Comparison Essay

The majority of the homes in Catal Huyuk were built of mud brick and were built right up against one another. People used to enter through the roof-mounted hatches because the houses lacked even doors. The rooftops were mostly used as pedestrian streets because the majority of the buildings were placed next to one another. The sole sources of ventilation in the homes were the apertures or holes in the ceiling. Fresh air enters the home through these openings, while smoke exits through them. Every house had plastered interiors, which are characterized by steep stairs or squared off timber ladders. These steep stairs or squared off timber ladders were built on the southern wall of the room to create space where ovens and cooking earth were placed.

Fig. 1. Illustration of the houses in Catal Huyuk Town.

The architectural features of Palace of Minos are determined by time. Currently, the visible features are the accumulation the features that existed in many centuries ago. These are the features, which have proven to be dominant. In that case, Palaces of Minos has not depicted accurately the way it was some centuries ago. Furthermore, the appearance of its features has been reconstituted with the modern materials. According to the archeological perspective, by referring the site as Palace and Knossos is rather ambiguous. Unlike the Catal Hayuk (Turkey), Palace of Minos was not just used as a place for residency. It contained some rooms that were suitable for royal family. For that reason, the site was also used as a monarchy residence.

Fig. 2. The section of the building feature of Palace of Minos.

Fig. 3. Architectural view of the Palace of Minos.

The Parthenon versus Temple of Appollo

The Parthenon is an octastyle Doric temple that is incorporated with ionic architectural features. According to the design of many common Greek temples, Parthenon construction is surrounded by many columns carrying an entablature with them. The building has eight columns at both ends and seventeen on both sides. In that case, there is the aspect of double row columns at the building either ends. The colonnade of the Parthenon surrounds the inner masonry structure known as the cella, which can also be two different compartments. Also, the gable of the building is finished using a triangular pediment that was originally replaced by the sculpted figures.

According to the stylobate dimension, the dimensions of Parthenon base area are 228 by 101 ft. On the other hand, the dimension of the cella part was 97.8 by 63.0 ft. In the peripheral end, the dimensions of the Doric columns are the 6.2ft for diameter and 34ft for height. However, the corner columns have a little larger diameter. In that case, the Parthenon is regarded as one of the finest Greek Architecture. It enjoys the repute of being the flawless Doric temple to be built by the Greek. Despite the aspect of in antiquity, the architectural refinements of the Parthenon remain legendary. This is also contributed by the subtle correspondence that exists between the stylobate curvature and the naos walls, which are tapered. The stylobate also acts as the platform on which the columns can stand on. In several designs, the stylobate has slightly parabolic and upward curvature, which is suitable for shedding rainwater and at the same time reinforcing the temple against earthquakes.

Fig. 4. View of the Parthenon Temple.

The dimensions of stylobate of Temple of Appollo are 55.36 by 21.47m with squat columns that are in the six by seventeen arrangements. The temple also represents the transition that was experienced in the West Greek between the temples that had wooden structure and the ones that were built using the stones having continuous colonnade and hexastyle front. The perimeter of the temple also surrounds the naos and pronaos. However, the naos is divided into three aisles and two internal colonnades of slender columns. At the end or back of the naos, there is a closed space known as an adyton. Unlike Parthenon Temple, Appollo Temple was constructed using forty-two monolithic columns, which were transported by the sea to the construction site.

Fig. 5. View of the Temple of Appollo.

The Second Temple Jerusalem (Israel) Versus Ziggurat Complex (Ur)

According to history, the second temple of Jerusalem was constructed in the 515 B.C.E. Later on, its refurbishment was done Simon the Just (Yohanan) in 200 B.C.E. However, he concentrated in the refurbishing process and not the modification of the basic structure. The second temple has two courtyards, which have dimensions of 750 by 150 feet. The outer courtyard has at least four gates on the walls. One of these gates faces the street. On the other hand, the inner courtyard has two gates. The courtyards are also surrounded by various chambers. Most of the chambers were in the outer courtyard but were later used for storage vessels, tithe, and equipment.

Fig. 6. View of the Second Temple of Jerusalem.

Ziggurat Complex (Ur) was built by the ancient Babylonians, Sumerians, Eblaites, and Assyrians, specifically for the Elamite religion and Mesopotamian religion. Every ziggurat was part of the complex. The early ziggurats were started as platforms with rectangular, square, or oval shapes. They are also similar to the mastaba-like structure, which has a flat top. Unlike the Second temple, the cores of the ziggurats are made up of the sunbaked bricks while the firebricks are arranged to face outside of the ziggurats. Also, the facings of the ziggurats are glazed in different colors thus creating the astrological significance. Most of the Kings usually have their names engraved in the glazed bricks. Though many archeologists state that ziggurats are used to support a shrine, the myth is not true because there is no physical evidence of it. However, the textual proofs and fractions of the remaining heights can bring some facts to the table.

Fig. 7. View of the Ziggurat Complex.

The Mortuary Complex versus Mortuary Temple

The mortuary complex was at some point surrounded by a wall about 549m by 274m by 9.1m. The enclosure wall was made by brick size stones and made the complex to look impressive. Its size made it be an incredible project. However, that is not the only thing remarkable about the Mortuary Complex. The wall of the complex has recesses and projections that doubles the number of stones required for erecting a wall. The craftsmanship experienced with the wall is meticulous making it symbolize nature and not military protection as purported.

Fig. 8. View of the Mortuary Complex of Zoser.

The design of Mortuary Temple (Hatshepsut) utilizes lengthy and colonnaded terraces, which deviates the usual and centralized Mentuhotep structure. The architectural structure also has three layered terraces, which is 29.5 m tall. Every story has double colonnade square piers except central terrace corner, which was designed with Proto-Doric Columns.

Fig. 9. View of Mortuary Temple.

The Great Bath versus Baths of Trajan

The Great Bath is also known as the earliest public water tank. Its dimensions are 11.8 by 7.01m. It also has a depth of 2.43 meters. The Great Bath was designed in such a manner that it has 2 larger staircases, one to the north while the other one to the south. All of these staircases serve as the entry to the building. Every end of the stairs has a mound that is 1m wide and 40cm high. One end of the bath has a hole, which was used for draining water.

Fig. 10: View of the Great Bath.

The Baths of Trajan was built at the Oppian Peak, which is located in Esquiline hill. These baths were designed to be used as the mother model for future baths. The design was comprehended by Apollodorus of Damascus. The models of the design included larger spaces for intellectual and physical exercises. Like the Great Bath, Baths of Trajan has nearby water basins for controlling the much-needed water in the baths.

Fig. 11. View of the Baths of Trajan.

Pompeii versus Miletus

The architectural structure of Pompeii has shaped an irregular basis because was created in the ancient lava flow. Also, the excavations of the structure illustrates that the oldest part of Pompeii is the southwestern town. The walls of Pompeii are 3km in circumference, and they are used to enclose an area that is equivalent to 66 hectares. The seven gates of the Architectural structure have also been excavated.

Fig. 12. View of Pompeii.

Miletus was built between the Theater Harbor and Bay of Lions. Unlike Pompeii, the measurements of first building stage were 15.71 by 7.28 by 3.13m. The upper story of the building had a height of 3.10m and for the lower story was 1.20m. The measurements of the second stage building were 28.18 by 32.51m. The lower story of the third stage had a height 0.83m.

Fig. 13: View of Miletus.