The Purposes of Monumental Architecture in the Ancient Worlds - Essay Example

Running Head: THE PURPOSES OF MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE IN THE ANCIENT WORLDS The purposes of monumental architecture in the ancient worlds Insert Name Tutor Date The purposes of monumental architecture in the ancient worlds Introduction The ancient world had a lot of architectural knowledge which can be witnessed today through the established monuments. Monumental architecture refers to huge structures built in open spaces for various purposes. Such monuments include tombs, pyramids, temples and ball courts among others.The monumnetal structures requires a lot of time and manpower, Monuments are situated in the entire glob,and their constructions hevy relied on the culture of a given society or the siginificance they portrayed in the entire society. Acording to James, P.(1991).Apart from their original purposes, monuments were made for, they have been found to have many more significances their community of origin. Many of them are seen by historians as indicators of great wealth, power and organization of the ancient societies involved. Some of them have been seen as having great political importance since they were made with the authority and input of kings and rulers of respective regimes in the historical timeperiods and societies in which they were constructed. Pyramids These are ancient masonry structures with the shape of a pyramid. The pyramids were built in the middle and old kingdom times. Their main purpose was to be used as tombs for the pharaohs and their consorts in Egypt.The largest pyramid is dubbed as Khufu found at Giza and it has been counted among the ancient world’s seven wonders although it is the only one still existing. (Clayton,1988. pp. 162-63).Many people do believe that pyramids were built to serve as burial grounds, However some individuals disputed over the specific theological principles that contributed to their building. Some claim that the pyramids were made to operate as a ressurection machine. A view of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt David (1986) In rgards to Mendelssohn, K(1974).The pyramids of Egypt were shaped in a way that represented the primordial mound. The people of Egypt believed that the earth was created from this mound. This gave the pyramids a special purpose in the lives of the Egyptian people as far as their religious beliefs were concerned. The shape of a typical pyramid was believed to symbolize a representation of the sun’s rays when they are descending .In most cases the pyramids were polished with shiny metals and stones to posses a brilliant outlook. Importation of the pyramid culture into other parts of the world has been found to have happened on a small scale in places out of North Africa. Pyramids are amongst the great monuments that the rulers in power sought to use as a display of their great power and ability to mobilize manpower within their communities. This is possible since it has become hard to understand how such huge projects were accomplished without the presently known powerful equipment and machinery such as cranes, bull dozers (David,1986 p.34).The construction of pyramids in Egypt is thought to have originated in the same kingdom since before; no other place is known to have had such massive structures. Ancient Temples According to Edwards (1991).Temples were found in many areas and cultures around the ancient world. Among them was the Egyptian, Jewish, Indian and the Greek religious places of worship. To the Greeks the temple holds a lot of significance. The temples were just built to serve as monuments made for their gods. They were not meant to house worshippers who could gather inside for worship. To the Greeks they were important structures and they insisted on perfect proportioning of the Temples, The Greek used their temples for housing an emblem or statue for a cult. In some rare instances the temple contained an oracle whose purpose was to provide answers full of inspiration to questions .It was placed facing east where the sun rises from passing through the major doorway all the way to the great altar. On this altar offerings and sacrifices were carried out and it was placed outside the building. A view of the ancient Temple of Herod in Israel taken from D'Epiro, Peter, and Mary (1998) In reference to Edwards (1991).The building was also used for the protection of those offerings that were deemed to be of high values. The statue was placed in a sanctuary which occupied the bigger part in the cella. Another hall existed on the rear which was either connected or not connected to the back porch. The hall is thought to have been used as the treasury. Temples of today and probably the ancient Jewish temple serve a totally different purpose from the Greek temple. They are for the purpose of worshippers gathering in to worship. Rarely, Greek temples were used by worshippers for celebrating their god, reaffirming faith or getting spiritual nourishment. For the Greek, they housed their godesses and gods in the temple which had the purpose of protecting and sustaining the community, The gods’ needs were taken to be of great importance. Temple of Parthenon; Athens Greece, Completed in 432 B.C D'Epiro, Peter, and Mary (1998) The Parthenon Temple was a dedication to Athena a Greek goddess who was considered as the protector of the Athenian people (Clayton, Peter and Price.1988).This is considered as the structure with highest importance among the surviving structures from the times of Classical Greece. This temple currently stands as Ancient Greece’s enduring symbol and the democracy of Athens. It is also among the greatest cultural monuments in the world today. Egyptian temples served the same purpose as the Greek temples. They were the places where the gods and godesses were kept. Every city had its god placed in a temple. The temple was a cosmic center where men found a means of communication between them and their gods. Only the Pharaoh who was regarded as the chief priest and toher priests assigned specific duties were allowed to enter the temple’s inner courts (D'Epiro, Peter, and Mary 1998 p.p 98).Ordinary worshippers living close to a significant cult center could only go as far as the inner court and leave their offerings there. A door at the back of the main building was used by the worshippers to hand over their ostraca with scribbled questions and prayers. Otherwise from there, they could whisper their problems to a priest who could provide answers to them. The ancient Jewish Temples were built by King Herod and later king Solomon for the first and second Temples respectively. In this Temple offerings were such as daily morning, afternoon offerings as well as special offerings given on Jewish holidays and Shabbat. In the Temple Psalms were recited by the Levites in the course of the offerings. The ancient Jewish Temple deviates from the other Temples found in Greece and other parts of the world in purpose. As the other Temples were used for keeping gods and goddesses the Jewish Temple was used for worshipping and was strictly dedicated to the Jewish God otherwise known as Yahweh. (Clayton, 1988 p.p.89).Among the Psalms were Psalms for new months, the day, thanks giving and Hallel. The Temple was used by the people for offering prayers like Priestly blessing and the Shema. Ancient tombs Some of the world’s monumental architecture was inspired by death. Two out of the ancient world’s wonders were tombs. These were the mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Egyptian pyramids. The origin of the word tomb was in ancient Greek where it used to mean a mound which was raised to cover a body. A tomb meant the structures which were constructed over the ground where the remains of dead people were kept. It followed that all the other monumental structures made in the name of a tomb anywhere else had the primary purpose of housing the remains of the dead. Most of these structures can be found standing freely. However some of them occur inside other buildings such as churches(Clayton, 1988 p.p90) Tombs were done with features of architecture and sculpture. They can be found in various sizes, forms and shapes. They occur as pyramids, mounds, rotunda, obelisks, house tombs, temple tombs and tombs cut out of rocks.In regards to Mary (1998).Tombs cut out of rocks were common in many cultures in the Middle East including the ancient Jewish cultures. Temple tombs had the remains of the dead being housed in the same structure as the temple while house tombs were tombs made to resemble houses. Some tomb types were confined to certain places and peoples. This was principally dictated by the culture, religion and the architectural knowledge prevalent in different areas. Man had his earliest impact on earth expressed through funerary structures. The tumuli and barrows found in Europe or Greece were huge tombs with a chamber of stone with a large mound of earth on top. These huge monuments serve as big visible statements that show how the constructors had the power to use resources and manpower. Through tombs the people of those ages could assert stability and desired power. Monumental tombs were not built in all political systems, religions or cultures.(Clayton, 1988 p.p.78). However wherever they were built they signified periods of power transition meaning that a ruler had died and another one was taking over. This notion has its illustration in the Egyptian pyramids used for the burial of the pharaohs, mausoleums used by Roman emperors and the medieval tombs for the popes. Egyptian pyramids are also known to have served as burial places for queens a part from the pharaohs. The construction of Pyramids has been found to have been important into the modern Sudan which is close to Egypt. However it is not clear if they were built to serve the same purpose of burial for rulers just like the Egyptian pyramids. A typical ancient tomb in the Middle East, Iran D'Epiro, Peter, and Mary (1998). Rome’s first emperor Augustus who ruled between 31 B.C.E and 14 C.E built a huge circular mausoleum as a way of asserting his authority as a ruler in Rome. The dynasty tomb was meant for housing the bodies of Augustus and those who would succeed him. Through this he was sending a message that together with his family they were the rulers and the situation should remain so. The construction as well as the maintenance of tombs in Europe in the 20th century was guided by the same principles. People tended to be united by their reverence for tombs and the dead that are housed in those tombs (Narayanan, 2007 p.p.90).Those in power could therefore gain legitimacy and authority by their close association with such a tomb. While on top of Lenin’s tomb dignitaries from the Soviet Union could watch May day parades symbolizing that Lenin was holding the regime in place. Although tombs functioned as power symbols they need not be totally isolated from the more personal world full of sentiment and emotions. According to Mary(1998 p.p.90).It is a hard thing to try to do the reconstruction of emotions for past societies. Taj Mahal tomb for example, in India which can be translated to mean “the abode of the chosen one”was constructed in the 1600s for Mumtaz Mahal by her husband as beautiful love token given because of grief. Although this was its purpose, it had other wider reaching political and physical impacts. The tomb was a section of a huge building project used for asserting the rule of the Mogul on Northern India’s landscape. This particular tomb together with the beautiful gardens around it could also serve as a representation of heaven on earth to unite the life on the world and the life after death. Tomb design was strongly influenced by religious and spiritual beliefs. Religion has in the past simplified and controlled monumental structures and designated them as inappropriate. Religion has otherwise inspired great architecture linked to death. It plays an important part in the form, design and location of the tombs.(Narayanan, 2007.p.p 456). Some ancient structures such as temples in Egypt are known to have been converted into churches with their monumental significance being taken a way. The construction of the pyramids in Egypt with secure space and provisions inside was inspired by the beliefs of life after death. Probably the surviving peoplebelieved that the deceased needed that good environment and provisions since he was goingto be a live again after the burial. European churches were filled with tombs for example because the worshippers desired closeness to God. Sentiment, power and religion were all instruemental in tomb construction as displayed by Taj Mahal. Some other tombs which are more modest may not be viewed as public power symbols or religious piety but serve as personal affection statements and familial duty (Narayanan, 2007 p.p 90).Tombs serve as the true products of a person’s urge to keep memories and symbolize the consolation directed to those who are bereaved. A tomb could be made out of affection and love but its décor, design, as well as the size are things chosen carefully to deliver some important message directly or indirectly concerning the wealth, personal beliefs, status and the dead person’s identity plus those who survive him. In fererence to (Mendlev, 1994 p.p 98).Tomb design can be used to discover much about the cultural orientation of a generation apart from the religious beliefs. Some tombs were made with specific kinds of materials especially if the deceased had staus in society. Archaeologists and historians have found a lot of significance in the way tombs were made. More importantly just like the pyramids of Egypt tombs have been used in the past for ritual purposes and worship. Animist and religions with beliefs associated with ancestral spirits are known to attach a lot of importance to tombs. Some societies of with this kind of faith have even conducted prayers, worship services, sacrifices and ritual practices by grave sides. Tombs were therefore held dear since they symbolized death and the bridge between this life and the next life Plog (1997). Conclusion In conclusion the paper focuses on the purpose of the existence of massive monumental structures in the ancient world. Monumental architecture made in the ancient times abounds all over the world. Theywere built at different times in history. Various peoples of different cultures were involved in the construction of these structures for different purposes most of which was cultural, political or spiritual. These monuments include tombs, pyramids, and temples among others. (Narayanan, 2007 p.p 78).All these structures served different purposes depending on the timing and culture in which they were constructed. Temples in many places were used for housing the female gods and gods that were worshipped by different people. Such was the case in Egypt and Greece. Tombs were built as huge monuments and their purpose was to keep the remains of the dead in most cases ruler. Pahaps influential people such as Kings were buried in tombs knowns as the pyramids in Egypt. All the monumental structures served more than one purpose. They were built as huge structures that displayed the massive strength, organization, wealth, political power and dynasty of the people who made them. The pyramids of Egypt for example have been seen as symbols of transition in power. Some temples and tombs in the Middle East served the purpose of linking this life to the next life. This was so because death was regard as a transition between this life and the next. References James, P.(1991), Centuries of Darkness: A Challenge to the Conventional Chronology of Old World Archaeology, Cape, London. David, A.(1986), The Pyramid Builders of Ancient Egypt: A modern investigation of Pharaoh’s workforce, Guild Publishing, London. Edwards, I.E.(1991), The Pyramids of Egypt Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition. Lehner, M. (1997). The Complete Pyramids, Thames & Hudson.Amazon Publishers.New York City. Marx M (1989),The Brilliant Constructions of the Ancient world. Sage Publication Group Cape London. 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