Arch.Uth Postgraduate Course Postgraduate Course Postgraduate Course Postgraduate Course Arch.Uth UTH.gr Ελληνικά
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I: FROM PREHISTORY TO ANCIENT ROME
ΘΚ0105, THEORY AND CRITICISM,
Obligatory, Semester 1, ECTS: 4

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On a first level, the course seeks to define the architectural object as a historical construct by taking fundamentally into account all the artistic dynamics which fueled its production at the first place. On a second level, it aims to familiarize the students with the epistemological core of architecture, namely architecture as a particular cognitive discipline in direct reference to its theoretical tools and practices. More specifically, the course introduces the architectural product by means of archetypal models of habitation (e.g., the primitive hut), which are studied in terms of their structural, functional, and spatial components, with special emphasis on the mechanisms of their adaptability and reproducibility (e.g., typology, morphological patterns, technology), and always in relation to the geophysical and economic-political variables accountable for the historical vector (i.e., rise–evolution–decline) of the various cultures/ civilizations under study.

It is expected that by the end of the semester the students will possess the skills that will enable them to apply complex methods of critical analysis on the individual historical examples, including a deeper understanding of their constitution as design objects, that is, a goal further enhanced by the notebook exercise, which the course adopts as a necessary accompaniment of its theoretical corpus.

SUBJECT

Overview of Architecture History from Prehistory to Ancient Rome. The material geographically focuses on the cultures of the Mediterranean region, with an emphasis on the intercultural relations between them. Priority is given to the works of Architecture while works of Art are discussed and analyzed to the extent that they are related to Architecture, i.e., either as an integral part of the spatial context or as interpretative tools for the comprehension of basic principles. By architecture we mean the entire built environment, which refers to the building in its context.

The examples which are presented in class are selected on the basis of their value as reference points of seminal importance; also, due to their significance for the specific historical moment in which they were realized. Their analysis involves two aspects: a) the correlation with their historical context (social, political, economic, etc.), and b) their objective description (e.g., design principles, functionality, material and structural/ construction parameters, aesthetic assessment, etc.)

The course covers the following subjects (or periods):

  • Prehistory (from the art of the caves to the end of the Neolithic period)
  • Near East cultures (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Hittites)
  • Bronze Age in Greece (Cyclades, Minoan Crete, Mycenae)
  • Ancient Greece (Dark Ages, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Late Classical, Hellenistic)
  • Introduction to Ancient Rome

COURSE ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance at lectures and participation at all stages of the examination process are a prerequisite for the successful completion of the course and ensuring a good degree. Study aids (brochures) will be distributed at the beginning of each new thematic section and their purpose is to serve as a guide to the lectures and for further reading. In addition, brochures will be distributed in the form of exercises with topics / questions that help each module. Students are advised to keep a systematic chronological record of all these brochures that will also form the basis for their exam study.

Class meetings/ lectures are scheduled for every Monday 2:00-5:00 PM. with a 10-minute break in between, if circumstances allow. For the proper functioning of the course, students are kindly requested to come in time.

Study/ field trips will be scheduled and properly announced during the semester.

MEETINGS WITH THE INSTRUCTOR
Meetings are planned after the end of the class (not over the break) and during the regular office hours:

Every Tuesday 11:00 am-2:00 pm

Contact Phones: 210-6547659 / 6972011756 / e-mail: idfatsea@uth.gr

ASSESSMENT

 The grade for the course is the sum total of two examination parts: a written examination 70% and

– A research paper on a selected topic related to the course material (30%),

  OR

– A book of sketches & notes [see below for its specifications] composed on material from the instructor's presentations and the reading of the daily material (30%).

 

Depending on which of the two assignments the student chooses, the other (if properly executed) will grant him/her an extra bonus of 10% on the total grade.

 

The student is obligated to take part in the final written examination and obtain a passing grade (5.0).

 

Notebook / sketchbook

 

This is a notebook of special specifications, which students will use during class and even beyond it, i.e., during their study, visit of various sites, museums, etc. Its purpose is to collect all the key points of the daily presentation in the form of written and pictorial information. Because it is a basic study tool for the final exam it should be kept in good condition until the end of the semester.

In this book, each student keeps good and clear notes from the lectures as well as explanatory sketches from the visual presentation, with priority given to the architectural drawings (plans, views, sections, etc.). It may be expanded with materials that the student collects during field trips, visits to places of interest, etc. It should not be copied either in part or in whole.

 

Specifications: At least 40 sheets (80 useful pages), not bigger than A4 (21x30 cm), white or off-white, matte surface, weighing not less than 120 g.

Ordinary notebooks, i.e., of a common photocopy quality paper (70-80 g) or striped school notebooks are not acceptable.

 

Submission date: 2 weeks before the end of classes.

COMPULSORY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gardner’s Art through the Ages, 11th edition (or later), Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publ., San Diego, etc., 2000.

Trachtenberg, M. & Hyman, I., Architecture from Pre-History to Postmodernism, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1986 (or later)

Watkin, D., A History of Western Architecture, Barrie & Jenkins, London, etc., 2000.

Stokstad, Marilyn, Art History (in 2 volumes), Prentice Hall, Inc., and Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York, 1995 (or later).

Janson, H. W., History of Art, 3rd edition, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1986 (or later).

Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture, Dan Cruickshank (ed.), 20th edition, Architectural Press, Oxford, Boston, etc., 1996 (orig. 1896) 

Kostof, Spiro, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals, Oxford, New York, 1985 (or later).

INDICATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY

Harris, Cyril, Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture, Dover Publ., Inc., New York, 1984. 

Grove's Dictionary of Art  (34 τόμοι), New York, 1996 [πολύ βασικό εγκυκλοπαιδικό και βιβλιογραφικό βοήθημα]

Roth, Leland M., Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning, Icon Edit., 1993. 

Fleming, J., Honour, H., Pevsner, N. The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture (3rd edition), Penguin Books, London, England /New York, N.Y., 1980.

Stevens,Curl James,A Dictionary of Architecture, Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, 1999.