Curated category
Architectural history
- Roman architectural revolutionEngineers erected semicircular arches throughout the Roman Empire, stretching from Syria to Scotland. The first use of these arches appeared in civic…
- Baroque architectureIn the late 1500s, Rome became the stage for a new kind of architecture designed to fight a spiritual war. The Catholic Church needed a visual weapon against…
- Modern architectureThe cast plate glass process was invented in 1848, allowing the manufacture of very large windows. This innovation arrived alongside drywall and reinforced…
- Renaissance architectureIn the early 15th century, a brick dome began to rise over Florence Cathedral. This structure had been left unroofed by Arnolfo di Cambio in the 14th century.
- Gothic architectureIn the Île-de-France region of northern France, a new architectural style emerged between 1140 and 1144 at the Abbey of Saint-Denis.
- Roman concreteThe harbor of Caesarea in Roman Judaea rose from the sea between 22 BC and 15 BC. Massive quantities of pozzolana arrived from Puteoli to build its…
- History of architectureIn 2000, archaeologists at Meiji University in Tokyo claimed to have found five pentagonal alignments of post holes on a hillside near the village of…
- ManuelineIn 1495, King Manuel I ascended to the Portuguese throne and immediately began funding a new era of exploration. His reign lasted until 1521, marking the…
- Italian RenaissanceNorthern and Central Italy in the Late Middle Ages became far more prosperous than their southern counterparts. The region was among the richest in Europe by…
- Villa rusticaThe ancient Roman scholar Varro used the term villa rustica to describe a farmhouse set in the countryside. This specific label distinguished agricultural…
- Palladian architectureAndrea Palladio was born in Padua in 1508, the son of a stonemason. He studied Roman buildings and the writings of Vitruvius from 80 BC to shape his own…
- VihāraThe Sanskrit word vihara means a form of rest house, temple or monastery in ascetic traditions of India. It particularly referred to a hall that was used as…
- Ancient Roman architectureThe Roman Republic began in 509 BC, marking the start of a distinct architectural journey that would eventually span centuries.
- Architecture of RussiaIn 988 AD, Vladimir the Great converted Kievan Rus to Orthodox Christianity. This decision triggered a massive shift from wooden pagan temples to stone…