Prehistoric architecture included megalithic structures like stone circles, dolmens, and menhirs erected by Neolithic peoples as far back as 4500 BC, particularly in Europe. Early civilizations developed architectural traditions like the ziggurats of Mesopotamia around 2100 BC and the mastabas and pyramids of ancient Egypt starting in the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom between 2691-2575 BC. Key structures included the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, pyramids at Giza, and temples like the Temple of Djoser at Saqqara and Luxor Temple from the New Kingdom period. Various architectural styles emerged and evolved over thousands of years across ancient

1. VISUAL ARTS: ARCHITECTURE
ART APPRECIATION
ERWIN MARLON R. SARIO

2. PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE
The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may be as old
as 4500 BC. French village of Carnac, in Brittany.
The dolmen Er-Roc'h-Feutet. The Crucuno dolmen A dolmen erected by Neolithic people
in Kerala, India

3. The Géant du Manio, a
menhir in Carnac, Brittany
Large menhir located between Millstreet and Ballinagree,
County Cork, Ireland

4. Tomb of King Alyattes at Bin Tepe in Lydia, modern
Turkey, built circa 560 BCE
The Royal mounds of Gamla Uppsala in Sweden from the 5th
and 6th centuries; originally the site had 2,000 to 3,000 tumuli,
but due to quarrying and agriculture only 250 remain.
King Björn's barrow in Håga, Sweden
Tumulus

5. Stonehenge is still one of the
most mysterious structures in
the world. It was built over the
course of many years, from 2750
to 1500 BCE, in different phases.
There is a large circle, and the
circle is defined by a ditch. The
entire circle is approximately
320 feet in diameter.

6. In southern France is a complete reconstruction of
what a village might have looked like in roughly
2000 BCE based upon fragments collected and
studied by archaeologists and historians. The
village is known as the Village des Bories, from
Latin boarium (a stable for oxen).
the Megalithic
Temples of are
several prehistoric
temples, built
during three distinct
periods
approximately
between 3600 BC
and 2500 BC on the
island country of
Malta.

7. A ziggurat is a type of
massive structure built in
ancient Mesopotamia. It has
the form of a terraced
compound of successively
receding stories or levels.
Notable ziggurats include
the Great Ziggurat of Ur
near Nasiriyah, the Ziggurat
of Aqar Quf near Baghdad,
the now destroyed
Etemenanki in Babylon,
Chogha Zanbil in Khūzestān
and Sialk.
MESOPOTAMIAN ARCHITECTURE 2100 BC

9. EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE – The First Dynasty Period
A mastaba (meaning "house of
eternity" or "eternal house" in Ancient
Egyptian) is a type of ancient Egyptian
tomb in the form of a flat-roofed,
rectangular structure with inward
sloping sides, constructed out of mud-
bricks. These edifices marked the burial
sites of many eminent Egyptians during
Egypt's Early Dynastic Period and Old
Kingdom.

10. EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE – The Old Kingdom Period
The Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
The first King of the Old Kingdom
was Djoser (sometime between
2691 and 2625 BC) of the Third
Dynasty, who ordered the
construction of a pyramid (the Step
Pyramid) in Memphis' necropolis,
Saqqara. An important person
during the reign of Djoser was his
vizier, Imhotep.

11. Temple of Djoser at Saqqara
It was in this era that formerly
independent ancient Egyptian
states became known as nomes,
under the rule of the king. The
former rulers were forced to
assume the role of governors or
otherwise work in tax collection.
Egyptians in this era worshiped
their Pharaoh as a god, believing
that he ensured the annual
flooding of the Nile that was
necessary for their crops.
Egyptian views on the nature of
time during this period held that
the universe worked in cycles, and
the Pharaoh on earth worked to
ensure the stability of those
cycles. They also perceived
themselves as a specially selected
people.

12. The sphinx at Giza. Old Kingdom
Dynastic period. Egypt

13. Blunted Pyramid
The Blunted, Bent, False, or Rhomboidal
Pyramid, so named because of its
peculiar double slope, built by King
Snefru in the 4th dynasty (c. 2575–c.
2465 BCE), Dahshūr, Egypt.
The period of time in Ancient Egypt that was from 2575 to 2150
BC is called the Old Kingdom.
This was a time when Egypt was becoming popular for many
things such as their government and for their architecture.
This period is sometimes referred to as the “Age of Pyramids.”

14. EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE – The Middle Kingdom
Period and New Kingdom Period

15. The Abu Simbel temples are two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel a village in
Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan.

16. Luxor Temple is an
Ancient Egyptian
temple complex
located on the east
bank of the Nile River
in the city today known
as Luxor (ancient
Thebes) and was
constructed
approximately 1400
BCE. In the Egyptian
language it is known as
ipet resyt, "the
southern sanctuary". In
Luxor there are several
great temples on the
east and west banks.