pre axumite architecture
- 1. Ancient History of Ethiopian Art & Architecture Pre- Axumite Architecture Prep. By Ephrem N.
- 2. Introduction •What is history? …We say Architecture is ‘Living History’ HOW?
- 3. Introduction • Architecture is subject to social, political, or cultural influences. It reflects the society and communicates the values of that society. • With the change of the society the face of Architecture changes too. • Our architecture has so many stories to tell about us. It’s our personality and our culture which is reflected in the shelter we build.
- 4. ■ How Architecture evolve? Introduction
- 5. ■ Agriculture vs. Architecture? Introduction
- 6. Introduction Agriculture created Architecture. •Agriculture leads to settlement. People needed to live where there was good land for farming. •The tools and materials around enabled them to build shelter/dwellings.
- 7. Introduction •Farming in the Nile delta started around 4000 B.C. and a powerful Egyptian state developed about 2600 B.C. ,at the time the state was able to command the labor for such huge constructions as the Great pyramid.
- 8. Pre- Axumite Architecture •Archaeological sites in northern Ethiopia and the middle east
- 9. •Ancient route from Axum to Redsea Pre- Axumite Architecture
- 10. •Earliest Art (example of cave painting in Ethiopia) • a cave at Porcepic near Dire Dawa, dated at 400,000 years and notable for its exquisitely accurate rendering of animal forms – Antelope, Jackal and hyena are clearly identifiable Pre- Axumite Architecture
- 11. Sabian or Intermediate period (500 b.c. to 100 a.d.) Sabean architecture
- 12. Pre- Axumite Architecture •Some influences to early Ethiopian culture • South Arabians brought with them the Sabean syllabury, a modified version of which is the script in which both Ge’ez and Amharic (200 – 300 A.D.) are written. • The techniques of carving probably originated the early civilization in South Arabians.
- 13. Pre- Axumite Architecture •Symbols of Sabian religion “ the Disk & the Crescent” • the decoration of this stone altar is clearly Architectural and depicts “Axumite type of window carpentry similar to the patterns of the largest stales at Axum.
- 14. Temple of Yeha
- 15. Pre- Axumite Architecture Oldest well-preserved building in Ethiopia (built more than 2500 years ago, in Sabian times) •The country’s earliest high civilization •Temple of Yeha -
- 16. Pre- Axumite Architecture •Constructed with Masonry of dressed stone. •Consists of a single oblong Chamber -Area 18.5m by 15m -height 12m •Regular rectangular blocks of up to 3 m length were used to construct the wall, without the use of any mortar.
- 18. Basic characteristics The walls are smooth, with long well-cut blocks, excellent straightness and tightness of joints Outer faces, edges and corners are unemotionally dressed with great precision The wall thikness is about 60 cm. Pre- Axumite Architecture
- 20. Temple of Yeha The wall, whose total thickness is about 60 cm, is not just a single structure but there are two walls interconnected to each other by smaller blocks of stone which serve as anchor.
- 21. Temple of Yeha
- 22. Temple of Yeha The floor is also superbly built with 5 layers of variously sized blocks some measuring 1m by 50 cm, others 1m by 1m or 50 cm by 50 cm
- 23. Temple of Yeha
- 24. The Sabean walls. smooth, long well-cut blocks, straight Tight joints Perfect corners Pre- Axumite Architecture
- 26. Pre Axumite Domestic architecture
- 28. COMPARISON History of Ethiopian Architecture vs. ..……the other world
- 29. Egyptians Great Pyramid of Khufu, Egypt, (2600 to 2480BC) Temple at Luxor (1408 to 1300BC) Egypt Hatshepsuts Temple, Egypt (1550BC)
- 30. The Greeks Parthenon Greece, 477 to 438 BC
- 31. The Romans The Roman Forum (100 to 300BC)
- 32. The powerful kingdom of Axum (100 to 1000 a.d.) To be Continued Axumite Architecture - II