Last updated October 28, 2022
What was the most important temple in ancient Rome? Where are Inca ushnu located? Who was Le Corbusier? Why was Great Zimbabwe abandoned? This course surveys the history of global architecture from the prehistoric to the present. Explore the Parthenon, discover Angkor Wat—the world’s largest temple, enter the soaring cathedrals of Gothic France. Along the way we contemplate ancient gardens in China and Japan, visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, and examine designs for the 21st century.
Neolithic
Jericho, beginning c. 9000 B.C.E, West Bank
Çatalhöyük, c. 7000 B.C.E., Turkey
Stonehenge, beginning c. 3100 B.C.E., Salisbury Plain, England
Nuragic architecture at Su Nuraxi Barumini, Sardinia, beginning 18th century B.C.E.
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Ancient Near East
The cradle of civilization
Sumer
White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk, c. 3517-3358 B.C.E
Archaeological reconstructions
Neo-Sumerian/Ur III period
Seated Gudea holding temple plan, c. 2100 B.C.E.
Ziggurat of Ur, c. 2100 B.C.E.
Neo-Babylonian
Neo-Babylonian culture, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way, c. 575 B.C.E., quiz
Visiting Babylon
Persian
Ancient Persia, an introduction
Persepolis: The Audience Hall of Darius and Xerxes, c. 520-465 B.C.E.
Capital of a column, audience hall of the palace of Darius I, Susa, c. 510 B.C.E.
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Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt, an introduction
Old Kingdom
Pyramid of Khufu, c. 2551-2528 B.C.E.
Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinx, c. 2520-2494 B.C.E.
Pyramid of Menkaure, 2490-2472 B.C.E.
New Kingdom
Temple of Amun-Re and the Hypostyle Hall, Karnak
Mortuary Temple and Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut, c. 1479-58 B.C.E.
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Aegean Early Greece
Ancient Greece, an introduction
Minoan
The Palace at Knossos (Crete)
Mycenae
The “Palace” and Grave Circle A, Mycenae, c. 1600-1100 B.C.E.
Lion Gate, c. 1300-1250 B.C.E., quiz
The Treasury of Atreus, c. 1300-1250 B.C.E.
Archaic (c. 700-480 B.C.E.)
Introduction to Greek architecture
Temples at Paestum, 560-460 B.C.E.
Pan-Hellenic sanctuary, Delphi
Siphnian Treasury, Delphi, c. 530 B.C.E.
Early Classical (c. 480-448 B.C.E.)
East and West Pediments, Temple of Aphaia, c. 490-480 B.C.E.
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Classical, Late Classical, and Hellenistic Greece
Classical (c. 448-429 B.C.E.), quiz
The Athenian Agora and the experiment in democracy
Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, Athens, 447-32 B.C.E., quiz
The Erechtheion, 421-405 B.C.E., Acropolis, Athens
Caryatid (South Porch) and Ionic Column (North Porch), 421-407 B.C.E.
Temple of Athena Nike, 421-405 B.C.E.
Hellenistic (323-31 B.C.E.)
Pergamon Altar, c. 200-150 B.C.E., quiz
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Etruria and Early Rome
Etruscan, quiz
The Etruscans, an introduction
Tomb of the Triclinium, Tarquinia, c. 470 B.C.E.
The François Tomb, Vulci, 4th century, B.C.E.
Tomb of the Reliefs, late 4th-early 3rd century B.C.E., Necropolis of Banditaccia
Rome, an introduction, quiz
Introduction to ancient Roman architecture
The Domus
The Insula
The Villa
The rediscovery of Pompeii and the other cities of Vesuvius
Pompeii, an introduction
Roman Republic
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Rome, 6th century B.C.E. – 5th century C.E.
Tomb of the Scipios and Sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatus, early 3rd century B.C.E.
Temple of Portunus, travertine, tufa, stucco, Rome, c.120-80 B.C.E.
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Imperial Rome
Early Empire
Maison Carrée, c. 4-7 C.E., Colonia Nemausus (Nîmes, France)
Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace), 13-9 B.C.E., quiz
House of the Vettii, before 79 C.E., Pompeii
Colosseum (Amphitheatrum Flavium), Rome c. 70-80 C.E., quiz
Arch of Titus, Roman Forum, after 81 C.E.
Writing a history of Jewish architecture
Imperial Fora, an introduction
Apollodorus of Damascus, Forum of and Markets of Trajan, Rome, dedicated 112 C.E.
Column of Trajan, Rome, completed 113 C.E., quiz
Nabataean
Petra: rose red city of the Nabataeans
Petra: urban metropolis
Petra: rock-cut façades
Palmyrene
Palmyra: the modern destruction of an ancient city
Temple of Baalshamin, 1st century C.E.
Temple of Bel, 1st and 2nd century C.E.
Middle Empire
The Pantheon, Rome, c. 125 C.E., quiz
Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, c. 117-138 C.E.
Maritime Theatre, Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, c. 117-138 C.E.
Late Empire
Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine (Basilica Nova), Roman Forum, c. 306-312
Arch of Constantine, Rome, 315 C.E., quiz
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Early Christian & Byzantine
Introduction to the Medieval era, quiz
Introduction to the Middle Ages
Early Christian
Early Christianity, an introduction
Classicism in the Early Middle Ages
Early Christian architecture after Constantine
Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome, late 2nd century through the 4th century C.E.
Santa Maria Antiqua, Roman Forum, consecrated 6th century
Basilica of Santa Sabina, Rome, 422-432, quiz
The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, 425 C.E., quiz
Byzantine (Late Roman Empire), quiz
A beginner’s guide to Byzantine Art
Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (now Istanbul), 532-37, quiz
San Vitale and the Justinian Mosaic, Ravenna, begun in 526-27, consecrated 547, quiz
Saint Mark’s Basilica, Venice, begun 1063, Anastasis mosaic, c. 1180-1200
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Carolingian revival quiz
Charlemagne: an introduction, Part 1, Part 2
Palatine Chapel, Aachen, dedicated 805
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Architecture in South and East Asia
India
Caves of Ajanta
Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho
Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, Tamil Naidu
Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
Cambodia
Angkor-Wat
Indonesia
Borobudur
China
Longmen Caves, Luoyang
Mogao caves at Dunhuang
Shi Zhengzhi, Master of the Nets Garden, 12th century (Southern Song Dynasty), Suzhou
Forbidden City
Japan
Todai-ji
Ancient Americas
Chavín
Chavín de Huántar
Teotihuacan Culture
Teotihuacan
Maya
Ancestral Puebloan
Mesa Verde
Mexica (Aztec)
The destruction of the Templo Mayor (Mexico City)
Inca
Introduction
City of Cusco
Machu Picchu
Ushnus
The Islamic World
Introduction to Islamic art, quiz
Kaaba, pre-Islamic, rededicated by Muhammad, 631-32 C.E.
Introduction to mosque architecture
Common types of mosque architecture
About chronological periods in the Islamic world
Early Period
Arts of the Islamic World: the Early Period
Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhra), Jerusalem, 691-92, quiz
Great Mosque of Cordoba, begun 786 and enlarged 9th and 10th centuries, Spain, quiz
Great Mosque of Kairouan, c. 836-75, Tunisia
Medieval Period
Great Mosque of Isfahan, Iran, quiz
Mihrab (niche), 1354-55 (A.H. 755), Isfahan, Iran
The Alhambra, begun 1238, Spain, quiz
Jewish architecture in Muslim Spain
Medieval synagogues in Toledo, Spain
Late Period
Hagia Sophia as a mosque after Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453
Mimar Sinan, Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, completed 1558
Mimar Sinan, Mosque of Selim II, Edirne, Turkey, 1568–75
Taj Mahal, Agra, India, 1632-53
Jewish architecture in Syria
Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, Jobar (Syria)
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Late Medieval
Medieval churches: sources and forms
Introduction to the Romanesque
A beginner’s guide to Romanesque architecture
Medieval churches: sources and forms
Pilgrimage routes and the cult of the relic
Romanesque architecture, quiz
Tuscan Romanesque
The art of conquest in England and Normandy
Durham Cathedral, begun 1093
Southwell Minster
Cluny Abbey, Burgundy, France
Church and reliquary of Sainte-Foy, late 10th-early 11th century, Conques
Gothic art and architecture, quiz
Gothic architecture: an introduction
Stained glass: history and technique (essay from the Getty)
How stained glass is made (essay from the Getty)
France
Birth of the Gothic: Abbot Suger and the ambulatory at Basilica of Saint Denis, 1140-44, quiz
Chartres Cathedral, c.1145 and 1194 – c.1220, quiz
Reims Cathedral, begun 1211
Amiens Cathedral, begun 1220
Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, 1248
England
Salisbury Cathedral, begun 1220
Lincoln Cathedral, begun 1088
Wells Cathedral, begun c. 1175
Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel
Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London, begun 1503
Czech Republic
Altneushul, Prague, begun 13th century
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Oceania
Nan Madol, 13th-17th century C.E., Pohnpei, The Federated States of Micronesia
Africa (c. 1300s – 1400s)
Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania
Great Zimbabwe
Christian Ethiopian architecture and art
Great Mosque of Djenné
Kasbah Taourirt: Conserving Earthen Heritage in Morocco
The Renaissance in Italy: Sculpture & Architecture (c. 1400s)
Brunelleschi
Old Sacristy, c. 1421
Dome, 1420-36, quiz
Pazzi Chapel, begun 1420s, quiz
Santo Spirito, 1428-81
Alberti
Palazzo Ruccellai, c. 1446-51, quiz
Façade of Santa Novella, 1470
Sant’Andrea, Mantua, 1472-90
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Renaissance in Venice (c. 1400s-1500s)
Ca’ d’Oro, 1422-40
Palazzo Ducale, 1340 and after
Saving Venice
Palladio
La Rotunda, 1566-1590s
Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, Italy, 1580-85
The Reformation and Counter-Reformation
The Protestant Reformation, quiz
Setting the Stage, part 1
Martin Luther, part 2
Varieties of Protestantism, part 3
The Counter-Reformation, part 4
The High Renaissance in Italy (c. 1500s)
Bramante
Tempietto, c. 1502
St. Peter’s Basilica, begun 1506, completed 1626
Michelangelo
Michelangelo, painter, sculptor and architect
Medici Chapel (New Sacristy), 1519-34
Laurentian Library, begun 1524, opened 1571
Renaissance in Spain
El Escorial, begun 1563, near Madrid, Spain
The Colonial Americas
Introduction to the Spanish Viceroyalties in the Americas
Viceroyalty of Peru
Church of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas, 1570-1606
Colonial Brazil
Church of São Francisco de Assis (St. Francis of Assisi), c. 1766-94, Ouro Preto
Viceroyalty of New Spain
New Spain, an introduction
The Convento of San Nicolás de Tolentino, Actopan, Hidalgo
Mission Church, San Esteban del Rey, Acoma Pueblo
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Baroque Art, Rococo, and Neoclassicism (c. 1600-1800)
Italy quiz
Bernini
Baldacchino, 1624-33
Ecstasy of St. Theresa, 1647-52, quiz
Cathedra Petri, 1647-53
St. Peter’s Square, 1656-67
Francesco Borromini, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, consecrated in 1646, Rome
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta, Church of Il Gesù, 1584, Rome
Dutch Republic quiz
Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Interior of Saint Bavo, Haarlem, 1631
Huis ten Bosch, The Hague, Netherlands, begun 1645
Jacob van Campen, Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam, formerly Amsterdam Town Hall, 1648-65
France
Louis le Vau, André le Nôtre, and Charles le Brun, Château de Versailles, 1664-1710
Claude Perrault, East façade of the Louvre, 1663
Introduction to the age of the Enlightenment
Pierre-Alexandre Vignon with Jacques-Marie Huvé, Church of La Madeleine, 1807-45, Paris
Jacques-Germain Soufflot, Church of Ste-Geneviève (now Le Panthéon), 1755-90, Paris
England
Inigo Jones, The Banqueting House, Whitehall, 1619–22, London
Christopher Wren, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, begun 1675, completed 1711, London
United States
Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, 1770-1806, Charlottesville, Virginia
Thomas Jefferson, Rotunda, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
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19th Century
Romanticism
John Nash, Royal Pavilion, 1815-23, Brighton, England
Victorian
Charles Barry & A.W.N. Pugin, Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), 1840-70
Robert Smirke, South Portico, built 1846-47, The British Museum, 1823-57
William Butterfield, All Saints Church, designed 1849, consecrated 1859, London
William Morris and Philip Webb, Red House (garden with well), 1860, Bexleyheath, England
Second Empire
Haussmann the Demolisher and the creation of modern Paris
Charles Garnier, The Paris Opéra, 1860-75
Symbolism
Antoni Gaudí, Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, 1882- , Barcelona
Hector Guimard, Cité entrance, Métropolitain, c.1900
United States
Seneca Village
Olmsted and Vaux, Central Park
Robert Mills and Thomas Lincoln Casey, Washington Monument, completed 1884
Laboulaye, Bartholdi, Eiffel, Hunt, Statue of Liberty, installed 1886
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20th and 21st Centuries
Carrère & Hastings, The New York Public Library, 1902 and after, New York City
Louis Sullivan, Carson, Pirie, Scott Building, 1899 and 1903-04, Chicago
Peter Behrens, Turbine Factory, 1909-10
Otto Wagner, Postal Savings Bank, Vienna, 1904-06 and 1910-12
Cass Gilbert, Woolworth Building, 1913 (New York City)
Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, 1929
Paul Troost, House of (German) Art, 1933-37
Van Alen, The Chrysler Building
Rockefeller Center, 1933
Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater (Edgar J. Kaufmann House), 1935-38, Bear Run
Glass Chair at the 1939 New York World’s Fair
Gordon Bunshaft for Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Lever House, 1951-52, New York City
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Seagram Building, 1958
A Landmark Decision: Penn Station, Grand Central, and the architectural heritage of NYC
Marcel Breuer, The Whitney Museum of American Art (now The Met Breuer), 1963-66
Robert Venturi, John Rauch, Denise Scott Brown, House in New Castle County, 1978-83
Contemporary Native American Architecture
Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 1993-97
Zaha Hadid, MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts, 1998-2009 (opened 2010)
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