What does it mean to “read a building?” Are there words printed all over it? While this could indeed be possible, there are many other ways that one can “read” or interpret buildings. Maybe the building has intricate paintings or carvings on the walls that tell a story. This could certainly be read, and one can learn a lot from simply looking at the building. Another way a building can be interpreted is by its architecture, designs, and features. These things can show where the building may be located, what era or time period it came from, events going on in that place at that time, and much more. Buildings are not simply places for us to live, they are works of art, and each building tells a story.
People and civilizations have been keeping records of events and achievements in many different ways, but in very ancient times, history was recorded differently than it is today. In prehistoric times, people made cave paintings to tell stories. Although their interpretation of life was very different than ours, they still liked to record what happened to their civilization over time. Today, archaeologists study these paintings and carvings so that we can learn about these occurrences. In prehistoric times, these paintings were also used for communication; so obviously, they were read by other people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting). Not only do we read and interpret buildings today, but people even in prehistoric times did also. Designs and paintings are very important in architecture, but the structure of the building can also indicate different stories.
In different eras of time, styles of buildings have changed. Different resources become available for the people to use, and their tastes may also change. Buildings and churches in the medieval period were very different from how any of our homes look today. In the medieval times, Abbott Sugar says of architecture: “Having thus assigned these increases in the revenue, we turned back to the memorable construction of buildings, so that through this activity thanks might be given to almighty God by us and our successors.” Back then not only was architecture beautiful to look at, but it made the people feel like they were able to give better thanks to God. In gothic churches, there were beautiful stained glass windows, flying buttresses, magnificent organs, and many more things that are not necessarily used on churches today (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture). One could tell that that building was from the gothic period simply by looking at it. This sort of thing is also true with different areas of the world.
One can tell a lot about the civilization just by looking at some of their buildings. Take the Egyptians, for example. One could see a pyramid, and automatically know that it is from Egypt. If they learn a little bit more about pyramids, they could know that Egyptians were very religious, and needed to build the pyramids for their pharaohs so that they could make it to the afterlife (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html ). Herodotus writes about mummification, which is what the Egyptians did to the body before they put it into the pyramid: “They take first a crooked piece of iron, and with it draw out the brain through the nostrils, thus getting rid of a portion, while the skull is cleared of the rest by rinsing with drugs.” Just one glance at a building and a little background knowledge could tell us all of that.
Buildings have been made for almost as long as people have been on the earth. Whether it is just a little straw hut or a magnificent cathedral, the building teaches so much about the people living in it. Buildings are not just pieces of brick or stone, they are works of art that have had a lot of work and thought put into them.
Sources:
"Cave Painting." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting>.
"On what was done in his Administration." Abbott Sugar. Internet Medieval sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/sugar.html .
"National Geographic: Egypt Pyramids--Facts, Photos, Diagrams." National Geographic - Inspiring People to Care About the Planet Since 1888. Web. 24 Apr. 2010.http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html>.
"Gothic Architecture." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture>.
"Mummification, from The Histories." Herodotus. Ancient History Sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/herodotus-mummies.html .
Photographs from:
Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 13 Nov. 2007. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascaux-aurochs.jpg>.
Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 20 Apr. 2007. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:01_khafre_north.jpg>.
This is a well written essay that would be immensely benefited by the inclusion of more primary sources -- specifically in relation to the time-period of the Middle Ages that we've been studying in class.
ReplyDeleteYour quote from Suger should reference the source from which it originally comes, not the Wikipedia article where you found it. Also, if you are going to do a cross-time / cross-cultural look at buildings, I would suggest putting your examples in chronological order -- the better to compare them.