DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29898#0123
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE
PART I.—ANOIENT ARCHITEGTURE.
INTRODUCTORY.
So long as the geographer confines himself to mapping out the different
countries of the world, or smaller portions of the earth’s surface, he
finds no diificulty in making a projection which shall correctly represent
the exact relative position of all the various features of the land or sea.
But when he attempts to portray a continent, some distortion neces-
sarily results ; and when he undertakes a hemisphere, both distortion
and exaggeration become inevitable. It has consequently been found
necessary to resort to some conventional means of portraying the larger
surfaces of the globe, These avowedly do not represent correctly the
forms of the countries portrayed, but they enable the geographer to
ascertain what their distances or relative positions are by the applica-
tion of certain rules and formuhe of no great complexity.
The same thing is true of history. So long as the narrative is
confined to individual countries or provinces, it may be perfectly
consecutive and uninterrupted ; but when two or three nations are
grouped together, frequent interruptions and recapitulations become
necessary ; and when universal history is attempted, it seems impossible
to arrange the narrative so as to prevent these from assuming very
considerable importance. The utmost that can be done is to devise
some scheme which shall prevent the repetition from leading to
tediousness, and enable the student to follow the thread of any portion
of the narrative without confusion or the assumption of any special
previous knowledge on his part.
Bearing these difficulties in mind, it will probably be found con-
venient to divide the whole history of Architecture into four great
divisions or parts.
The first, which may be called “ Ancient or Heathen Art,” to com-
prehend all those styles which prevailed in theold world from the dawn
of history in Egypt till the disruption of the Roman Empire by the re-
moval of the capital from Rome to Constantinople in the 4th century.
PART I.—ANOIENT ARCHITEGTURE.
INTRODUCTORY.
So long as the geographer confines himself to mapping out the different
countries of the world, or smaller portions of the earth’s surface, he
finds no diificulty in making a projection which shall correctly represent
the exact relative position of all the various features of the land or sea.
But when he attempts to portray a continent, some distortion neces-
sarily results ; and when he undertakes a hemisphere, both distortion
and exaggeration become inevitable. It has consequently been found
necessary to resort to some conventional means of portraying the larger
surfaces of the globe, These avowedly do not represent correctly the
forms of the countries portrayed, but they enable the geographer to
ascertain what their distances or relative positions are by the applica-
tion of certain rules and formuhe of no great complexity.
The same thing is true of history. So long as the narrative is
confined to individual countries or provinces, it may be perfectly
consecutive and uninterrupted ; but when two or three nations are
grouped together, frequent interruptions and recapitulations become
necessary ; and when universal history is attempted, it seems impossible
to arrange the narrative so as to prevent these from assuming very
considerable importance. The utmost that can be done is to devise
some scheme which shall prevent the repetition from leading to
tediousness, and enable the student to follow the thread of any portion
of the narrative without confusion or the assumption of any special
previous knowledge on his part.
Bearing these difficulties in mind, it will probably be found con-
venient to divide the whole history of Architecture into four great
divisions or parts.
The first, which may be called “ Ancient or Heathen Art,” to com-
prehend all those styles which prevailed in theold world from the dawn
of history in Egypt till the disruption of the Roman Empire by the re-
moval of the capital from Rome to Constantinople in the 4th century.