Foreign Ancient Architecture: Twenty Lectures - Illustrated Treasure Edition

Author: Chen Zhihua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: This book is divided into two parts. The first part primarily covers Europe, while the second part primarily covers Asia, with a focus on ancient Egypt in Africa. Europe entered the Christian world after the late Roman period, whereas Asia is the realm of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Different civilizations in various regions gave rise to distinct religions, and the differences among religions further reinforced the distinctions between civilizations. Religion plays a significant role in the regional and ethnic characteristics of architecture. In many cases, religious architecture represents the highest achievements of a nation's technology and art. Therefore, these two parts can almost be distinguished by different religious architectures. The book is presented in the form of lectures, primarily following a chronological order, introducing foreign architecture before the 19th-century Modern Architecture Movement. The entire book consists of 20 lectures, divided into two parts. It is not a comprehensive history of architecture but rather a selective discussion, offering a unique perspective that reveals the sociocultural background reflected in architecture through historical continuity.
Author Bio: Chen Zhihua was born in 1929. He graduated from the Department of Architecture at Tsinghua University in 1952 and joined the faculty, retiring in 1994. His major works include A History of Foreign Architecture, Foreign Landscape Architecture, Notes on Ancient Italian Architecture, and International Documents on the Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Historical Sites. He co-translated A Selection of Western Art Aesthetics: The Architecture Volume and compiled the essay collection Window Collection. Since 1989, he has been engaged in the investigation and research of Chinese vernacular architecture. To date, he has published four books: Vernacular Architecture in the Middle Reaches of Nanxi River, Vernacular Architecture in Zhuge Village, Vernacular Architecture in Xinye Village, and Vernacular Architecture in Wuyuan.
This book is divided into two parts. The first part primarily covers Europe, while the second part primarily covers Asia, with a focus on ancient Egypt in Africa. Europe entered the Christian world after the late Roman period, whereas Asia is the realm of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Different civilizations in various regions gave rise to distinct religions, and the differences among religions further reinforced the distinctions between civilizations. Religion plays a significant role in the regional and ethnic characteristics of architecture. In many cases, religious architecture represents the highest achievements of a nation's technology and art. Therefore, these two parts can almost be distinguished by different religious architectures. The book is presented in the form of lectures, primarily following a chronological order, introducing foreign architecture before the 19th-century Modern Architecture Movement. The entire book consists of 20 lectures, divided into two parts. It is not a comprehensive history of architecture but rather a selective discussion, offering a unique perspective that reveals the sociocultural background reflected in architecture through historical continuity.