paris, and completed in 1144 A.D.
Gothic cathedrals could stand taller and have much larger windows than the earlier
Romanesque cathedrals. Unlike in a Romanesque structure, the walls do not do all of the
work. That job is done by three architectural inventions: the pointed arch, the flying
buttress, and ribbed ceiling arches, also called the ribbed vault.
The pointed arch of Gothic architecture transmits the weight down along stress lines
close to the outside of the arch. This means that the windows can be much taller and
bigger in a Gothic building than in a Romanesque building.
Medieval architects soon found out that if they built their Gothic cathedrals too high, the
arches and the cathedral would fall to the ground. To solve this problem, they invented
the flying buttress. This is basically an armlike support that pushes inward against the
pointed arches, which are pushing outward.
The third technological invention of the Middle Ages are ribbed arches, or the ribbed
vault. This is basically, X-shaped, crossing arches that increase the strength of arches.
Instead of one arch, a ribbed vault has two arches that intersect at their peak.
Together, the arch, the ribbed vault, and flying buttresses allowed for medieval architects
and builders to create enormous, soaring cathedrals filled with glittering, glowing light
cast by stained-glass windows (video “Building the Great Cathedrals). Mr. Baskin