Western Art History Essay

Ancient Egypt

Egy pt's impac t o n later c ultures was immense.

Y o u c o uld say that Egy pt pro v ided the building

blo c ks fo r Greek and Ro man c ulture, and, thro ugh

them, influenc ed all o f the Western traditio n.

To day , Egy ptian imagery , c o nc epts, and

perspec tiv es are fo und ev ery where; y o u will find

them in arc hitec tural fo rms, o n mo ney , and in o ur

day to day liv es. Many c o smetic surgeo ns, fo r

ex ample, use the silho uette o f Queen Nefertiti

(who se name means “the beautiful o ne has c o me”)

in their adv ertisements.

Py ramid o f Khafre at Giza, c . 25 20 -2494 (right).

Pho to : Dr A my Calv ert, CC BY -NC

T h is in trodu c tion will prov ide y ou with

th e prim ary filters to v iew an d u n derstan d

an c ien t Egy pt.

L on gev ity

A nc ient Egy ptian c iv ilizatio n lasted fo r mo re than

30 0 0 y ears and sho wed an inc redible amo unt o f

c o ntinuity . That is mo re than 1 5 times the age o f

the United States, and c o nsider ho w o ften o ur

c ulture shifts; less than 1 0 y ears ago , there was no

Fac ebo o k, Twitter, o r Y o utube.

While to day we c o nsider the Grec o -Ro man perio d

to be in the distant past, it sho uld be no ted that Cleo patra V II's reign (whic h ended in 30 BCE) is c lo ser to o ur

o wn time than it was to that o f the c o nstruc tio n o f the py ramids o f Giza. It to o k humans nearly 40 0 0 y ears to

build so mething--any thing--taller than the Great Py ramids. Co ntrast that span to the mo dern era; we get

ex c ited when a rec o rd lasts lo nger than a dec ade.

Con sisten c y & Stability

Egy pt’s stability is in stark c o ntrast to the A nc ient Near East o f the same perio d, whic h endured an

o v erlapping series o f c ultures and upheav als with amazing regularity .

The earliest ro y al mo numents, suc h as the Narmer Palette c arv ed aro und 31 0 0 B.C.E., display identic al ro y al

c o stumes and po ses as tho se seen o n later rulers, ev en Pto lemaic kings o n their temples 30 0 0 y ears later.

Palette o f Narmer, c . 30 0 0 -2920 B.C.E. (left) and Ramses III smiting at Medinet Habu(1 1 60 B.C.E.) (right)

A v ast amo unt o f Egy ptian imagery , espec ially ro y al imagery that was go v erned by dec o rum (a sense o f what

was ‘appro priate’), remained stupefy ingly c o nsistent thro ugho ut its histo ry . This is why , espec ially to the

untrained ey e, their art appears ex tremely static —and in terms o f sy mbo ls, gestures, and the way the bo dy is

rendered, it was. It was intentio nal. The Egy ptians were aware o f their c o nsistenc y , whic h they v iewed as

stability , div ine balanc e, and c lear ev idenc e o f the c o rrec tness o f their c ulture.

This c o nsistenc y was c lo sely related to a

fundamental belief that depic tio ns had an impac t

bey o nd the image itself—to mb sc enes o f the

dec eased rec eiv ing fo o d, o r temple sc enes o f the

king perfo rming perfec t rituals fo r the go ds—were

func tio nally c ausing tho se things to o c c ur in the

div ine realm. If the image o f the bread lo af was

o mitted fro m the dec eased’s table, they had no

bread in the A fterlife; if the king was depic ted with

the inc o rrec t ritual implement, the ritual was

inc o rrec t and this c o uld hav e dire c o nsequenc es.

This belief led to an ac tiv e resistanc e to c hange in

c o dified depic tio ns.

Painted raised relief o ffering table in the Temple o f

Seti I at A by do s (New Kingdo m). Pho to : Dr A my

Calv ert, CC BY -NC

The earliest rec o rded to urist graffiti o n the planet

c ame fro m a v isito r fro m the time o f Ramses II

who left their apprec iativ e mark at the already

1 30 0 -y ear-o ld site o f the Step Py ramid at Saqqara, the earliest o f the massiv e ro y al sto ne mo numents. They

were understandably impressed by the wo rks o f their anc esto rs and endeav o red to c o ntinue that anc ient

legac y .

Geograph y

Egy pt is a land o f duality and c y c les, bo th in to po graphy and c ulture. The geo graphy is almo st entirely

rugged, barren desert, ex c ept fo r an ex plo sio n o f green that straddles either side o f the Nile as it flo ws the

length o f the c o untry . The riv er emerges fro m far to the so uth, deep in A fric a, and empties into the 2

Mediterranean sea in the no rth after spreading fro m a single c hannel into a fan-shaped sy stem, kno wn as a

delta, at its no rthernmo st sec tio n.

The influenc e o f this riv er o n Egy ptian c ulture and dev elo pment c anno t be o v erstated—witho ut its presenc e,

the c iv ilizatio n wo uld hav e been entirely different, and mo st likely entirely elsewhere. The Nile pro v ided no t

o nly a c o nstant so urc e o f life-giv ing water, but c reated the fertile lands that fed the gro wth o f this unique (and

uniquely resilient) c ulture.

V iew fro m the high peak o f the Theban hills sho wing the sharp delineatio n between the lush V alley and the

barren desert. Pho to : Dr A my Calv ert, CC BY -NC

Eac h y ear, fed by melting sno ws in the far-o ff headlands, the riv er o v erflo wed its banks in an annual flo o d that

c o v ered the gro und with a ric h, blac k silt and pro duc ed inc redibly fertile fields. The Egy ptians referred to this

as Kemet, the “blac k lands”, and c o ntrasted this dense, dark so il against the Deshret, the “red lands” o f the

sterile desert; the line between these zo nes was (and in mo st c ases still is) a literal line. The v isual effec t is

stark, appearing almo st artific ial in its prec isio n.

T im e - Cy c lic al an d L in ear

The annual inundatio n o f the Nile was also a reliable, and measurable, c y c le that helped fo rm their c o nc ept o f

the passage o f time. In fac t, the c alendar we use to day is deriv ed fro m o ne dev elo ped by the anc ient

Egy ptians.

They div ided the y ear into 3 seaso ns: akhet ‘inundatio n’, peret ‘gro wing/emergenc e’, andshemw ‘harv est.’

Eac h seaso n was, in turn, div ided into fo ur 30 -day mo nths. A ltho ugh this annual c y c le, paired with the daily

so lar c y c le that is so ev ident in the desert, led to a po werful driv e to see the univ erse in c y c lic al time, this idea

ex isted simultaneo usly with the reality o f linear time.

These two c o nc epts—the c y c lic al and the linear—c ame to be asso c iated with two o f their primary deities: 3

Osiris, the eternal lo rd o f the dead, and Re, the sun go d who was rebo rn with eac h dawn.

Early Dev elopm en t: T h e Predy n astic Period

The c iv ilizatio n o f Egy pt o bv io usly did no t spring fully fo rmed fro m the Nile mud; altho ugh the massiv e

py ramids at Giza may appear to the uninitiated to hav e appeared o ut o f no where, they were fo unded o n

tho usands o f y ears o f c ultural and tec hno lo gic al dev elo pment and ex perimentatio n. ‘Dy nastic ’ Egy pt—

so metimes referred to as ‘Pharao nic ’ (after ‘pharao h’, the Greek title o f the Egy ptian kings deriv ed fro m the

Egy ptian title per aA , ‘Great Ho use’) whic h was the time when the c o untry was largely unified under a single

ruler, begins aro und 31 0 0 B.C.E.

The perio d befo re this, lasting fro m abo ut 5 0 0 0 B.C.E. until unific atio n, is referred to as Predy nastic by

mo dern sc ho lars. Prio r to this were thriv ing Paleo lithic and Neo lithic gro ups, stretc hing bac k hundreds o f

tho usands o f y ears, desc ended fro m no rthward migrating ho mo erec tus who settled alo ng the Nile V alley .

During the Predy nastic perio d, c eramic s, figurines, mac e heads, and o ther artifac ts suc h as slate palettes used

fo r grinding pigments, begin to appear, as do es imagery that will bec o me ic o nic during the Pharao nic era—we

c an see the first hints o f what is to c o me.

Dy n asties

It is impo rtant to rec o gnize that the dy nastic div isio ns mo dern sc ho lars use were no t used by the anc ients

themselv es. These div isio ns were c reated in the first Western-sty le histo ry o f Egy pt, written by an Egy ptian

priest named Manetho in the 3rd c entury BCE. Eac h o f the 33 dy nasties inc luded a series o f rulers usually

related by kinship o r the lo c atio n o f their seat o f po wer. Egy ptian histo ry is also div ided into larger c hunks,

kno wn as ‘kingdo ms’ and ‘perio ds’, to distinguish times o f strength and unity fro m tho se o f c hange, fo reign

rule, o r disunity .

The Egy ptians

themselv es

referred to their

histo ry in

relatio n to the

ruler o f the

time. Y ears

were generally

rec o rded as the

regnal dates

(fro m the Latin

regnum,

meaning

kingdo m o r

rule) o f the

ruling king, so

that with eac h new reign, the numbers began anew.

Later kings rec o rded the names o f their predec esso rs in v ast ‘king-lists’ o n the walls o f their temples and

depic ted themselv es o ffering to the rulers who c ame befo re them—o ne o f the best kno wn ex amples is in the

temple o f Seti I at A by do s.

These lists were o ften c o ndensed, with so me rulers (suc h as the c o ntentio us and disruptiv e A khenaten) and 4

ev en entire dy nasties o mitted fro m the rec o rd; they are no t truly histo ry , rather they are a fo rm o f anc esto r

wo rship, a c elebratio n o f the c o nsistenc y o f kingship o f whic h the c urrent ruler was a part.

T h e Ph araoh —Not Ju st a Kin g

Kings in Egy pt were c o mplex intermediaries that straddled the

terrestrial and div ine realms. They were, o bv io usly , liv ing

humans, but upo n ac c essio n to the thro ne, they also embo died the

eternal o ffic e o f kingship itself.

Ho rus in the to mb o f Khaemwaset (right). Pho to : Dr A my

Calv ert, CC BY -NC

The ka, o r spirit, o f kingship was o ften depic ted as a separate entity

standing behind the human ruler. This div ine aspec t o f the o ffic e o f

kingship was what gav e autho rity to the human ruler.

The liv ing king was asso c iated with the go d Ho rus, the po werful,

v irile falc o n-headed go d who was believ ed to besto w the thro ne to

the first human king.

Ho rus is regularly sho wn guarding and guiding the liv ing ruler; as

in this image o f a falc o n (Ho rus) wrapped behind the head o f

Ramses III in the to mb o f Khaemwaset (right). Pho to : Dr A my

Calv ert, CC BY -NC

Ho rus’s immensely impo rtant father, Osiris, was the lo rd o f the

underwo rld. One o f the o riginal div ine rulers o f Egy pt, this deity

embo died the pro mise o f regeneratio n. Cruelly murdered by his

bro ther Seth, the go d o f the c hao tic desert, Osiris was rev iv ed

thro ugh the po tent magic o f his wife Isis.

Thro ugh her kno wledge and skill, Osiris was able to sire the

mirac ulo us Ho rus, who av enged his father and threw his c riminal

unc le o ff the thro ne to take his rightful plac e.

Osiris bec ame ruler o f the realm o f the dead, the eternal so urc e o f

regeneratio n in the A fterlife. Dec eased kings were identified with

this go d, c reating a c y c le where the dead king fused with the div ine

king o f the dead and his suc c esso r ‘defeated’ death to take his plac e

o n the thro ne as Ho rus.

Osiris (right; fro m QV 44 in the V alley o f the Queens). Pho to : Dr

A my Calv ert, CC BY -NC

Tex t by Dr. A my Calv ert

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/ancient-near-east1.html

ConnectionsEssay/Ancient Near East.pdf

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Ancient Near East

T h e Cradle of Civ ilization

Meso po tamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Riv ers (in mo dern day Iraq), is o ften referred to as

the c radle o f c iv ilizatio n bec ause it is the first plac e where c o mplex urban c enters grew. The histo ry o f

Meso po tamia, ho wev er, is inex tric ably tied to the greater regio n, whic h is c o mprised o f the mo dern natio ns

o f Egy pt, Iran, Sy ria, Jo rdan, Israel, Lebano n, the Gulf states and Turkey . We o ften refer to this regio n as the

Near o r Middle East.

Wh at's in a Nam e?

Why is this regio n named this way ? What is it in the middle o f o r near to ? It is the pro x imity o f these c o untries

to the West (to Euro pe) that led this area to be termed "the near east." A nc ient Near Eastern A rt has lo ng been

part o f the histo ry o f Western art, but histo ry didn't hav e to be written this way . It is largely bec ause o f the

West's interests in the Biblc ial "Ho ly Land" that anc ient Near Eastern materials hav e been be regarded as part

o f the Western c ano n o f the histo ry o f art.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Euphrates_River.jpg

T h e L an d of th e Bible

A n interest in finding the lo c atio ns o f c ities

mentio ned in the Bible (suc h as Ninev eh and

Baby lo n) inspired the o riginal English and Frenc h

nineteenth c entury arc haeo lo gic al ex peditio ns to

the Near East. These sites were disc o v ered and

their ex c av atio ns rev ealed to the wo rld a sty le o f

art whic h had been lo st.

Illustratio ns fro m: Sir A usten Henry Lay ard, The

Ninev ah Co urt in the Crystal Palac e, 1 85 4

The ex c av atio ns inspired The Ninev eh Co urt at the

1 85 1 Wo rld's Fair in Lo ndo n and a sty le o f

dec o rativ e art and arc hitec ture c alled A ssy rian

Rev iv al. A nc ient Near Eastern art remains po pular

to day ; in 20 0 7 a 2.25 inc h high, early 3rd

millennium limesto ne sc ulpture, the Guenno l

Lio ness, was so ld fo r 5 7 .2 millio n do llars, the

sec o nd mo st ex pensiv e piec e o f sc ulpture so ld at

that time.

A Com plex History

The histo ry o f the A nc ient Near East is c o mplex

and the names o f rulers and lo c atio ns are o ften

diffic ult to read, pro no unc e and spell. Mo reo v er,

this is a part o f the wo rld whic h to day remains

remo te fro m the West c ulturally while po litic al

tensio ns hav e impeded mutual understanding.

Ho wev er, o nc e y o u get a handle o n the general

geo graphy o f the area and its histo ry , the art

rev eals itself as uniquely beautiful, intimate and

fasc inating in its c o mplex ity .

The Euphrates Riv er

in 20 0 5

Geograph y an d th e Growth of Cities

Meso po tamia remains a regio n o f stark geo graphic al c o ntrasts: v ast deserts rimmed by rugged mo untain

ranges, punc tuated by lush o ases. Flo wing thro ugh this to po graphy are riv ers and it was the irrigatio n

sy stems that drew o ff the water fro m these riv ers, spec ific ally in so uthern Meso po tamia, that pro v ided the

suppo rt fo r the v ery early urban c enters here.

The regio n lac ks sto ne (fo r building) and prec io us metals and timber. Histo ric ally , it has relied o n the lo ng-

distanc e trade o f its agric ultural pro duc ts to sec ure these materials. The large-sc ale irrigatio n sy stems and

labo r required fo r ex tensiv e farming was managed by a c entralized autho rity . The early dev elo pment o f this

autho rity , o v er large numbers o f peo ple in an urban c enter, is really what distinguishes Meso po tamia and

giv es it a spec ial po sitio n in the histo ry o f Western c ulture. Here, fo r the first time, thanks to ample fo o d and a

stro ng administrativ e c lass, the West dev elo ps a v ery high lev el o f c raft spec ializatio n and artistic pro duc tio n.

Tex t by Dr. Senta German

ConnectionsEssay/Art of the Persian Empire.pdf

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Art of the Persian Empire

The heart of ancient Persia is in what is now southwest Iran, in the region called the Fars. In the second

half of the 6th century, the Persians (also called the Achaemenids) created an enormous empire

reaching from the Indus Valley to Northern Greece and from Central Asia to Egypt.

Although the surviving literary sources on the Persian empire were written by ancient Greeks who were

the sworn enemies of the Persians and highly contemptuous of them, the Persians were in fact quite

tolerant and ruled a multi-ethnic empire. Persia was the first empire known to have acknowledged the

different faiths, languages and political organizations of its subjects.

This tolerance for the cultures under Persian control carried over into administration. In the lands which

they conquered, the Persians continued to use indigenous languages and administrative structures. For

example, The Persians accepted hieroglyphic script written on papyrus in Egypt and traditional

Babylonian record keeping in cuneiform in Mesopotamia. The Persians must have been very proud of

this new approach to empire as can be seen in the representation of the many different peoples in the

reliefs from Persepolis, a city founded by Darius the Great in the 6th century B.C.E.

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/the-persian-empire.html

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Persepolis_24.11.2009_11-32-18.jpg

Apadana, Persepolis (undated photograph)

Persepolis included a massive columned hall used for receptions by the Kings, called the Apadana. This

hall contained 72 columns and two monumental stairways. The walls of the spaces and stairs leading up

to the reception hall were carved with hundreds of figures, several of which illustrated subject peoples

of various ethnicities, bringing tribute to the Persian king.

Assyrian delegation, Persepolis (Assyrians bringing rams and other tribute), Stairway to the Apadana

The Persian Empire was, famously, conquered by Alexander the Great. Alexander no doubt was

impressed by the Persian system of absorbing and retaining local language and traditions as he imitated

this system himself in the vast lands he won in battle. Indeed, Alexander made a point of burying the

last Persian emperor, Darius III, in a lavish and respectful way in the royal tombs near Persepolis. This

enabled Alexander to claim title to the Persian throne and legitimize his control over the greatest

empire of the Ancient Near East.

Text by Dr. Senta German

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Church Architecture

Many o f Euro pe’s mediev al c athedrals are museums in

their o wn right, ho using fantastic ex amples o f

c raftsmanship and wo rks o f art. A dditio nally , the buildings

themselv es are impressiv e. A ltho ugh arc hitec tural sty les

v aried fro m plac e to plac e, building to building, there are

so me basic features that were fairly univ ersal in

mo numental c hurc hes built in the Middle A ges, and the

pro to ty pe fo r that ty pe o f building was the Ro man basilic a.

Prototy pe: T h e A n c ien t Rom an Basilic a

In anc ient Ro me, the basilic a was c reated as a plac e fo r tribunals and o ther ty pes o f business. The building

was rec tangular in shape, with the lo ng, c entral po rtio n o f the hall made up o f the nav e. Here the interio r

reac hed its fullest height. The nav e was flanked o n either side by a c o lo nnade that delineated the side aisles,

whic h were o f a lo wer height than the nav e. Bec ause the side aisles were lo wer, the ro o f o v er this sec tio n was

belo w the ro o fline o f the nav e, allo wing fo r windo ws near the c eiling o f the nav e. This band o f windo ws was

c alled the c leresto ry. A t the far end o f the nav e, away fro m the main do o r, was a semi-c irc ular ex tensio n,

usually with a half-do me ro o f. This area was the apse, and is where the magistrate o r o ther senio r o ffic ials

wo uld ho ld c o urt.

Bec ause this plan allo wed fo r many peo ple to c irc ulate within a large, and aweso me, spac e, the general plan

bec ame an o bv io us c ho ic e fo r early Christian buildings. The religio us rituals, masses, and pilgrimages that

bec ame c o mmo nplac e by the Middle A ges were v ery different fro m to day ’s serv ic es, and to understand the

arc hitec ture it is nec essary to understand ho w the buildings were used and the c o mpo nents that made up 1

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/early-christian-Art-after-constantine.html

these massiv e edific es.

T h e Mediev al Ch u rc h

Plan A ltho ugh mediev al c hurc hes are usually o riented east to west, they all v ary slightly . When a new c hurc h

was to be built, the patro n saint was selec ted and the altar lo c atio n laid o ut. On the saint’s day , a line wo uld be

surv ey ed fro m the po sitio n o f the rising sun thro ugh the altar site and ex tending in a westerly direc tio n. This

was the o rientatio n o f the new building.

The entranc e fo y er is c alled the narthex, but this is no t fo und in all mediev al c hurc hes. Daily ac c ess may be

thro ugh a do o r o n the no rth o r so uth side. The largest, c entral, western do o r may hav e been reserv ed fo r

c eremo nial purpo ses.

T h e c h u rc h plan

Inside, y o u sho uld imagine the interio r spac e witho ut the c hairs o r pews that we are used to seeing to day .

Unlike in a Ro man basilic a, the side aisles run behind a series o f arc hes rather than c o lumns. In v ery

ex tensiv e buildings there may be two side aisles, with the c eiling o f the o uter o ne lo wer than the o ne nex t to

the nav e. This hierarc hy o f size and pro po rtio n ex tended to the majo r units o f the plan – the bays. A bay is the

square unit in the arc ade defined by a v ault, the sec tio n suppo rted by c o nsec utiv e pillars. Ty pic ally , the width

o f the nav e was equal to two bay s. The v ault is the arc hed ro o f o r c eiling, o r a sec tio n o f it.

Salisbury Cathedral, v iew o f the to p o f the nav e arc ade, abo v e that the gallery , and abo v e that, the windo ws o f

the c leresto ry .

The majo r arc ade at the gro und flo o r is to pped by a sec o nd arc ade, c alled thegallery, whic h is to pped by the

c leresto ry o r a third arc ade lev el. The arc ade just belo w the c leresto ry is c alled the trifo rium. The nav e was

used fo r the pro c essio n o f the c lergy to the altar. The main altar was basic ally in the po sitio n o f the basilic an

apse, altho ugh in so me designs it is further fo rward. The area aro und the altar – the c ho ir o r c hanc el – was

reserv ed fo r the c lergy o r mo nks, who perfo rmed serv ic es thro ugho ut the day .

The c athedrals and fo rmer mo nastery c hurc hes are muc h

larger than needed fo r the lo c al po pulatio n. They ex pec ted and

rec eiv ed numero us pilgrims who c ame to v ario us shrines and

altars within the c hurc h where they might pray to a suppo sed

piec e o f the true c ro ss, o r a bo ne o f a marty r, o r the to mb o f a

king. The pilgrims entered the c hurc h and fo und their way to

the c hapel o r altar o f their desire—therefo re, the side aisles

made an effic ient path fo r pilgrims to c o me and go witho ut

disrupting the daily serv ic es.

Transept

Salisbury

Cathedral

Dev elo pment o f

this plan o v er

time sho ws that

v ery so o n the

apse was

elo ngated,

adding mo re

ro o m to the

c ho ir. A dditio nally , the termini o f the aisles dev elo ped into small wings themselv es, kno wn as transepts.

These were also ex tended, pro v iding ro o m fo r mo re to mbs, mo re shrines, and mo re pilgrims.

The area where the ax es o f the nav e and transepts meet is c alled, lo gic ally , thec ro ssing.

A mbulato ry , Glo uc ester Cathedral

A n aisle o ften surro unds the apse, running behind the altar.

Called the ambulato ry, this aisle ac c essed additio nal small

c hapels, c alled radiating c hapels o r c hev ets. Of c o urse, there

are many v ariatio ns o n these ty pic al building blo c ks o f

mediev al c hurc h design. Different regio ns had different tastes,

greater o r lesser financ ial po wer, mo re o r less ex perienc ed

arc hitec ts and maso ns, whic h c reated the div ersity o f mediev al

buildings still standing to day .

Tex t by V alerie Spanswic k; Pic tures taken fro m v ideo fo o tage

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ConnectionsEssay/Early Christian Art & Architecture After Constantine.pdf

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Early Christian Art & Architecture after Constantine

By the beginning o f the fo urth c entury Christianity was a gro wing my stery religio n in the c ities o f the Ro man

wo rld. It was attrac ting c o nv erts fro m different so c ial lev els. Christian theo lo gy and art was enric hed thro ugh

the c ultural interac tio n with the Grec o -Ro man wo rld. But Christianity wo uld be radic ally transfo rmed

thro ugh the ac tio ns o f a single man.

Rom e bec om es Ch ristian : Con stan tin e Bu ilds Ch u rc h es

In 31 2, the Empero r Co nstantine defeated his princ ipal riv al Max entius at the Battle o f the Milv ian Bridge.

A c c o unts o f the battle desc ribe ho w Co nstantine had seen a sign in the heav ens po rtending his v ic to ry .

Eusebius, Co nstantine's princ ipal bio grapher, desc ribes the sign as the Chi Rho , the first two letters in the

Greek spelling o f the name Christo s. A fter that v ic to ry Co nstantine bec ame the princ ipal patro n o f

Christianity . In 31 3 he issued the Edic t o f Milan whic h granted religio us to leratio n. A ltho ugh Christianity

wo uld no t bec o me the o ffic ial religio n o f Ro me until the end o f the fo urth c entury , Co nstantine's imperial

sanc tio n o f Christianity transfo rmed its status and nature. Neither imperial Ro me o r Christianity wo uld be the

same after this mo ment. Ro me wo uld bec o me Christian, and Christianity wo uld take o n the aura o f imperial

Ro me.

The transfo rmatio n o f Christianity is dramatic ally ev ident in a c o mpariso n between the arc hitec ture o f the

pre-Co nstantinian c hurc h and that o f the Co nstantinian and po st-Co nstantinian c hurc h. During the pre-

Co nstantinian perio d, there was no t muc h that distinguished the Christian c hurc hes fro m ty pic al do mestic

arc hitec ture. A striking ex ample o f this is presented by a Christian c o mmunity ho use, fro m the Sy rian to wn o f

Dura-Euro po s. Here a ty pic al ho me has been adapted to the needs o f the c o ngregatio n. A wall was taken do wn

to c o mbine two ro o ms: this was undo ubtedly the ro o m fo r serv ic es. It is signific ant that the mo st elabo rate

aspec t o f the ho use is the ro o m designed as a baptistry . This reflec ts the impo rtanc e o f the sac rament o f

Baptism to initiate new members into the my steries o f the faith. Otherwise this building wo uld no t stand o ut

fro m the o ther ho uses. This do mestic arc hitec ture o bv io usly wo uld no t meet the needs o f Co nstantine's

arc hitec ts.

Empero rs fo r c enturies had been respo nsible fo r the c o nstruc tio n o f temples thro ugho ut the Ro man Empire.

We hav e already o bserv ed the ro le o f the public c ults in defining o ne's c iv ic identity , and Empero rs

understo o d the c o nstruc tio n o f temples as testament to their pietas, o r respec t fo r the c usto mary religio us

prac tic es and traditio ns. So it was natural fo r Co nstantine to want to c o nstruc t edific es in ho no r o f

Christianity . He built c hurc hes in Ro me inc luding the Churc h o f St. Peter, he built c hurc hes in the Ho ly Land,

mo st no tably the Churc h o f the Nativ ity in Bethlehem and the Churc h o f the Ho ly Sepulc her in Jerusalem, and

he built c hurc hes in his newly -c o nstruc ted c apital o f Co nstantino ple.

T h e Basilic a

In c reating these c hurc hes, Co nstantine and his arc hitec ts c o nfro nted a majo r c hallenge: what sho uld be the

phy sic al fo rm o f the c hurc h? Clearly the traditio nal fo rm o f the Ro man temple wo uld be inappro priate bo th

fro m asso c iatio ns with pagan c ults but also fro m the differenc e in func tio n. Temples serv ed as treasuries and

dwellings fo r the c ult; sac rific es o c c urred o n o utdo o r altars with the temple as a bac kdro p. This meant that

Ro man temple arc hitec ture was largely an arc hitec ture o f the ex terio r. Sinc e Christianity was a my stery

religio n that demanded initiatio n to partic ipate in religio us prac tic es, Christian arc hitec ture put greater

emphasis o n the interio r. The Christian c hurc hes needed large interio r spac es to ho use the gro wing

c o ngregatio ns and to mark the c lear separatio n o f the faithful fro m the unfaithful. A t the same time, the new 1