Essay Sample on Ancient Empires Show Power Through Architecture: Bel Temple & Santa Maria Maggiore

Introduction

The ancient civilizations used architecture as a means of political and religious propaganda, intending to control all the people and dictate the lives of the citizens within the locality. The Bel temple and the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore were used to convey religious beliefs to the people existing in society (Ching et al., 2017). The scale of building the structures was practical, showing decorations in the interior parts. The decorations were used to signify the power of the empires, and the state of the economy of ancient civilizations. Chavin de Huantar was utilized as a religious center and a political center where state propaganda was conveyed to the other people in the kingdoms. There were decorations in most of the temples existing in the region that assisted in showing the importance of spatial order in the order. In most Roman monuments such as the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, spatial order was used to define the critical functions of the Thermae (Ching et al., 2017). Most spaces found within the monuments in Rome had the best finishes. Apart from being a religious center, Chavin de Huantar played an essential role as an agricultural center used by most travelers who passed by the city. The region had oasis, making it appropriate for travelers. The part was located in the area between the supper valley and Casma valley. There was a river in between the valleys, which were used for irrigation purposes and crop growth by many people within the area.

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The Buddhist temple, Angkor Wat, was used as a military center of the Khmer empire back in 1200CE. King Suryavarman built the Buddhists temple and the temple was dedicated to Vishnu, who was one of the religious figures in the Hindu culture (Ching et al., 2017). The temple was also used as a tomb to king Suryavarman even after death. The organization of most priests, architects, and laborers within the region was active, leading to the completion of the monument before the end of King Suryavarman. Before construction, the area was forested. Men were used in preparing the 500-acre land to build the temple. There were difficulties caused by the use of primitive tools leading to problems in the preparation of the property. Within 35 years, the temple was fully established. Yaso Dhara Pura kingdom was organized, and the people within the area were contributive to development projects, a fact leading to faster development of the temple (Ching et al., 2017). Similar structures in Europe took more than 300 years to be completed because of the complexity of coming up with the fabrics.

The salvation of the ancient monuments assists in restoring the ancient cultural heritage in most regions across the world. The great temple of Bel was one of the pillars that were brought back to the people. The temple was constructed rectangularly, and it was oriented from north to south. The temple was buried in the Syrian Desert, but after reconstruction back in 32A.D, it was used as a secure religious center for the people across the world (Ching et al., 2017). There was a shift of political powers of preservationist that created a change from conservation of individual monuments to the preservation of most environments across the world. Most ancient buildings were affected, and the local governments were impacted because they were quickly restored, as shown by the temple of Bel. The idea of preserving the ancient cultures and architectures as theorized by Brandi in the theory of restoration in 1963 led to the creation of 3D modeling of the temple (Ching et al., 2017). The approach emphasized the importance of uniting the old technologies and the new technologies to preserve the ancient cultures and architectural structures existing within society. The temple was reconstructed using the 3D modeling to show the original form and the decorative art found within the temple.

Most artistic elements such as stone carvings and paintings assist in informing and persuading most architectures on the importance of preservation of the ancient cultures within the society. In most cases, the art was used to symbolize the old gods in most temples. Besides, they represented the importance of religious practices to the people in the past. The Candi Prambanan in Indonesia allowed the creation of different structures in the interior facades (Ching et al., 2017). The temple was famous because it represented the shift of religious powers to Buddhism. The building was comprised of tall pillars extended to a length of 47 meters high. The temple was used for religious activities. The components were made using stones, although the environment was not valid because it was built near an active volcano. The structural elements found within the temple assisted in creating many sacred spaces in the temple. The temple strengthened the social values of the people as well as creating a higher level of social cohesion in society. The nature of most religions existing in the past was prominence. They had political influence even in the world outside the temple region.

Figure 5: A rendering showing the Bel temple

In most ancient areas around the world, architectural structures were used as symbolism of social structures, religious cohesion, and political systems existing within the society. The monuments assist in highlighting the need to attach ideological consistencies and social hierarchies in the community. Completion of most structures dependent on the social authority that dictated the successful completion and implementation of the social structures (Brotherson, 2015). With little state enforcement in the social structures, the monuments would not have been completed on time. For instance, in the construction process of Angkor Wat, there is a large organization of the architects, men, and the priest leading to the completion of the artwork on time (Brotherson, 2015). There is imagery shown in most artworks and the stone sculptures showing the skills posed by the ancient architects. The monuments have established sophistication of the ancient cultures and empowered the new modern cultures by providing details of how the ancient civilizations organized themselves.

Figure 6: A description of the Angkor Wat temple

Most temples performed different functions. The Hindu temple of Angkor Wat was considered one of the largest religious temples used for religious purposes (Carter et al., 2019). All the other temples performed similar functions because they enhanced the religious beliefs of the people living within the ancient times. The temple, as shown in the sketch, has a tower used in supporting the building. The temple adopted a mountain design-oriented from the east to the western side. There were carvings and sculptures found within the temple, assisting in showing the importance of the Hindu religion and their religious practices. The temple had a Khmer temple design architecture incorporating the structure of mount Meru. On a broader scale, the layout of Angkor Wat is surrounded by ambrosia, which beliefs as an edible treat for the gods and demons (Jacquez & Lanford, 2007).

In the commencement of the third millennium BCE, several river-oriented civilizations were well-informed for rapid cultural development. River-oriented culture in the third millennium BCE was at the time six principal cultural hubs in countries that entail the Indus, Egypt, Europe, Margiana, China, and Mesopotamia (Ching et al., 2017). The elites who govern not only by force but also with the form of divine or ancestral blessing emerged. During the river-oriented civilization, when things went worst, it was seen as a symbol of divine displeasure, while when it went right, it was attributed to gods. In the case study of the Mesopotamian city, it was the most unusual activity it was established in the context of a dangerous landscape of marshes that were transformed into agricultural land. The city of Mesopotamian is considered a risky society as a result of civilizations, based on the idea on the stake that producing surplus of grain would enable them to trade for products that cannot be found locally.

The elites in the city operate in close alliance with a priestly class for whom enormous temples were established in the procedure of artificial mountains escalating in colorful terraces. In the city, the most widespread building of the age, evidence to the wealth flowing to the cities is the ziggurats at Eridu and Ur, which were the most prestigious buildings. The cities which were constructed around them comprise a dense fabric of houses and temples. In the early empires of Mesopotamia, no one had an idea when the Akkadians first commence to infiltrate central Mesopotamia and what their origins were, but by the 3rd millennium, 2300 BCE they were significant in the locality of modern Baghdad and along the rivers on the farther north (Ching et al., 2017). Sargon, who is an Akkadian king who ruled from 2334 to 2279 BCE, restructured the Mesopotamian political setting, which became the successful centralization of political power in the region. The opinion of village-based civic loyalty was replaced by the concept of commitment to a ruler, the Akkadian king, Sargon take measures that intentionally diminished the power of native chieftains. In Mesopotamia, the new concept of kingship reign is expressed in the statue of a head representing an Akkadian ruler, located in the city of Nineveh. Sargon's capital city, Akkad, was found on the Euphrates approximately 30 kilometers of modern Baghdad. The statue of the head of Akkadian dynasty ruler was overthrown around 2150 BCE by the tribes from mountainous northeast, which contributes nothing to the civilization which they have ransacked(Ching et al., 2017).

The Chavin civilization prospered between 900 and 200 BCE in the central Andes and the northern and considered as the earliest pre-Inca cultures (Ching et al., 2017). The vital Andean pilgrimage site is Chavin de Huantar, which is Chavin religious centre. The Chavin art was very influential both with later cultures and contemporary from Paracas to the Incas, assisting to extend Chavin imagery and opinions and create the paramount universal Andean belief system.

The Chavin art is chock-full of imagery of snakes, felines and raptors, and also supernatural beings. The creatures are frequently transformational, which is presented in two states at once. The animals in Chavin art imagery are from the distant lowland jungles, which depicts the influence of Chavin Culture that is confirmed by the existence of Chavin de Huantar. Staff Deity is a popular discipline in Chavin textiles, ceramics, and culture (Ching et al., 2017). Chavin pottery is thin-walled and high quality, which is typically polished black, red, or brown with the standard shape...