Reading Comprehension II

1. As I have learned in class Greek architecture is built to honor the Gods. Their buildings and temples are built and planned with precision and perfection to pay homage to the Gods. The Greeks built there columns upward and tapered to converge in the heavens. It only makes sense the designs of all the architectural details were based on sacrifices to the Gods. Hersey describes the columns as representing the sacrificial ceremonies. Where the base is the foot tied with the rope or molding, the vertical fillets in column represent the spears for the hint, and of course the capital would represent the head, and the tablature would represent the table where the offerings were placed to the Gods. The Greeks had a way with taking something as literal as a sacrifice to the Gods and abstracting it into an ideal architectural detail like a column, that happened to be the support for a temple that honored a deity.
2. In the story archeologists from the future discover what they think is a large burial site, however to our knowledge we know this place as a motel. Through their horrible conclusions of the artifacts they find, they misread all of the evidence that is right in front of them. Their discovery gets passed on like wildfire even though what they conclude they find is incorrect. This type of situation happens all the time on the internet. Someone misrepresents information and it gets used in papers and passed on continuously. We can stop this by referencing books instead of Wikipedia and other unreliable sources. By using books we know the information is correct because it has to go through many revision processes and is proved truthful.
3. In ancient Egypt women were not treated as equals to men. They were looked down upon and not worthy of a rulers status. However, when Queen Hatsheput took throne she had to change that. Pyramids that Pharaohs built spoke of eternal life and reaching the heavens. They were built at enormous scales as if the Pharaohs were creating there own mountains and becoming closer to their deities. Hatsheput had a very different design to her temple. It is more low to the ground and built up in layers, that had a large set of stairs leading to the entrance. i believe her design represented her moving "up" in society or gaining a political status . her ideas were not so much about eternal life and reaching the heavens but gaining power and respect in her time and society.
4. Although there may be some similarities in physical characteristics of Egyption and Greek architecture. The evolution of designs is very different. Take for example the great pyramids of Giza and the Temple of Hera i. In ancient Egypt the pyramids had one purpose to act as a burial for Pharaohs so they could gain eternal life. The designs of these burials really never developed past the pyramid. Egyptians were not interested in evolving, they had a design that worked and they never changed it over time. Where as the temple of Hera i was constructed and to the Greeks the design of was unfinished. Yes it served its purpose, to honor Hera, however the design needed to change. To the Greeks the columns not perfect and the single row of columns down the center was impractical for displaying statues. Therefore, they evolved the design to strive for the perfect temple to honor Hera. They came up with a design that had columns surrounding the outside, then a collanade inside. Which is two rows of columns allowing the middle of the space to be open. This design gave them the ability to have openness so they could display Hera and she could visible from every angle of the room.
5. In my opinion the furniture of the pharaohs was very light weight because it represented a transient object in a humans life. Where as the pyramids represented eternal life, they would be on Earth forever.
6. In Grecian culture the women were not valued like the men. They were to serve men in any way possible, often times even being enslaved. Greeks often made statues of women symbolizing their enslavement forever. These statues were not to honor them but to show that men had control over women. the urns depict that very well because in both the women are serving the men.