When were the earliest pointed arches discovered at Nippur?
Archaeologists uncovered crude pointed arches at the Bronze Age site of Nippur before 2700 BC. These early structures predate all known European examples by millennia.
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Archaeologists uncovered crude pointed arches at the Bronze Age site of Nippur before 2700 BC. These early structures predate all known European examples by millennia.
The clearest surviving example from this era appears in the two pointed arches of Chytroi-Constantia Aqueduct in Cyprus dating back to the 7th century CE. This structure demonstrates that pre-Muslim origins of pointed architecture are an unassailable contention.
Medieval builders in France and England began using the pointed arch in the 12th century. They combined it with rib vaults and flying buttresses to create cathedrals of unprecedented height.
One of the first Gothic rib vaults appeared at Durham Cathedral between 1135 and 1490. Architects also used them in the deambulatory of the Abbey of Saint Denis in Paris from 1140 to 1144.
Horace Walpole built Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham, London starting from 1749 onward. This residence revived the use of pointed arches after they were largely abandoned during the Renaissance.