Beyond its functional role, architecture conveys the core values of civilizations, shows City dwellers’ views of their society and reflects their social dreams. Whether it is centuries ago or today, the human Creative imagination has been manifested in buildings to solve community issues, and this has led to distinguishing the structures as masses, spaces or hybrids. In this essay, we will uncover the architectural marvels of the Pyramid of Giza, Parthenon and Great Stupa at Sanchi, where we will discuss their shapes and applications within the culture they belong to. Using the analysis of these splendid structures, we deconstruct the culture, function, and technology that these structures are associated with, as well as the reasons for the preference for mass, space, or hybrid forms.
In retrospect, the analysis of the first fourteen chapters of Richard Ingersoll’s “World Architecture: A Cross-Cultural History” shows us that the architectural legacy of different societies across the ages and geography was usually employed to meet various community requirements. As a result, society created buildings that addressed these problems either as masses or spaces or a mixture of the two. Analyzing cases of the valley pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon, and the Sanchi stupa will enable us to detect the cultural, operational, and technical aspects that encouraged these architectural monuments’ formation.
Architecture often becomes equatable to the social culture and lifestyle of the communities it represents. The Great Pyramids of Giza can be considered one of the most prevalent architectural expertise models that represent the idea of mass structure. Constructed by the early Egyptians, these giant statues were meant to be the final resting place of the kings. For example, “The relieving slabs placed above Khufu’s burial chamber inside the great pyramid at Giza” (Ingersoll 79). This example indicates that the great pyramids of Giza were of a divine status and episodic nature. In addition, the vast size and tangible appearance of the pyramid show its permanent feature, as it is symbolic of the Egyptians’ faith in the life to come and the remaining power of their rulers. The site’s creation of these mega-structures instead of green areas is motivated by practical and symbolic reasons. Through technical developments, including quarrying, transport, and guarding, the Egyptians built their jaw-dropping monuments, showing their outstanding craftsmanship and organization skills. In addition, the enclosed nature of the pyramids allowed the pharaoh’s remains to be guarded while his preservation was eternal.
The immense masses of Egyptian art stand out as the concept of architectural space exemplified by the Parthenon in ancient Greece. “This unique democratic society produced a splendid collection of monuments to celebrate its autonomy, including the great temple of the Parthenon” (Ingersoll 105). The Parthenon, the temple situated on a hill at the Athenian Acropolis, was dedicated to the goddess Athena and used as a sacred place both for religious rites and meetings of the community. Conversely, grandiosity and solidity stand out more in the pyramids than the human scale and proportion ideas that the Greeks upheld in their architecture, as represented by the Parthenon.
Through its columns and show windows, the building is capable of attracting worshipers, citizens, and community members to enter the building and participate in communal activities, thus ensuring public unity and civic pride. Space and mass are not factors that signify the democracy of Athenian society, which highly respects freedom of speech and public involvement. The Greeks were able to realize their ideas through technological innovations in stone carving and construction techniques, such as Doric and Ionic orders, which then became iconic representations of the human form and intellect.
The Great Stupa at Sanchi, a hybrid architecture combining mass and space, becomes a historical masterpiece that goes beyond the great ancient civilization of Egypt and Greece. The stupa was initially built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. “Not far from the stambha at Sarnath, Ashoka constructed a monumental stupa” (Ingersoll 145). The stupa was later updated in the 3rd century BCE. It offers sacred space for Buddha relics and pays homage to his teachings. The solids dome appearance makes a clear spiritual and stable sense and symbolizes circle movement for pilgrims and devotees; they hang by the perimeter of the structure for the ritual goal. Nevertheless, the majestically sculpted gateways surrounding the stupa contain architectural space elements. Still, these are meticulously carved reliefs consisting of scenes from the life of the Buddha and the Jataka tales.
The combination of mass or space itself reflects the conglomerate theme of Indian Culture, which was influenced by several elements and, as a result, created a rich piece of artistic cloth with both religious and artistic tints. The technological developments in stone carving, namely, the creation of delicate relief sculpture and the employment of mortarless construction, allowed craftsmanship to adorn the stupa with artistic decoration, thus making it a pictorial manifestation of the Buddhist teachings and royal patronage.
In summary, what can be observed from the mass, space, and hybrid nature of structures like the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon, and the Great Stupa of Sanchi is how ancient societies would put architecture to very many uses for fulfilling various societal needs and cultural ambitions. Symbolizing monumental burials or sacred temples or being representative works, these structures are a condensation of technological dimensions, functional aspects, and symbolic aspects of human talent and intelligence. Hence, investigating the design choices of diverse cultures in constructing those magnificent creations is an opportunity to understand their sources of inspiration, passed on from generation to generation and, now, transcendental values for the next generations to ponder and marvel at. Besides enduring time, the architectural treasures are vital because, through their outstanding nature, they evoke awe and amazement, thus bridging the gap between past and present and reminding us that human imagination is indeed enduring.
Work Cited
Richard Ingersoll, World Architecture: A Cross-Cultural History, 2nd Edition (Oxford University Press) ISBN: 978-0190646455.
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